Hotel, inn, bed and breakfast and vacation rental website accessibility

Lodging websites have one thing most small-business sites don't: a specific federal rule about reservations. Under the ADA regulations, places of lodging must handle accessible-room reservations made "by any means", and that includes your website and booking engine. This guide explains that rule in plain English, then covers the website fixes that help guests book on their own.

The reservations rule, in plain English

The rule is 28 CFR 36.302(e). For reservations made by phone, in person, online or through a third party, it says a place of lodging must:

1. Let guests with disabilities reserve accessible rooms "during the same hours and in the same manner" as other guests.
2. "Identify and describe accessible features in the hotels and guest rooms" in enough detail for a guest to decide independently whether a room meets their needs.
3. Hold accessible rooms for guests who need them until all other rooms of that type are rented.
4. Block a reserved accessible room so it is removed from all reservation systems.
5. Guarantee the specific accessible room that was reserved.

Items 3 to 5 don't apply to individually owned units that the overall facility doesn't own or substantially control (common with some condo-hotels and rentals). Ask your own lawyer how the rule applies to your property; this page is general information, not legal advice.

1. Describe accessible rooms in detail

"ADA room" or a wheelchair icon is not enough for a guest to decide. For each accessible room type, list the features in text on the room page: roll-in shower or tub with grab bars, bed height, door widths, clear floor space, visual alarms and notification devices, and whether the route from parking or the entrance is step-free. Also describe common areas (entrance, front desk, pool, breakfast area, parking). Write only what you have measured or confirmed; guests rely on it.

2. Make the booking engine usable

Most small properties use a third-party booking widget. Test it with only a keyboard (Tab, Shift+Tab, Enter, Space, arrow keys): can you pick dates, choose an accessible room type, enter details and pay? Date pickers are the usual failure. If you can't fix the widget yourself, ask your booking provider about its accessibility and, meanwhile, offer a clearly labeled phone and email option that books accessible rooms the same way. Our keyboard navigation test walks through the steps.

3. Photos, galleries and virtual tours

Room photos need alt text that says what matters: "Accessible king room: roll-in shower with fold-down seat and grab bars" beats "room 2". Gallery arrows and lightbox close buttons need accessible names. If you have a 3D tour, the same information should also be on the page as text. Check a page with our free alt text checker.

4. Rates, policies and maps

Rate tables should be real tables with headers. Put cancellation, pet and service-animal policies in page text, not only in PDFs. Next to an embedded map, add the street address and plain directions in text, including where accessible parking and the step-free entrance are.

5. Contrast, pop-ups and forms

Promotional pop-ups should close with Escape and not trap keyboard focus (see our pop-up and chat widget checklist). Check text and button colors with our color contrast checker, and make sure every booking and contact form field has a visible label (see accessible contact forms).

What an automated scan can and can't do here

A scan like ours finds code-level problems: missing alt text, unlabeled buttons and form fields, low contrast, missing page language and similar issues. It can't measure your rooms, check whether your accessible-room descriptions are accurate, or confirm how your reservation system holds rooms. Those are operational checks only you can do. We don't offer legal advice or certify compliance.

Want the fixes written for you?

Start with a free homepage snapshot. The $149 Fix-Pack scans up to 10 pages and gives copy-paste fixes for your platform within 48 hours, with a 14-day refund promise. See a sample report first.

This is general technical guidance, not legal advice, and it does not certify compliance with the ADA or any law.

Related guides

• Online store accessibility: product pages, cart and checkout (keyboard and screen reader checklist)
• Cookie banners, pop-ups and chat widgets: an accessibility checklist for small business websites
• Video captions and transcripts for small-business websites
• Mobile website accessibility: pinch zoom, text size, reflow and tap targets

All guides

This guide is general technical information, not legal advice. Following it does not certify ADA or any legal compliance. Automated checks find only part of accessibility barriers.