Disability Travel - Parking at Hotels with Disability Placard

Where hotels charge for parking- is it normal for hotels to charge for parking if you have a disability placard? Is it a good idea for hotels to comp. for this?

I've never been comped parking by a hotel - what would be the rationale?

I have never paid to park at an hotel.

I have never paid to park at an hotel.

Can you amplify? Do you only go to hotels that don't charge for parking, or do your hotels charge non-disabled guests to park, but not you? Are these hotels in the US (I have found the practice of comping disabled guests admission, etc to be much, much more common in Europe than in the US)?

The reason I ask is that I was researching hotels and I saw on a hotel review site that a hotel in Denver which normally charges $10 for parking had comped this particular person their parking as they had the placard. This got me wondering if this was normal or just that particular hotel.

It's possible the the hotel does not charge guests with disability placard/license plates for parking. Some years ago, cars with disability license plates or placards could park at a parking meter spot without having to pay in Washington D.C. area.

It's possible the the hotel does not charge guests with disability placard/license plates for parking. Some years ago, cars with disability license plates or placards could park at a parking meter spot without having to pay in Washington D.C. area.

That's true. In case anyone gets confused about it, though, it's not free any longer. Same with Arlington, Virginia.

Can you amplify? Do you only go to hotels that don't charge for parking, or do your hotels charge non-disabled guests to park, but not you? Are these hotels in the US (I have found the practice of comping disabled guests admission, etc to be much, much more common in Europe than in the US)?

Sorry Katja I should have explained more. I usually stay at UK hotels and have never had to pay when using my disabled placard. I have not stayed in hotels abroad since becoming disabled as I usually stay with relatives. Luckily I have relatives in Italy, Spain and South Africa. I just wish I had the money to go and visit them more often.

Some museums and places of interest to tourists givediscount on admissions too to people with proof of disability.

Regulations for disabled parking vary from business to business and from local government to local government. In San Francisco you can not only park without paying the meter, but you can also park for as long as you wish, and there is a decent supply of disabled parking.

When I visited Washington DC last August I was told by the traffic officer that I could also park for free in any metered space, and I did not have to move my car every two hours.

In most private for-profit parking lots, including hotels, I generally have to pay the same parking rate as any other person. It depends on each situation.

When I visited Washington DC last August I was told by the traffic officer that I could also park for free in any metered space, and I did not have to move my car every two hours.
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That officer was wrong. They are wrong sometimes. The law in DC says we have to pay to park at meters on the street. There are a few spaces without meters on the Mall though.

It is good to know that there is some question about parking in DC. My daughter called the traffic department this afternoon and they confirmed that a car with a disabled tag can park for free. It appears as if more than one person is poorly informed.

We have parked without paying five times since August and have never received a ticket. We left the car in the parking place a minimum of five hours on each occasion. I will likely be more careful when we return next week, as I would not like to receive a parking ticket, and I do not have anything in writing about their policy.

Actually, it appears that there is something in writing regarding disabled parking in Washington DC http://dc.about.com/od/disabledresources/a/DisabledAccess.htm

This same information is also available on the web site of Division of Motor Vehicles in Washington DC. http://dmv.washingtondc.gov/serv/plates/handicap.shtm

This same information is also available on the web site of Division of Motor Vehicles in Washington DC. http://dmv.washingtondc.gov/serv/plates/handicap.shtm

Well thanks for that. A couple of years back they changed the law so that those with disabilities with a placard, or plate, from another state had to pay. That was all over the news at the time. Now it seems that they changed it back, quietly. It's good that I am wrong and you are right about this. :)

In Arlington, VA, right across the river, though, those with placards and plates still have to pay to park. I park in Arlington all of the time, and not often in DC.l

We are spending May in the DC area, so I am sure we will be parking there on many occasions. If something has changed from what I am reading, I will be sure and let you know.