208 | Surf-By Lawsuits: Hotel websites in legal crosshairs

Is your hotel’s website accessible to people with disabilities? If you don’t know the answer to that question, you’ll probably end up in court.

In this episode, we examine what’s behind the dramatic spike in website accessibility lawsuits being filed against businesses under the Americans with Disabilities Act. And why commercial enterprises found to be non-compliant are hit with tens of thousands of dollars in penalties. Experts we interviewed for this report say the reality is it’s only a matter of time before you get sued over your hotel website as drive-by litigation takes a back seat to surf-by lawsuits.

The good news is there are steps you can take to make your hotel website accessible to guests with disabilities and not only avoid your day in court but generate new business as well.

Featured in today’s episode are …

• Joe Dolson, a web accessibility consultant
• Peter Seidenberg, CEO of HEBS Digital
• Lensay Abadula, a UX designer with HEBS Digital
• Darshan Patel, a lawyer who specializes in ADA law

Resources & Links

• Joe Dolson
• Darshan Patel
• HEBS Digital
• Seyfarth Shaw report on increase in ADA Title III lawsuits
• Seyfarth Shaw report on increase in website accessibility lawsuits
• 3Play Media webinar on how ADA applies to hotels and restaurants
• For information about the Americans with Disabilities Act, visit www.ada.gov