A portable lift at the Hotel Bel-Air luxury hotel in Los Angeles. Photo by Barb DeLollis.
If you’re traveling with someone who uses a wheelchair or has limited mobility and they’d like to get into the swimming pool, a new report from hotel industry publication Hotel News Now says that you’re now more likely to find a pool with a lift that helps them get into the water easily.
Hotels with chain affiliation – such as Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt and Sheraton – were the first to complete the lift installations, according to the Hotel News Now story. “A few outlying independent properties (have) yet to install the pool lifts,” the story says.
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The report comes about 18 months since the deadlined passed for hotels to install lifts under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. At one point, hotel owners were threatening to close swimming pools in protest of the ADA requirement, fearing lawsuits.
The hotel industry estimates that installing a lift costs between $6,00 and $10,000.
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The pool at the Marriott Courtyard Fort Lauderdale Beach has a lift for disabled swimmers. Photo by Barb DeLollis.
