While hotels & hospitality may not be the single most-sued industry in Illinois, IL sees 150+/year ADA web lawsuits annually. Plaintiff attorneys are expanding their targeting beyond traditional high-risk industries, and hotels & hospitality websites in Illinois are increasingly in the crosshairs.
Hospitality ADA lawsuits per year
DOJ hotel website settlements
Of booking sites failing WCAG
Under Illinois Human Rights Act, hotels & hospitality businesses in Illinois face specific liability for website accessibility violations. Illinois provides state-level protections for disability discrimination. Chicago is an active filing jurisdiction for ADA web accessibility cases. This means that a single accessibility complaint against your hotels & hospitality website could result in statutory damages, attorney's fees, and mandatory remediation.
The DOJ considers hotel booking websites as places of public accommodation under ADA Title III. Guests with disabilities must be able to independently browse rooms, check accessibility features, and complete reservations without assistance.
Begin by auditing your booking engine for keyboard operability — every step from date selection to room choice to payment must work without a mouse. Ensure all room and property photos include descriptive alt text that communicates room type, bed count, and visible accessibility features. Add a clear accessible room filter to your booking flow so guests can find ADA-compliant rooms without calling the front desk. Test your entire reservation path with a screen reader to catch date pickers, dropdown menus, and confirmation dialogs that may trap focus or lack proper labels.
Illinois courts have recognized websites as places of public accommodation under both federal and state law. Hotels & Hospitality businesses in Illinois should treat ADA website compliance as an urgent priority given the state's enforcement environment and the industry's high target profile.
Yes. Under both the federal ADA and Illinois Human Rights Act, hotels & hospitality businesses in Illinois that serve the public must ensure their websites are accessible to people with disabilities. This includes meeting WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards.
Illinois sees 150+/year ADA web accessibility lawsuits per year across all industries. Hotels & Hospitality is increasingly targeted in IL. Lawsuits typically settle for $10,000-$75,000+.
The most common violations for hotels & hospitality websites include booking engines that aren't keyboard navigable, room photo galleries without alt text, interactive maps that lack text alternatives. These issues are the primary targets for ADA plaintiff attorneys in Illinois.
Under Illinois Human Rights Act, hotels & hospitality businesses can face statutory damages, compensatory damages, attorney's fees, and injunctive relief. Defense costs alone typically exceed $25,000, making proactive compliance far more cost-effective.
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