Lodging

I got a phone call today from Ifran Syed regarding a blog entry I wrote in December about the folks at Syracuse Resort -- you remember them; they were the company that was going to convert a former developmental center (AKA lock up) into a dedicated "resort for the disabled".

Mr. Syed said that they had reconsidered their options and they are now turning it into a luxury resort that will also have some accessible rooms. Much better choice, as nobody likes to be segregated, especially in an (ahem) former "developmental center".

Mr. Syed attributed the change of heart to a "PR error". He said that they always wanted to make their resort accessible but they just didn’t know how to promote that fact, and admittedly they went down the wrong road with the whole "resort for the disabled" idea.

In the end, they made the right choice. Kudos to Mr. Syed and his coworkers at Syracuse Resort, for choosing to develop a more inclusive property.

As you might imagine, I get a lot of reader feedback; but to be honest it’s hard to pass on any comment that mentions sheep. OK, it’s more than just sheep, it’s a service animal issue. And throw in an innkeeper with an attitude, and you have my undivided attention. Such was the case with Kristen, who merely wanted to get away with her husband to celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary.

Kristen has a service dog (Clifford), and like most service animals he travels everywhere with her. Heck, he wouldn’t be much of a service animal if she had to board him every time she took a trip, now would he? But I digress.

Kristen found the perfect (or so she thought) place to celebrate her anniversary -- the Juniper Lane Guest House near Friday Harbor, Washington. The property met her access needs, was a green property (important to her) and was within driving distance of her home. Sounds perfect, right? Well, not exactly.

When Kristen called up to make a reservation, innkeeper Juniper Maas told Kristen that Clifford wasn’t welcome. Why? Because, of course, they have a "no pets" policy. Kristen explained that Clifford wasn’t a pet and that she was required to accommodate her under Title III of the ADA. All to no avail. According to Kristen, Juniper became very condescending and pulled out the old sheep defense. Yes, that’s right, I said sheep. Juniper claimed that since there’s a sheep ranch next door, she didn’t have to accommodate Kristen because Clifford would chase the sheep.

OK, I don’t even want to go there. File it under ignorant. The wheel is turning but the hamster is dead.

But here’s the cool thing -- Kristen chose a unique course of action. Sure, she could have fought the whole issue and taken it to court; after all the innkeeper is clearly wrong and hey, that just happens to be what Kristen does for a living. But Kristen just wanted to celebrate her anniversary.

Instead she chose to let her pocketbook do the talking and opted to take her money elsewhere. I mean, think about it, do you really want to fight someone just to force them to take your money? Of course not!! Instead, why not give it to someone who truly wants your business. In this day and age there are a lot of folks out there who truly welcome everyone. And if we give those folks the business, then the Junipers of the world will either learn how the real world works or fold up shop and move along. Personally I’m hoping for the latter, but hey, that’s just me.

So next time you run into a ignorant person, fight back with the most effective weapon -- your money!! It’s a pretty effective weapon in a very competitive market.

Happy anniversary Kristen!

Across the Big Pond, the Leonard Chesire Charity recently published "Wish You Were Here", a report about accessible holiday accommodations in the UK. Although they used the report to cite the fact that the tourism industry could be more accommodating to disabled travelers, one particular statistic really caught my eye.

According to the report, a survey of 100 people revealed that one in three folks found their holiday accommodations (lodging) to be inaccessible. Now granted that’s a pretty large number, especially if you are part of the 33% who had your vacation ruined by inaccessible accommodations; however, that figure pales in comparison to a US survey.

According to a 2005 Harris interactive survey, 60% of disabled travelers experienced problems with their overnight lodgings.

That’s double the number of the UK survey.

So what’s the deal? Is the US really less accessible than the UK? Interestingly enough, the Chesire report claims the opposite. In fact it states, "Long-standing disability legislation in the US means that disabled travellers have tended to report more positive experiences, a state of affairs with which Europe has yet to catch up."

Hmm..I guess those more positive experiences didn’t come from the 60% in the Harris survey.

In any case, the Chesire report calls for pan-European disability standards, so folks will know what to expect access-wise throughout the Continent. Although uniformity is a good thing, it doesn’t necessarily ensure everyone will comply. Look at the US. And if their standards are similar to our own ADA, you can expect different standards for different properties; and that throws the whole uniformity issue right out the window.

Yes, things are far from ideal here in the US. But are they really twice as bad as in the UK?

I’ve always been somewhat skeptical of surveys and statistics. Do they really capture the true picture? These recent numbers have me revisiting that thought.