online universal reservations

[pugdog]

OK I couldn't find anything in a search so here goes.

WE are looking at doing a long weekend either next month or December. Trying to see what Universal had but you can't look at what type of handicapped rooms they have. This is a clear violation of the ADA since 2010 but they don't seem to care. I tried talking with someone online at their website but they want you to call and then it's just a request not a confirmed room.

Does anyone have any first hand knowledge of this? We would like to go there and see what's new there because we haven't been there in 25 years.

TIA

starting to see why we go to WDW instead for all these years.

 

[mamabunny]

This is the only information that I could find that directly references their policies - and I kinda had to dig for that...

Accessibility Information | Universal Orlando Resort

The page that references their ADA compliance for the hotels does state that the rooms will be compliant, but does not indicate anything further: Accessibility at Hotels

We have never gone to Universal because we feel (based on reports here, and other places) that overall, Uni just isn't as "friendly" as WDW for those of us who require accommodations. I personally find the lack of information about how things work for the disabled community to be quite off-putting; I can find answers to most of my questions on Disney's website (if you look, they are there - what we do in this forum is *expand* on that information with anecdotes and advice)

My questions for Uni would include things like:
- How do I guarantee that I will get a hotel room with the specific accommodations that I require (roll-in shower type room)
- Where is handicapped parking relative to the front entrance of the hotel I am booking?
- Is Valet available for handicapped parking guests?
- Is all in-Park transportation ADA compliant? If not, what in-park transportation options are?

But frankly, I'm still not sure I want to spend my vacation dollars someplace where it feels like I'm not wanted. Disney - for all of their corporate-level foolishness - at the end of the day is far more welcoming and accommodating to me, and my travel party. I vote with my $$$, and Disney wins every time.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Trying to see what Universal had but you can't look at what type of handicapped rooms they have. This is a clear violation of the ADA since 2010 but

Are you sure? I couldn't find anything in there that addressed being able to review pictures of accessible rooms - whether online or phyical photographs. It appears you do need to call.

 

[lanejudy]

It appears you do need to call.

Apparently that is what Universal wants one to do. However, as OP mentioned, it is in violation of ADA which states that ADA rooms essentially must be able to be booked the same way as any "regular" hotel room, with adequate descriptions to know what is offered. Maybe I'm missing it, but I don't see how to search/book ADA rooms on Universal's website - the only description is in "Information & Policies" but no way to book online. I'm not all that familiar with the Universal website or the hotels, so maybe there's an odd little checkbox somewhere that I missed?

This is a summary of the 2010 ruling (which resulted from a specific case against Hilton Hotels):

1. Allow people with disabilities to make accessible room reservations in the same way as able-bodied guests (online, over the phone, etc.).
2. Describe the accessible features of a guest room in enough detail so that people can determine if the room will meet their individual accessibility needs.
3. Hold accessible rooms for reservation by guests with disabilities until all standard rooms of that class or type are sold.
4. Remove an accessible room from inventory as soon as it has been reserved; overbooking of ADA rooms is prohibited.
5. Guarantee that the customer receives the specific accessible guest room or guest room type he/she reserved. This covers bed type, number of beds, bathroom fixtures, etc.

 

[kaytieeldr]

@lanejudy, it appears that Universal (well, Leows) does comply with 1 and 2. They post examples of rooms, but not every style. A person could book an accessible room online or on the phone, just like someone can book a not specifically room. Any images online or in brochures would be examples (sometimes enhanced).

I really do think the OP needs to call - not just to reserve, but for actual room descriptions.

 

[lanejudy]

A person could book an accessible room online

I must have missed that. I was only finding regular rooms to reserve, not accessible rooms. I'll have to look at it again later when I have time to play around.

 

[Mrsjvb]

i Have stayed at both Portofino and Royal Pacific.

both times were club level, a category that contains HA rooms. I do not need one, specificly as I just fold my chair up in the room.

Portfino does have roll in shower rooms as I was assigned one anyway.

the boats are accessible. The walking paths are also accessible. Never used the busses, but one would assume they are similar to Disney’s. The rides are all zero entry. The main pools will be zero entry and at least one hot tub has the lift.

hotels as a general rule do not permit you to book a specific room. Just a category, with requests for preferred accommodations such as first floor or near elevators or public spaces. That’s why you have to call, so the system can be overridden and a room blocked off/assigned immediately. Otherwise your room is not assigned until the day before..or day of.

all categories( standard, suite and club) have HA rooms. some are roll in shower, some are tub combos with seats.

 

[mamabunny]

Thank you for the info on Universal - you answered a lot of my questions, and I appreciate the info from someone who has been there, firsthand!

...hotels as a general rule do not permit you to book a specific room. Just a category, with requests for preferred accommodations such as first floor or near elevators or public spaces. That’s why you have to call, so the system can be overridden and a room blocked off/assigned immediately. Otherwise your room is not assigned until the day before..or day of.

Except in the case of ADA rooms, which are (supposed to be) treated differently. ADA rooms are supposed to be "guaranteed" once booked, as @lanejudy indicated in her post above.

Disney makes it quite easy for me to book online - and see pictures of the exact room type that I am booking - without requiring me to call in, use a travel agent, or any other method, unless I want to. I realize that Uni has Loews Hotels running their Resort accommodations, but it is not at all difficult to change the booking systems, and make it work. They just have to want to.

 

[DisneyOma]

Except in the case of ADA rooms, which are (supposed to be) treated differently. ADA rooms are supposed to be "guaranteed" once booked, as @lanejudy indicated in her post above.

This is confusing me - are they supposed to be the same or different? One rule states they are to be booked like all other rooms, and then another rule states they are to be treated differently. How can they be both?

 

[SteveMouse]

The process for accessible and non-accessible rooms should be the same.

On the back-end, once an accessible room is booked, it should be taken out of available inventory so that the hotel does not oversell its stock of accessible rooms.

it does no good, and potentially a good deal of harm, to “upgrade” a wheelchair user into a suite that doesn’t meet their needs, for example.

 

[DisneyOma]

On the back-end, once an accessible room is booked, it should be taken out of available inventory so that the hotel does not oversell its stock of accessible rooms.

it does no good, and potentially a good deal of harm, to “upgrade” a wheelchair user into a suite that doesn’t meet their needs, for example.

But shouldn't that be the way for all rooms then? Is the hotel allowed to refuse booking if there are no accessible rooms left?

 

[lanejudy]

But shouldn't that be the way for all rooms then? Is the hotel allowed to refuse booking if there are no accessible rooms left?

Unless the hotel has a policy of overbooking, then they are removing any room from inventory once booked. If a hotel has 100 rooms in available inventory and I book one, that leaves 99 available; then when you book one, there are only 98 available. Some hotels will allow a percentage to be overbook (accepting 105 reservations with just 100 rooms) on the assumption some will cancel or no-show. They also may plan to upgrade a reservation for standard rooms to suites if they have different kinds of inventory.

And yes, if all ADA rooms are booked, the hotel must stop accepting reservations for ADA rooms. The customer will need to look for a different hotel or accept a regular (non-ADA) room that is available and the person can make it work for their needs.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[DisneyOma]

Lanejudy, thank you for the description of how it works. The wording in some of the other posts was confusing me. So if a guest needs one kind of ADA room and it is already booked then the hotel doesn't have to accept their reservation unless they agree to take a different kind of room? ANd since the rooms are potentially very different, and there are a limited number of rooms, then I can see why one would need to call the hotel to book a special room. It would be pretty complicated online to get the best room for each guest with special needs.

 

[BillSears]

Lanejudy, thank you for the description of how it works. The wording in some of the other posts was confusing me. So if a guest needs one kind of ADA room and it is already booked then the hotel doesn't have to accept their reservation unless they agree to take a different kind of room? ANd since the rooms are potentially very different, and there are a limited number of rooms, then I can see why one would need to call the hotel to book a special room. It would be pretty complicated online to get the best room for each guest with special needs.

Actually Disney, the National Parks hotels, and most major hotel brands do it fine. I require a roll-in shower room and book almost all of my reservations online. They have a box to check that says you want to search for accessible rooms. They then list the types of rooms available. Once you book your room they take that room out of the available rooms.

If you want to see how it should work go to the WDW resort reservations webpage and try it.

I was thinking about staying at a Universal hotel next year but after seeing how they handle reservations and that they don't guarantee the room I won't be staying with them.

 

[lanejudy]

I can see why one would need to call the hotel to book a special room. It would be pretty complicated online to get the best room for each guest with special needs.

Not so complicated; there is no need to require a phone call. WDW does it fairly easily online, and I think WDW probably has more varying options than most hotels, with the different views, etc. Most hotels likely just have 1-2 types of ADA rooms.

When searching for availability, you click a box for "Accessible Rooms" and it shows what's available. If all the Accessible Rooms at a certain resort have been booked, it will say so -- just like booking any other regular room online.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I just checked booking a Universal resort online. There's no box to check to book an accessible room. Apparently, they do want you to call.

I did find this https://www.universalorlando.com/web/en/us/plan-your-visit/accessibility-information official page describing both paid and resorts accessibility in general terms; and this
https://stayinguniversal.com/resorts/ada/ unofficial page with a breakdown of what exists.

 

[DisneyOma]

Not so complicated; there is no need to require a phone call. WDW does it fairly easily online, and I think WDW probably has more varying options than most hotels, with the different views, etc. Most hotels likely just have 1-2 types of ADA rooms.

When searching for availability, you click a box for "Accessible Rooms" and it shows what's available. If all the Accessible Rooms at a certain resort have been booked, it will say so -- just like booking any other regular room online.
View attachment 447520

But doesn't accessible mean different things to different people? Some may need a lower bed, while others might need a roll in shower but a higher bed, KWIM? Or does the website give you more options after you check the box is that what you mean when you say what's available? Or does it mean it just lists the view, etc? Wait - sorry, I'll check it out myself Okay, so I checked it out myself, and it shows options after you check the box.

Disney has so many resorts onsite that they have a much easier time finding an accessible room at one of their resorts that would work for a guest with special needs. Universal is catching up, but doesn't have the carrying capacity Disney does. So perhaps they need a real live person, instead of a computer algorithm, to get the most out of the rooms they do have? They know that some rooms could have a bed adjusted, or something else done, that you couldn't put into a computer - that personal touch that would make someone's vacation go much more smoothly?

 

[lanejudy]

But doesn't accessible mean different things to different people? Some may need a lower bed, while others might need a roll in shower but a higher bed, KWIM?

You are putting too much thought into this. The ADA rooms in a hotel meet standard specifications, they aren’t customized per individual. If a person needs something extra, that would be requested by phone.

I have stayed at numerous hotels much smaller than anything at WDW or Universal and ADA rooms can be booked online. Hiltons, Marriotts, Choice Hotels, etc. It isn’t rocket science. For whatever reason, Universal/Loews is not in compliance with ADA law on this. Please stop making excuses for them. A person who needs an ADA room to meet their most basic needs deserves to be able to book just that and know it is more than just a “request” that isn’t guaranteed.

 

[jeal]

Universal does allow people with disabilities to book a ADA compliant room. Once you go to the check out page there is a menu of options for those requiring an accessible room. They are in compliance with ADA.

 

[DisneyOma]

You are putting too much thought into this. The ADA rooms in a hotel meet standard specifications, they aren’t customized per individual. If a person needs something extra, that would be requested by phone.

I have stayed at numerous hotels much smaller than anything at WDW or Universal and ADA rooms can be booked online. Hiltons, Marriotts, Choice Hotels, etc. It isn’t rocket science. For whatever reason, Universal/Loews is not in compliance with ADA law on this. Please stop making excuses for them. A person who needs an ADA room to meet their most basic needs deserves to be able to book just that and know it is more than just a “request” that isn’t guaranteed.

You are absolutely right - and my family would agree with you, LOL! But it looks like they do allow it, per the post right above this? I went through and did it myself - yup, there's a box you check off!