Getting accurate information about the accessibility of a hotel can be a little tricky and sometimes frustrating. In the last three years I have talked to hundreds of people about accessibility at their hotels and from these calls I have developed a strategy that works fairly well.

Most people don't intentionally give you bad information. It happens because they don't understand what it is you are asking or they don't understand the importance of their answers. In an effort to be helpful they sometimes tell you what they think you want to hear.

First, always talk directly to the property where you will be staying. Unfortunately central reservations personnel usually do not have the information about access that you need. When contacting the hotel tell them that you need to talk to someone who can give you some details about their rooms equipped for guests with disabilities. The first question to ask is; Have they been in these rooms? From this point on avoid questions that can be answered with a yes or no. For instance instead of asking do you have roll-in showers, ask them to tell you about the bathrooms. This will give you a real good idea how familiar they are with the rooms.

If you have trouble getting the information you need, ask to speak with the head of engineering or maintenance. These people usually know a great deal about the rooms, often they were even involved in the design and construction of the accessible rooms. Another good source of accurate information is the head of housekeeping, you become very familiar with a room after cleaning it a few times.

If all else fails ask for the general manager, tell him you would like to stay at his hotel but you can't get the information you need about their accessibility. If they don't know the answers they usually will find out for you.