The U.S. Department of Justice recently reached a settlement agreement with the owners and operators of the Springfield Crowne Plaza Hotel after finding the hotel violated the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Under the agreement, Driftwood Hospitality Management LLC and 3000 S. Dirksen LP will be required to make renovations to the facility, including adding 11 new accessible rooms and removing barriers in existing rooms, according to the department’s announcement.
The agency received a complaint from a person with a disability that the room they had booked did not have grab bars or a shower. The hotel provided the complainant with a second room, but that room also had no grab bars, a broken toilet seat hinge, and an inoperable shower.
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An investigation conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of Illinois found that Crowne Plaza did not maintain the number of accessible rooms required by the ADA and that many of its existing accessible rooms may have barriers prohibited by the ADA.
“People with disabilities should be able to travel without sacrificing their independence, even if it means simply finding a place to sleep, shower or toilet,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua I. Grant of the Central District of Illinois, who represented the government in the case, said in a news release. “We appreciate the hotel’s swift action to upgrade its facilities to ensure equal access for all, and we encourage all hotels in the Central District of Illinois to make their guest rooms barrier-free as required by the ADA.”
In addition to the renovations, Driftwood Hospitality will develop an ADA policy and provide ADA training to all hotels it owns, operates or manages, including the Crowne Plaza. The hotel did not admit to any ADA violations and also agreed to pay the complainants money to fully resolve the issues.
Contact Patrick M. Keck: pkeck@gannett.com, twitter.com/@pkeckreporter.
