How Many Accessible Guest Rooms Are Required?
Hotels, motels, inns, and other places of lodging must provide a minimum number of accessible guest rooms. Two categories are required:
- Mobility-accessible rooms: Rooms with wider doors, roll-in showers or accessible bathtubs, accessible routes, grab bars, and other features for people who use wheelchairs or have mobility impairments.
- Communication-accessible rooms: Rooms with visual alarms, visual notification devices (for doorbells and phone calls), and telephones with volume control for guests who are deaf or hard of hearing.
The exact number depends on the total rooms in the facility — see the scoping table in the legal text column.
Official Standard
2010 ADA Standards §224.2 — Guest Rooms
Accessible guest rooms with mobility features shall be provided in accordance with Table 224.2:
| Total Rooms | Mobility | Communication |
|---|---|---|
| 1–25 | 1 | 2 |
| 26–50 | 2 | 4 |
| 51–75 | 4 | 7 |
| 76–100 | 5 | 9 |
| 101–150 | 7 | 12 |
| 151–200 | 8 | 14 |
| 201–300 | 10 | 17 |
| 301–400 | 12 | 20 |
| 401–500 | 13 | 22 |
| 501–1000 | 2% + 3 | 4% + 2 |
Roll-In Showers vs. Bathtub Rooms
Not all mobility-accessible rooms are the same. The ADA requires a mix of bathing options:
- Roll-in showers: A curbless shower that a wheelchair user can roll directly into. Minimum size is 60 × 30 inches. These must include a fold-down bench seat, grab bars, and a hand-held shower spray unit.
- Accessible bathtubs: A standard tub with grab bars, a removable in-tub seat or a permanent seat at the head of the tub, and a hand-held shower spray.
Some guests prefer a bathtub (for example, for soaking or bathing children), while others need a roll-in shower. Hotels must provide both types across their accessible room inventory.
Official Standard
2010 ADA Standards §224.2
Of the total number of mobility-accessible rooms, a portion must include a roll-in shower and a portion must include an accessible bathtub.
§608 — Shower Compartments
Roll-in shower compartments shall be 60 inches (1525 mm) wide minimum by 30 inches (760 mm) deep minimum. Alternate roll-in type: 60 inches wide minimum by 36 inches deep minimum with a folding seat.
Reservation System Requirements
The ADA has specific rules about how hotels handle reservations for accessible rooms:
- Book the same way: Guests must be able to reserve accessible rooms through the same systems (website, phone, app) used for all rooms — and during the same hours.
- Describe accessibility features: The reservation system must clearly describe the accessible features — roll-in shower vs. bathtub, room layout, grab bars, door widths — so guests can decide if the room meets their needs.
- Hold rooms for people who need them: Accessible rooms must not be rented to people without disabilities until all other rooms of that type are sold out. Hotels cannot "block" accessible rooms from general inventory and then claim none are available.
- No surcharges: Hotels cannot charge extra for accessible rooms.
Official Standard
28 CFR §36.302(e) — Reservations
(1) "A public accommodation that owns, leases (or leases to), or operates a place of lodging shall, with respect to reservations made by any means… (i) Modify its policies, practices, or procedures to ensure that individuals with disabilities can make reservations for accessible guest rooms during the same hours and in the same manner as individuals who do not need accessible rooms."
(ii) "Identify and describe accessible features in the hotels and guest rooms offered through its reservations service in enough detail to reasonably permit individuals with disabilities to assess independently whether a given hotel or guest room meets his or her accessibility needs."
(iii) "Ensure that accessible guest rooms are held for use by individuals with disabilities until all other guest rooms of that type have been rented and the accessible room requested is the only room of that type remaining."
Dispersion Across Room Types
Accessible rooms must be dispersed across the different types of rooms the hotel offers. This means:
- If the hotel has standard kings, standard queens, suites, and deluxe rooms — accessible rooms should be available in each category, not just the cheapest rooms
- Guests with disabilities should have the same range of choices as other guests — view, floor level, bed type, amenities
- Putting all accessible rooms in one wing or on one floor is only acceptable if all rooms in the hotel are on that floor
2010 ADA Standards §224.5
"Guest rooms required to provide mobility features… shall be dispersed among the various classes of guest rooms, and shall provide choices of types of guest rooms, number of beds, and other amenities comparable to the choices provided to other guests."
Guest Room Communication Features
Rooms designated as communication-accessible must include features for guests who are deaf, hard of hearing, or deaf-blind:
- Visual alarms: Flashing lights connected to the building fire alarm system
- Visual notification devices: Flashing or vibrating alerts for the doorbell/door knock, telephone ringing, and alarm clock
- Telephone with volume control: The in-room phone must have adjustable volume amplification
- Electrical outlet near phone jack: For guests who use TTY devices or captioned telephone equipment
Important Note
This guide provides general information about ADA lodging requirements. Specific situations may involve additional state or local requirements. For advice about your rights as a guest or your obligations as a lodging provider, connect with an experienced ADA attorney.
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Reservation System Requirements
The ADA sets specific rules for how hotels handle reservations for accessible rooms. Generally, a hotel must let guests identify and book accessible rooms through the same reservation system used for any other room, whether that's by phone, website or a third-party booking site.
The reservation system generally must:
- Describe the accessible features of each room in enough detail for a guest to judge if a room meets their needs
- Let guests reserve a specific accessible room, not just request one and hope
- Hold accessible rooms for guests who book them, not release them to general inventory until all other rooms are gone
- Block out accessible rooms the same way as any other room type, so they show as unavailable once booked
This applies across phone lines, front desk booking and online reservation systems alike. See Read the ADA Standards Guide for the full citation and more on how this section is written.
Room Dispersion
Accessible rooms generally can't all be clustered in one wing or one floor. The ADA calls for dispersion across room types, price points and locations in the hotel, so a guest who needs an accessible room has close to the same range of choices as anyone else: ocean view versus parking lot view, suite versus standard room, ground floor versus upper floor with elevator access.
What This Means for Guests and Owners
If you're a guest who hit a problem with a hotel, for example a room that was listed as accessible but wasn't, or a reservation system that wouldn't let you book one, the Standards Guide can help you understand what the rule generally says. It doesn't tell you whether any specific hotel broke the law. That depends on the full facts.
If you manage a hotel and want a straight read on your own space, Get a free Spot read of a doorway, ramp, restroom or parking spot. Spot names what looks like a barrier and how serious it looks. It's a screening tool, not an inspection, and it doesn't certify anything as meeting the standards.
For a wider look at how the ADA applies to day-to-day operations, the Read the small business primer covers more ground beyond guest rooms.