USC Hotel to improve accessibility


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USC Hotel entered into an agreement last month following a 2017 lawsuit that alleged it failed to meet federal accommodation standards. (Daily Trojan file photo)

USC Hotel has agreed to expand accommodations for guests with disabilities, the Department of Justice announced Monday. The settlement, entered last month, follows a 2018 investigation launched by the department into the hotel’s facilities when a guest who used a wheelchair sued the hotel in 2017 for failing to provide mobility accommodations, alleging that the one accessible room in the hotel was occupied the day of his planned stay. 

The agreement stipulates that the University will compensate the complainant $4,000 and implement changes to the hotel to align with federal regulations within 30 months of Feb. 21, the date the settlement took effect.

In a statement to the Daily Trojan, USC said its participation in the settlement was elective. The agreement did not constitute an admission of responsibility from either party.

“The University is committed to accessibility for those with disabilities,” the statement read. “In keeping with this commitment, the University entered into a voluntary agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice to improve its existing mechanisms for accessibility at the USC Hotel.”

The department found the hotel’s room options in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities. ADA regulations mandate that all hotels built after March 2012 offer a minimum number of accessible rooms and rooms with roll-in showers proportional to the size of the hotel. USC Hotel has 240 rooms and is required to offer 10 accessible rooms and three with wheelchair-accessible showers. At the time of the lawsuit, it offered one accessible room, which the University argued complied with federal policy because the building, opened in 1974 by the Hotels by Hilton chain, predated the ADA regulations. While the investigation did not find the hotel in violation of the act, the ADA requires businesses make reasonable accommodations to advance “full and equal enjoyment” of their commodities.

As part of the settlement agreement, USC Hotel will also install an accessible front counter and increase transparency in its room reservation system to inform prospective guests of the available accommodations.

Correction: A previous version of this article stated that USC Hotel would have one year from the start of the settlement to enact the changes. The agreement gives the hotel 30 months to complete them. The Daily Trojan regrets this error.