DDA News
NEWS RELEASE
JANUARY 26, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
Public Justice Disability Rights Advocates
Victoria Ni – (510) 622-8150, ext. 204 Kevin M. Knestrick – (510) 665-8644
Leslie Bailey – (510) 622-8150, ext. 203 Sid Wolinsky – (510) 665-8644
SETTLEMENT REACHED TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO HOTELS.COM
AND EXPEDIA RESERVATION SERVICES FOR DISABLED TRAVELERS
OAKLAND, Calif. – Under a settlement announced today, Hotels.com and Expedia.com, two of
the world’s leading online travel companies, have agreed to add features to their online travel
reservation systems so that millions of travelers with disabilities can use their online services to
search for and reserve hotel rooms that have the accommodations they need.
Plaintiffs in the California lawsuit Smith v. Hotels.com L.P. were represented by the public interest
law firms of Disability Rights Advocates (DRA) and Public Justice, and a leading class action law
firm in Mill Valley, Calif., Chavez & Gertler LLP.
As part of the settlement, Hotels.com and Expedia.com will gather information about hotels’
accessibility features, and will then incorporate that information into their websites so that travelers
can both search for hotels with rooms that offer the particular accommodations they need, and
make special requests online to book those accessible rooms. Each special request will be given
individual attention by a trained customer service representative, who will work with the customer
to accommodate his or her needs. These new features will be rolled out later this year.
“For years, travelers with disabilities have been unable to take advantage of the convenience and
low cost options of booking hotel rooms online,” said plaintiff Bonnie Lewkowicz. “Now, for the
first time, I will be able to reserve a hotel room online that meets my needs, just like anyone else.”
Lewkowicz and co-plaintiff Judith Smith are members of AXIS Dance Company, a not-for-profit
company of professional dancers with and without disabilities based in Oakland, Calif. Ms. Smith
and Ms. Lewkowicz both rely on wheelchairs for mobility.
“By adding website features to meet the needs of disabled consumers, Hotels.com and Expedia are
showing that they are true leaders in the hospitality industry” added Victoria Ni , a staff attorney at
Public Justice, a public interest law firm specializing in cutting-edge litigation nationwide. “We
hope and believe that other online travel agencies will follow their lead.”
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In 2006, American online consumer travel sales generated $79 billion. For American travelers, the
Internet is an indispensable resource for planning trips and booking lodgings and transportation.
Adults with disabilities spend over $10 billion annually on travel, and almost half of them consult
the Internet to support their travel needs.
Wheelchair users need wide doorways and grab bars and accessible bathrooms. People with visual
or hearing impairments also need accessible features, such as Braille signage or a text telephone.
“This settlement ushers in a new era in the online travel industry. A wheelchair user who reserves
a hotel room online will no longer have to worry that she or he literally might not be able to enter
the room after they arrive,” said Kevin Knestrick, an attorney with DRA, a non-profit law center
based in Berkeley, Calif., that specializes in high-impact lawsuits on behalf of people with
disabilities.
No damages were sought in the case, which was filed in the California Superior Court for Alameda
County.
For more information about the lawsuit and settlement, please go to Public Justice's website, at