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In compliance/monitoringConsent decree

United States v. Hilton Worldwide Inc. (2010 Consent Decree)

2010 DOJ consent decree requires Hilton to make rooms accessible and reservation systems compatible. Compliance phase — report current violations that should be covered.

Reading level
Plain language + legal text

What this case is about

This is a federal consent decree between the U.S. Department of Justice and Hilton Worldwide, entered in 2010 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (1:10-cv-01902). The DOJ sued Hilton because guests with mobility disabilities couldn't reserve accessible rooms in the same way other guests could. Many Hilton hotels and brands didn't have proper accessible rooms; when accessible rooms existed, the online and phone reservation systems often couldn't guarantee a specific accessible room, didn't describe what made a room accessible, or offered fewer choices than were available to non-disabled guests. The consent decree requires Hilton and all of its brands (Hampton Inn, DoubleTree, Homewood Suites, Embassy Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, etc.) to build accessible rooms to the ADA Standards; ensure the reservation system describes accessibility features of each accessible room; allow guests to reserve a SPECIFIC accessible room; hold accessible rooms for guests who request them; and provide accessibility info as detailed as info available about non-accessible rooms. The consent decree is in long-term compliance phase. This is the consent decree referenced by Niles v. Hilton — Niles is a current case alleging continued bed-height/wheelchair-transfer issues that the 2010 decree didn't directly address.

Who may qualify

The consent decree protects guests with disabilities at all Hilton-brand properties nationwide who experience accessible-room or reservation-system barriers. You can report a problem if: - You have a disability and require an accessible hotel room. - You stayed at, tried to book, or had a confirmed reservation at any Hilton-brand property (Hampton, DoubleTree, Homewood, Embassy, Hilton Garden Inn, Hilton, Conrad, Waldorf-Astoria, etc.). - The reservation system didn't describe accessibility features, didn't let you reserve a specific accessible room, gave away your accessible room to someone else, or otherwise treated accessibility differently than non-accessible reservations. You don't need to have been part of the original DOJ enforcement to report current violations.

What helps your case

Documentation: reservation records, confirmation numbers, brand and property identification, screenshots of online reservation interface or reservation-system descriptions, email correspondence with reservation agents, on-property documentation of room assignment and any accommodation refusals.

How to document what happened

Prospective documentation: capture reservation-system screenshots showing accessibility feature descriptions (or absence), confirmation records, room-type specificity. Document any on-property variances from confirmed reservation. Preserve all email and chat correspondence with reservation agents and property staff. File administrative complaints contemporaneously while records remain accessible.

What if you don’t have documentation?

Reports may proceed without contemporaneous documentation. DOJ retains independent enforcement authority and can subpoena Hilton records. Channels: DOJ Civil Rights Division (ADA.gov), state civil-rights agencies, individual Title III actions, parallel state-law actions (CA Unruh, NY Human Rights Law, etc.).

What this case doesn’t cover

Outside scope: non-Hilton hospitality brands (Marriott has separate 2024 settlement; Hyatt, IHG, Wyndham, Choice, Best Western under separate enforcement frameworks), vacation-rental platforms, cruise lines, on-property restaurants/spas/fitness facilities (separate Title III obligations), past-events damages.

ADA Title III

Named defendants

  • Hilton Worldwide Inc.

Case facts

Type
Consent decree
Affected states
Nationwide
Court
U.S. District Court, District of Columbia
Docket
1:10-cv-01902
Filed
2010-11-09

Who to contact

Nobody is running an intake for this one. You can still report what happened.

  • Government agency

    U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division

    Takes complaints about businesses open to the public and about state and local government. It investigates and enforces, but it does not represent individuals and cannot advise you on your own claim.

    Phone 800-514-0301

    TTY 833-610-1264

    civilrights.justice.gov/report

    Filing a complaint is not the same as having a lawyer, and it does not pause any legal deadlines. If you may want to bring a case, talk to an attorney about your dates as well as filing.

    Every state has one. They are free, they take intake directly, and unlike a federal agency they can represent you. Find yours

Key dates

Docket
1:10-cv-01902 (D.D.C.)
Status
Compliance phase, ongoing
Related case
Niles v. Hilton (2026, ongoing — bed-height issues not addressed in 2010 decree)
Consent decree entered
2010-11-09