Since this is a long thread, I'll highlight an "insider" post I made about 7 years ago.
Originally Posted by
writerguyfl
The number of accessible rooms for each hotel is set by law, not by need. That fact means that on most nights, there will be more available accessible rooms than needed.
Of the 11 years I worked at [the] two hotels [I worked], 9 where spent in Front Office positions (Front Desk, Reservations, Revenue Manager, Night Manager). I can only recall one time in which an arriving guest needed an accessible room but hadn't alerted us ahead of time. I was Revenue Manager at the time. The Front Desk employee came to me in a panic because there were no accessible rooms in the system. I went to check the arrivals and saw that a guest in an accessible room had placed a note saying he or she didn't need it. Problem solved in under 2 minutes.
If you see that an accessible room is cheaper than other rooms AND you are okay staying in that room type, go ahead and book it. A simple note like "accessible room not needed" on the reservation is all that is needed.