The majority of innkeeper laws are an outgrowth of old English common law practices and statutes enacted on a state and local level. That's not to say hoteliers should turn a blind eye toward federal legislation, as many sections of the United States Code directly and indirectly apply to the operation of hotels.
It's rare that Congress would enact legislation specifically aimed at innkeepers, usually letting states handle their version of innkeeper law, though civil rights legislation expressly mandates that all persons shall have equal access to public accommodation and forbids segregation in hotels and other places that provide lodging to the public. 42 USC 2000a bars discrimination on basis of race, color religion or national origin. In laymen's terms, any guest who arrives at your hotel with the ability to pay for a room must be given shelter unless you have cause to turn them away.
Although local fire authorities probably have a vast list of requirements for fire safety in public places, the United States Hotel and Motel Fire Safety Act of 1990 requires all places of public accommodation to install and maintain a hard-wired, single-panel fire alarm system and sprinklers, as well as provide guests with instructions on escape routes in case of a fire. Innkeepers who don't meet this requirement waive their opportunity to provide lodging to federal travelers and their rates aren't taken into consideration during federal price surveys.
Like any other business owner, you must comply with a variety of labor laws as set forth in USC 29, which include Federal minimum-wage standards, regulations about the 40-hour work week and overtime pay, bar age discrimination in hiring practices and set for occupational health standards for chemicals and substances your employees may handle. While this body of legislation isn't aimed specifically at innkeepers, it impacts hoteliers as fundamentally as state and local innkeeper laws.
If you offer your guests the services of a pool or hot tub, you'll need to be aware of more than local health code standards. In 2007, Congress enacted legislation that requires all public pools to modify their main drain system in order to prevent swimmers from being trapped in its suction. USC 15 8003 requires all main drains to feature a safety vacuum release system, a suction disablement system, an automatic pump shutoff system or a similar safeguard.
Title III of the American with Disabilities Act bars lodging discrimination based upon physical handicap. It also requires "reasonable modifications" to policies, practices and procedures to help accommodate persons with physical, speech, vision and hearing disabilities. All new buildings and modified hotels and motels must also adhere to the architectural standards set forth by the ADA, which include 36-inch doors, hand rails in bathrooms and wheelchair accessible ramps or lifts, among others.
