Just in time for spring break, hotels are scrambling to comply with new federal regulations requiring the installation of pool lifts to ensure disabled access to pools, hot tubs and spas in advance of a Thursday deadline, USA Today reports. Failure to comply could result in fines of up to $55,000. From the report:
Hoteliers must have pool lifts to provide disabled people equal access to pools and whirlpools, or at least have a plan in place to acquire a lift. If they don’t, they face possible civil penalties of as much as $55,000.
There are about 51,000 hotels, according to the American Hotel & Lodging Association, and most have pools.
The lifts are required by regulations made in 2010 stemming from the Americans With Disabilities Act, a civil rights law that bans discrimination based on disability.
With just days before the deadline, some hotels are considering shutting their pools or whirlpools to avoid penalties or possible lawsuits.
Cato’s Walter Olson has more here.