United States Attorney’s Office For The District Of Maryland Secures Agreement With Hotel Owner In White Marsh, Maryland, To Ensure Access For People With Disabilities

Baltimore, Maryland - The Department of Justice announced today it has reached a settlement agreement under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with the Hilton Garden Inn at White Marsh, located in White Marsh, Maryland, to resolve alleged violations of Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Department reached the agreement with AHIP MD Baltimore 5015 Enterprises LLC, who owns and, together with its agents, operates the hotel. Under the agreement, the hotel will provide training to its staff about the ADA's requirements to ensure that customers enjoy equal access to its services. Without admitting it violated the ADA, the hotel owner also agreed to a monetary payment to fully resolve the matter.

The settlement resolves an ADA complaint alleging that, after reserving an accessible room, when an individual with a disability and his mother attempted to check-in, the Hilton Garden Inn provided a room that was not accessible as it lacked a bathroom with a roll-in shower. According to the complaint, the individual with a disability and his mother were forced to accept a different room that did not have a roll-in shower as they had reserved. As a result, the individual with a disability used a shower chair that was not affixed to the wall and slid backwards when he attempted to transfer, causing serious bodily injury.

The complaint prompted an investigation by the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland. The ADA requires that hotels provide access to individuals with disabilities, including honoring reservations, providing fully accessible rooms, and making accommodations.

"People with disabilities deserve equal access to life's most basic necessities, such as safe access to bathrooms and showers," said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland. "The law protects people with disabilities who are traveling and requires that hotels provide equal access to their rooms and facilities. We appreciate the hotel's remedial action and I encourage all hotels in the District of Maryland to review their policies and facilities to ensure they are accessible to all."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly S. Phillips represented the government during the investigation and settlement process. For more information about the ADA, please visit www.ada.gov, or call the Department of Justice's toll-free information line at (800) 514-0301 or (800) 514-0383 (TDD). Information about filing a complaint, including instructions for filing a complaint online, can be found at https://www.justice.gov/crt/how-file-complaint.

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