Microtel Inns and Suites | SMG - Solutions Marketing Group

Microtel Inns and Suites: Going the Extra Mile For Accessibility

By Carmen Jones, President and Founder of Solutions Marketing Group

This article is also featured in the September issue of New Mobility Magazine, a lifestyle publication for mobility disabilities.

Remember Sisyphus, that mythical character from Homer who was doomed to forever roll a boulder up the mountain? Each time he got close to the summit, he would lose the boulder and it would roll back down the hill. Too often, travelers with disabilities feel like Sisyphus pushing the boulder of inaccessibility.

Always the optimist, I have a recurring dream that relates to my frequent travel. I dream that each "accessible" hotel or motel room is as it is represented: truly accessible. I wheel freely around the room, roll in to shower and have no problem transferring in the bathroom. It's heaven -- with an accessible fitness center.

Sadly, truly accessible hotel rooms are rarer than one might think -- even 16 years after the Americans with Disabilities Act mandated accessible public accommodations.

Yet one company, Microtel Inns and Suites, truly "goes the extra mile" to earn the business of people with disabilities. Microtel, geared to the economy market, currently has 262 facilities open worldwide with numerous others in the pipeline. Most properties are in secondary or tertiary markets, but Microtel is in the process of expanding into major cities.

Image from the Microtel Web site geared toward increasing accessibility. Many corporations have disability information on their Web sites. Generally it takes a treasure map to find them. When I went to the Microtel site -- www.microtelinn.com -- I thought my traveling dream had come true. Their home page features a "travelers with disabilities" link where one learns the Microtel nuts and bolts of accessibility services.

The information details specifications of both rooms and public spaces. For instance, in the lobby area there is a slide-out counter or lowered counter. In accessible rooms, light switches are 42 inches from the floor, and clearance under the guestroom desk is a minimum of 27 inches. A heavy-duty 8-inch metal frame (not a solid bed base) is installed in each accessible guest room. The height of the bed is not greater than 23" from the floor. A minimum of 36" on each side of the bed or between double beds is provided where passage greater than 24" long is required. Each hotel has at least one accessible bathroom with a roll-in shower and installed bath bench or removable bath seat. Pipes are wrapped and there is clearance under the sink.

On the Web site, prospective guests can take a virtual tour of an accessible guestroom, including the bathroom. The corporation even hires "Mystery Shoppers" with disabilities to stay in their properties and report on access. Results are available on the site.

Microtel Inns is clearly a franchise that holds high accessibility standards. There are three designs for accessible rooms, accessible fitness bags for in-room use, and an upper body ergometer for guests with mobility disabilities. In addition, they offer free high-speed Internet, breakfast, and local and long distance phone calls.

Moreover, Microtel understands that well-known truism of the disability movement -- "attitude is the real disability." They make full use of The Opening Doors® program -- developed by Virginia-based W.C. Duke and Associates -- to train staff. Think of the ramifications of every staff member feeling comfortable interacting with disabled patrons. No one would speak to me in loud, slow tones as I roll up to the check-in counter. No one would ask my husband what I wanted. Staff would actually listen and try to meet my individual needs. No condescension or paternalism. That's what I call a dream come true.

When a company is as disability-savvy as Microtel, you usually find CEO "buy-in." Microtel is no exception. Their parent company is U.S. Franchise Systems, Inc. (USFS), started in 1995 and run by Michael Leven, CEO. Leven, known for fair and honest practices, has spent 45 years in the hotel industry and was formerly CEO of Holiday Inns and President of Days Inn. He attempted to implement accessibility standards and services in those chains before starting with USFS.

In creating Microtel Inns and Suites, the economy unit of Atlanta-based U.S. Franchise Systems, Leven decided to make accessibility essential to the product. "We want to be the preferred chain for travelers with disabilities," Leven says. "I think the industry has always been slow to react to changes in society, whether it's race or creed, or female business travelers. I think the ADA is an opportunity, and there is a potentially significant market," he continues.

"Mike is sensitive to issues affecting the underdog," states Roy Flora, Vice President of Franchise Operations. "He developed a program within the hotel industry for Asians who faced discrimination and was resolute about total accessibility in all USFS franchise operations. When he was President of Days Inn, he hired seniors and people with disabilities. One thing that excited him about USFS and Microtel Inns was that it was all new construction, so he had it within his power to make it totally accessible, to completely comply with the ADA."

Microtel's hard work has triggered a superb effect in their bottom line. They reported sharp gains in 2004 bookings for ADA room nights -- up by nearly 275% over the previous year. In addition, net revenues for ADA room nights increased by more than 260%. Internet bookings for ADA rooms during the same period marked the strongest gains, with an increase of more than 400%.

The Microtel example is dramatic but not out of the blue. They have expended the effort and capital and are rightfully reaping the rewards. Every company I've worked with that invests educated effort in accommodating customers with disabilities is realizing a profit benefit. With the data on income for people with disabilities, it is amazing that more CEOs don't follow the Mike Levin example and travel that "extra mile." The aggregate annual income for people with disabilities is $1 trillion dollars, and $220 billion of that is discretionary. In 1995, people with disabilities spent $81 billion on travel. Recent figures are unavailable, but I'd wager the numbers have risen.

Microtel has not only met accessibility requirements but also exceeded them in several respects. All the rooms are "visitable," with wide entrances and bathroom doors so people with mobility disabilities can visit other motel guests if they are traveling in a party.

The chain developed fitness products in response to the request of a wheelchair user. A man approached Roy Flora at a conference and asked what Microtel's fitness rooms had for him.

"Nothing now," Flora responded. "But tell me what you need and I will have it as soon as possible." Microtel's accessible fitness bags contain light weights, stretch cords and stretch bands. They obtained the upper body ergometer specifically for disabled guests who want an upper body workout. It is a hand cycle with a removable seat for wheelchair access and bi-directional, moving arms.

Flora's can-do attitude is typical of USFS staff. They put their all into developing the best accessibility and keep open minds about making improvement in all forms of access.

"Attitude accessibility is just as important as physical accessibility," says Flora. "Microtel Inns are consistent. They are the same wherever you go." All franchisees are required to do the Opening Doors® program to train staff, and Microtel was the first hotel chain to institute the program system-wide and train every single staff member: reservation, front desk, and maintenance.

"If you watch most non-disabled people, they are uncomfortable dealing with people with disabilities," says Flora. "They don't know how to act. Talking loud comes from discomfort. They have not been trained and are afraid to make a mistake. Opening Doors® makes you comfortable. Then it's easy to reach out and serve customers."

Opening Doors® staff training works, according to Margo Gathright-Dietrich. She's a post-polio actor who works with Canine Companions for Independence and travels with a service dog. Recently she was technical advisor for the television movie, Warm Springs. Between acting jobs, she supplements her income as a motivational speaker and in her frequent travels often stays at Microtel Inns.

"Let me first share that, in a lot of hotels, desk staff do not want service dogs and adamantly state, 'We don't want you here,' she says. "That would never happen at Microtel. The owners are always nice to me. All the staff greets me with courtesy, but they are not patronizing.

"Microtel serves breakfast," she adds. "In the kitchen area there are tables that are high enough for wheelchair seating. Staff is alert. Chairs are moved if needed, but quietly. They don't act exasperated or put out. There's never a feeling that you are a bother," says Gathright-Dietrich, who also emphasizes that the rooms really are accessible. "If I'm staying with Microtel, I know I can close the bathroom door and always plug in my charger. There's at least one outlet near the bed that I can reach."

Going the Microtel distance involves reaching out to disability organizations as well. Microtel donated to United Spinal Association and sponsors the Ms. Wheelchair Pennsylvania pageant. They were also the first hotel/motel chain to join the Society for Accessible Handicapped Travel (SATH). Microtel is active at SATH, and Roy Flora attends the annual World Congress for Travelers with Disabilities. SATH distributes brochures and is an advertising venue for Microtel.

Jocelyn Banks, Ms. Wheelchair Pennsylvania, has spastic cerebral palsy and is a wheelchair user. She stayed at the Microtel in Hamburg, Pa., and was delighted. "They were nothing but wonderful, helpful, and accommodating. The staff treated me with respect, like I belonged there. The rooms were very spacious and easy to stay in. The elevators in Hamburg could have been a little bigger, but I'd stay there again in a New York minute," says Banks.

She contrasted Microtel's service with a recent Greyhound bus trip from Pittsburg to Harrisburg. "Greyhound called us 'ADA People' in a tone that conveyed what a bother I was to them. At one point the lift broke and I was suspended in mid-air. They had to lift me off, pass me to my attendant and then get the chair off the broken lift. This was after they refused to let my attendant travel for half fare, saying I did not qualify for an attendant under their policy. I meet the criteria of the State of Pennsylvania for attendant care, but not Greyhound's."

Banks' story illustrates the stark difference between a company like Microtel that implements a practice of welcoming customers with disabilities and a company whose every action says, "We don't want your dollars."

The good news is that Banks' Greyhound story is becoming the exception rather than the rule. More businesses are beginning to understand that the disability niche is indeed a profitable market, and Microtel Inns and Suites has taken access to a new level in the hospitality industry. They've won awards from JD Power and Associates for providing the best service and facilities in an economy/budget hotel. I'd wager that other companies are reading the numbers and will soon follow suit.

Microtel is changing disability travel from the experience of Sisyphus to that of Atlas holding up the world. I know where I'll take my business.

Edited by Mary-Louise Piner.