OCT 26 1992 The Honorable Bob Graham United States Senator Post Office Box 3050 Tallahassee, Florida 32315 Attention: Xalina LaBarge Dear Senator Graham: This letter responds to your inquiry on behalf of (b)(6) concerning his experiences in reserving hotel rooms to accommodate his disability. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) authorizes the Department of Justice to provide technical assistance to individuals and entities having rights or obligations under the Act. This letter provides informal guidance to assist your constituent in understanding the ADA's provisions. However, it does not constitutes a legal interpretation, and it is not binding on the Department. We understand the factual situation described by Mr. (b)(6) to be as follows: Through his travel agent, he attempted to secure a guaranteed reservation for a particular room to accommodate his disability. The request was made to the international reservation center of a major hotel chain, which advised the travel agent that the specific hotel would have to be contacted directly to arrange for the special type of accommoda- tion requested. The hotel was contacted directly, and the desired reservation was made. Mr. (b)(6) concern seems to be that his request could not be accommodated through the central reservations center. To assist Mr. (b)(6) in understanding all of the ADA's requirements applicable to public accommodations such as hotels, I have enclosed copies of the Department of Justice's Title III regulation and technical assistance manual. In this particular cc: Records; Chrono; Wodatch; Breen; McDowney; FOIA; MAF. :udd:jonessandra;ada.graham1 01-01634 - 2 - instance, the applicable provisions are those included in Section 36.302, concerning modifications of practices. Discussion of this provision appears on pages 35564-5 and 35596-7 of the regulation, and on pages 22-3 of the manual. Based on the information contained in Mr. (b)(6) letter, we are unable to conclude that the actions in question violate the ADA. The company was able to meet his request for a guaranteed reservation of a particular type of room and to insure its availability on his arrival, by asking him to call the specific hotel directly. Based on the information provided, we are unable to determine whether the company would be required to modify its central reservation system to be able to accommodate requests for individual hotels through that system. I hope that this information assists you in responding to your constituent. Sincerely, John R. Dunne Assistant Attorney General Civil Rights Division Enclosures (2) 01-01635 (HANDWRITTEN) Aug. 22, 1992 Senator Bob Graham, c/o U.S. Senate Office Bldg. Washington, D.C. 20510 Honored Sir: Enclosed are copies of a letter sent to Best Western International Inc. and their reply to me. ILLEGIBLE ILLEGIBLE ILLEGIBLE ILLEGIBLE Jan. 1, 1992. ILLEGIBLE ILLEGIBLE ILLEGIBLE ILLEGIBLE ILLEGIBLE ILLEGIBLE ILLEGIBLE situation such as this? ILLEGIBLE to this letter. Sincerely, (b)(6) ILLEGIBLE 01-01636 Best Western International Inc. P.O. Box 10203 Phoenix AZ, 85064-0203 Attention: Reservation Supervisor I have always enjoyed staying at Best Western Motels, and have used your facilities whenever possible. I am now 75 years of age, handicapped for various reasons including removal of cancerous kidney, heart and breathing problems, and an artificial hip. I have a disabled card from Florida which is good in all states. Yesterday Aug. 6, 1992 AAA called your reservation cen- ter for advansed guaranteed reservations at ILLEGIBLE S. and ILLEGIBLE Tenn for the nights of Sept 14th and 15th and was told that guaranteed reservations for handicapped persons were not your policy. The AAA representative immediately called the motels mentioned and received assurance for complete cooperation of our request. I was under the impression that accommodation for handicapped persons was a Federal Law as of Jan 1, 1992. I feel that this a very unfair condition for we who are handicapped and I would appreciate a letter stating that this situation could and would be remedied. I would appreciate a prompt reply to this letter as we do appreciate and enjoy staying with you. Sincerely (b)(6) P.S. It is not necessary for the bars and rods are not necessary, as a down and out room would suffise. Copies of this letter (which is not word for word to the original sent to Best Western as a few changes were made from original rough draft). Senator Bob Graham v. Connie Mack Congressman Cliff Stearns. 01-01637 International Headquarters P.O. Box 10203, Phoenix, AZ 85064-0203, U.S.A. 6201 N. 24th Pkwy., Phoenix, AZ 85016-2023, U.S.A. (602)957-4200 August 19, 1992 Mr. (b)(6) Leesburg, FL Dear Mr. (b)(6) Thank you for taking the time to make us aware of the problems you encountered with the Best Western International Reservation Center. We are concerned and wish to apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced. When you call our toll-free number, our reservation sales agents are trained to provide you with every assistance in booking your reser- vations. Our computer system provides our agents with the most up to date information available on rates, room availability and special requests for each of our hotels. This is provided to us by the management of each hotel. In a situation such as yours, you were informed that we could not guarantee a handicapped room at the Best Western member establishments that you requested. If we are unable to confirm the special room type requested, the reservations sales agents will then advise the guest to contact the hotel directly. Without comments such as yours, we would be unable to provide the value, quality and service Best Western is known for worldwide. We look forward to another opportunity to serve your lodging needs. Sincerely, KATHRYN MARTIN Senior Customer Service Representative 01-01638