[NAGDU] Guide dogs in hotel rooms

[Julie J.]

The short answer is no, they can't require advance notice.

They can ask for whatever they like though.  They just can't make it a 
requirement of access to their establishment.   They also can't limit the 
rooms offered to you on the basis of your guide or restrict you from places 
in the hotel that other guests use.  They can't charge you extra, unless you 
or your guide causes damage that they would also charge other guests for 
repairs.

I don't give advance notice either.  I've never noticed a statement like 
that on any hotel web site, but then again I've never looked for it.  Free 
wifi and free breakfast is about all I look for! *smile*

Julie
Courage to Dare: A Blind Woman's Quest to Train her Own Guide Dog is now 
available! Get the book here:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QXZSMOC
-----Original Message----- 
From: Andrew Webb via NAGDU
Sent: Tuesday, June 21, 2016 11:38 PM
To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
Cc: Andrew Webb
Subject: [NAGDU] Guide dogs in hotel rooms

Hello,



I have another question, regarding staying at hotels with my guide dog. I
realize that federal and state laws require that hotels accommodate me with
my dog as they are places of public accommodation. My question is whether a
hotel can legally require me to notify them in advance of my arrival that I
will be bringing a guide dog. I note an advisory on the website of a hotel
where I have booked an upcoming stay, stating that "We do not allow pets in
the hotel, with the exception of certified service animals. We require
advance notice from guests that they will be staying with service animals."



Can the hotel legally require me to give advance notice of my guide dog? As
a general rule I avoid announcing my dog to any public facility in advance
of arriving there, as experience teaches me that this sometimes gives
proprietors the opportunity to find pretexts on which to deny me service or
entry on account of my dog. For that reason my instinct is to disregard the
notice of the hotel's website, and just show up with my dog without advising
the hotel beforehand. However, I could see the argument that the hotel needs
advance notice, as they need to keep certain rooms animal-free on account of
allergies, etc., and thus need to ensure in advance that they have other
rooms available in which they accommodate service animals. I could possibly
see the argument that this is a reasonable accommodation, even though my dog
would not have access to all rooms of the hotel.



Can anyone comment? Ought I inform the hotel or not?



Thanks,

Andrew



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