Here’s how to earn your CEU hour. Once you finish reading this CMP Series article, read the following material:
“All Inclusive,” a feature article about the latest revisions to the Americans With Disabilities Act from the August 2011 of Convene, available at http://bit.ly/Convene-ADA.
To earn one hour of CEU credit, visit www.pcma.org/convenecmp to answer questions about the information contained in this CMP Series article and the additional material.
The Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) is a registered trademark of the Convention Industry Council.
TEST TIME CERTIFICATION MADE POSSIBLE
cellation. That room-block adjustment in the rider or addendum has no impact on what it means if you can- cel, no impact on F&B, no impact on comp rooms or anything else that is based
on occupancy.You have to look at the ripple effect. Manymeet- ing planners don’t think about that. They also don’t pay attention to things at the end of a con-
tract. Everyone is worn out by the time they get to page 21, ... and that’s where most of this stuff starts appearing. For exam- ple, it often says in a contract that in the event there is a claim, the loser pays the [winning] party’s attorney’s fees. You’d bet- ter evaluate what side of the coin you’re likely to be on before you sign that contract.
What legal issues are looming on the horizon that meeting and hospitality professionals need to be aware of? Barth: Changes to the AmericansWith Disabilities Act (ADA) are coming into play on March 15. The key change on the meet- ing side is to enhance the ability of attendees to get better infor- mation about the types of accommodations that hotels have.
Hilliard: The [new] requirement [under the ADA] is that hotel reservation systems not only indicate that a guest room is acces- sible, buthowit is accessible (e.g., bathtub bar vs. roll-in shower). That will provide better, more accurate service for meeting atten- dees with disabilities, but it will also likely result in hotels want- ing meeting planners to be very specific about what kinds of disability accommodations their attendees need (which they should be anyway, but aren’t always).
difficult to control when you have 3,000 people in a banquet hall and 10 or 12 different outlets for alcohol. You have to be concerned not only about the physical manifestations of overconsumption, but how many drinks people have con- sumed. You can give out tickets or band people or have a punch card. There has to be a way to track it. But then you need to have staff on the floor, because people can give their drinks to other people.” (See p. 67 for more information about alcohol liability.)
Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). “Everyone is trying to get guidance on the changes coming into play on March 15—hotels as well as meeting planners. The key change on the meeting side is to enhance the ability of attendees to get better information about the types of accommodations that hotels have. The other major change from an attendee per-
spective is the guide-animal classification. For all intents and purposes, guide animals are restricted just to dogs. Comfort animals, under the federal ADA, are not allowed. When you book hotels, you need to know their pet policies. Even if a hotel has a no-pet policy, they have to accommodate a guide dog, but not a comfort dog.”
Bed bugs. “Bed bugs are still an issue, and will be. It’s impossible for a hotel to guarantee to a guest there won’t be bed bugs. A customer can bring them in on their luggage or clothing. When you’re looking at hotels, ask about their bed- bug protocol. How often do they inspect? What is their treat- ment plan?”