''We Welcome Service Animals''(TM) Training DVD's Distributed Nationwide by CH&LA Education Foundation; Award-Winning Training Materials Provided Free to Lodging Establishments Throughout U.S.SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The California Hotel & Lodging Association (CH&LA) Education Foundation announced that it has started free distribution of its award-winning We Welcome Service Animals(TM) training videos and related collateral materials to thousands of hotels, inns, and other lodging establishments across the country. Almost 15,000 kits are being sent free of charge to the lodging industry, and they will be made available free to any other businesses that want them. We Welcome Service Animals is a national education and outreach campaign created by the California Hotel & Lodging Association Education Foundation to teach people in the hospitality industry and in the law enforcement community how to improve service to guests and patrons with disabilities who depend on service animals for assistance. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Americans with Disabilities Act, U.S. civil-rights law, enacted 1990, that forbids discrimination of various sorts against persons with physical or mental handicaps. , hotels, restaurants, and other places of public accommodation are required to treat customers with disabilities who are accompanied by service animals just like all other guests, providing them with the same service and access to all areas where other guests are allowed. The goal of the We Welcome Service Animals program is to ensure that there will be enhanced accessibility throughout the hospitality industry for guests and patrons who use service animals. "We're very excited to be in the mass production and distribution phase of this project and to provide these materials free of charge to the hospitality industry," said Al Sessler, president of the CH&LA Education Foundation. "Most of the issues that arise in the hospitality industry relating to relating to relate prep → concernant relating to relate prep → bezüglich +gen, mit Bezug auf +acc individuals who use service animals result from a lack of knowledge by all concerned about their respective rights and obligations. These training materials will provide everyone with the basic information they need and thereby resolve the vast majority of the questions and disputes that might arise," Sessler said. In addition to distribution of the materials, the videos and program materials are available on CH&LA's web site at www.calodging.com. The first training video, available in English and Spanish, is intended for training all employees of hotels, inns, and restaurants about the respective rights and obligations of businesses and individuals with disabilities who use service animals. The video is accompanied by a full range of informational and collateral materials, including the "Ask Spike" Q&A piece. The other video was developed as a "squad room squad room n. 1. A room in a police station where officers assemble, as for assignment or briefing. 2. A room in a barracks in which a number of troops are lodged. Noun 1. " training tool for law enforcement agencies A law enforcement agency (LEA) is a term used to describe any agency which enforces the law. This may be a local or state police, federal agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). throughout the country to inform them how to respond appropriately to calls to mediate MEDIATE, POWERS. Those incident to primary powers, given by a principal to his agent. For example, the general authority given to collect, receive and pay debts due by or to the principal is a primary power. disputes between businesses and disabled individuals with service animals. It, too, is accompanied by a full range of collateral materials. The development of the program's training videos and collateral materials was made possible with funding from the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation, the American Express American Express (NYSE: AXP), sometimes known as "AmEx" or "Amex", is a diversified global financial services company, headquartered in New York City. The company is best known for its credit card, charge card and traveler's cheque businesses. Foundation, and the CH&LA Education Foundation. The production and distribution of the training materials was funded with a contribution from the J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation. The We Welcome Service Animals program is already being implemented by key organizations in the hospitality industry. For example, it is used by Marriott International Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE: MAR) is a worldwide operator and franchisor of a range of value and luxury hotels and related lodging facilities. Marriott currently has 2,300 accommodation properties in North America alone. , Inc. as an education and training component in its approximately 2,200 lodging properties in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . In addition, Best Western International has implemented the program last year in more than 2,400 properties in the United States and Canada, and the American Hotel & Lodging Association and the Asian American A·sian A·mer·i·can also A·sian-A·mer·i·can n. A U.S. citizen or resident of Asian descent. See Usage Note at Amerasian. A Hotel Owners Association are furnishing the videos and collateral materials to its members on their respective web sites. The We Welcome Service Animals program won a prestigious "Associations Advance America Award" from the American Society of Association Executives The American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) is a non-profit professional organization for executive directors and executive vice presidents of professional societies both in the United States and abroad. , as well as a gold "Telly" award. The California Hotel & Lodging Association (CH&LA) is the largest state lodging industry trade association in the country. Its 1,600 members, which comprise approximately 175,000 guest rooms, include hotels, motels, bed and breakfast inns, guest ranches, resorts, spas, condominium condominium In modern property law, individual ownership of one dwelling unit within a multidwelling building. Unit owners have undivided ownership interest in the land and those portions of the building shared in common. rentals, timeshares, and vacation home Vacation Home A home separate from an individual's primary residence that is used for recreational purposes and may also be rented out at unused times. Notes: For tax purposes, those who rent their vacation homes may result in a lower amount of allowable expense rentals located throughout California. CH&LA's mission is to be the indispensable resource for communicating and protecting the rights and interests of the California lodging industry, for providing educational training and value programs for all segments of the industry, and for supporting strategic alliances to promote the value of California tourism and travel. Sacramento-based CH&LA has been representing California's lodging industry for more than a century. CH&LA is on the web at www.calodging.com. |
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