Accessibility Statement

Palmer House Inn, located in Falmouth, MA, warmly welcomes all guests. However, due to the historic significance of our romantic Victorian property, the Main Inn is not completely accessible. Removal of necessary physical barriers for complete accessibility is not readily achievable as such removal would threaten or destroy the historic significance of the property. However, many significant improvements have been made for enhanced ease of access of the Palmer House Inn – including an ADA-friendly room in our Guest House. (see below)

Accessible Accommodation

We offer the following with ADA-friendly accommodations:

  • The Walt Whitman Room: This first-floor room, located in the Guest House, features a separate entrance ramp leading to a 36-inch wide entry door. This 228 square foot room features a king size bed that can be separated into two twin beds with an advanced request, a large ADA-accessible bathroom with a wheel-in shower, hand-held shower head, grab bars, roll under wall mounted sink, ADA-friendly toilet, and a shower bench is available upon request. This room also includes a sitting area and a writing nook with an antique writing table.
  • Room Measurements:
    • Entrance doors: 36” wide (35” clear width)
    • Shower: two doors 28” wide each
    • Bathroom sink: 27.5” height from floor to underside of the sink, 34.75” distance from the floor to top of the sink, 24” width (23” clear width) between supports under the sink
    • King size bed: 26” height from floor to top of the mattress
    • Armchair: 17” height from floor to seat, 21” front width of the seat
    • Nightstands: 22” height from floor to top of the stand
    • Dresser: 46” height from floor to top of the dresser
  • Breakfast can be served directly to this room or on the Guest House porch (in season). We are also happy to provide assistance navigating the 28.5- inch door frame into the dining room of the Main Inn.
  • Entrance into the Main Inn includes an ADA-friendly ramp and a 32-inch wide doorway.
  • Common areas of the Main Inn that are ADA-friendly include the check-in area and lavatory.
  • There is one designated parking space per room, however, please note there is a gravel drive. We are happy to help you easily navigate from the parking area to your room.

The physical barriers include the following:

  • Gravel Driveway.
  • The walkway from the designated parking area to the front door has some level changes.
  • Grounds have uneven topography and some areas may be difficult to access by wheelchair or scooter.
  • Due to the historic nature of the Main Inn, the interior structure includes 28.5-inch doorways into the living room and dining room. If a guest with a wheelchair or scooter would like to enter our living room and/or dining room in the Main Inn, we are happy to assist with navigation.
  • Rooms in the Main Inn are located on the 2nd and 3rd floor of the Inn and require the use of stairs. There is no elevator to the Main Inn rooms. Due to the historical significance of the building, it is not readily achievable to add an elevator.

Our goal is to ensure that anyone who wishes to visit Palmer House Inn can do so, regardless of their physical abilities. Among the ways we strive to comply with the ADA:

  1. It is our standard operating procedure that individuals with disabilities be able to make reservations for accessible accommodation during the same hours and in the same manner as individuals who do not need an accessible room.
  2. We have identified and described accessible features as well as physical barriers with enough detail to allow individuals with disabilities to determine independently whether a given guest room or cottage meets their accessibility needs.
  3. It is our standard operating procedure to ensure that our accessible guest room option is held for use by individuals with disabilities. However, we protect our clients’ right to privacy of disclosure.
  4. We guarantee that an accessible guest room, once reserved, is held for the reserving customer and is removed from all reservation systems. We make reasonable efforts with third-party reservation systems to ensure that an accessible room is available through at least some of these services and that information concerning the accessibility of the room is included on their reservation platform.
  5. Guests with legitimate Service Animals will be provided access to all areas of the inn where members of the public are allowed to go.

For special accommodation needs, please call us directly at (508) 548-1230 so we can help you determine the best guest room to ensure you have a comfortable arrival and enjoyable stay.

Service Animals

Palmer House Inn follows the federal law which defines “Service Animals” to include individually trained dogs that have been trained to assist or perform tasks for an individual with a disability.

  • Under the federal ADA law, emotional support, therapy, comfort, and companion animals have not been trained to perform a specific job or task, therefore they do not qualify as Service Animals under the ADA and are not subject to our Service Animal ADA Policy.
  • Species other than dogs are not considered Service Animals under the ADA (as determined by the ADA, miniature horses are included where reasonable).

While we will not ask about the nature of a disability, legally we may ask about the service that is provided by the Service Animal such as:

  • Is your dog a Service Animal?
  • What task(s) does your Service Animal provide?

The staff is also not required to help you perform any of the tasks related to the Service Animal such as taking it out to relieve itself, feeding, handling, etc.

  • For relieving themselves, Service Animals are welcome to use the dog run behind the firepit. We ask that they not relieve themselves in the front yard, side yard abutting the driveway, nor the lawn or flower beds abutting the firepit.
  • Please let the Inn know if your Service Dog has an accident in your guest room or on the property so that we can provide you with an odor & stain remover and cleaning towels. Please do not use the guest room linens to clean up these accidents as additional charges will be applied to the guest room account if this occurs.

Your Service Animal must be under your control at all times, whether this is by the means of a leash, hand gestures, or voice control.

Service Animals may never be left unattended, including guest rooms, Palmer House Inn building, and grounds, or in a vehicle.

Please note that we reserve the right to ask a Service Animal to be removed from the property if the Service Animal becomes unruly, unreasonably disruptive, threatening, and is a disturbance or detriment to other guests. The owner is responsible for controlling the Service Animal’s behavior. If it cannot be controlled or the problem cannot be resolved we can legally ask for you to remove the Service Animal from the property. The guest will be welcome to stay without the Service Animal.

If there is damage and/or excessive mess caused by the Service Animal while on the property, the owner is responsible for the cost of damage, cleanup, and/or repairs. By booking your reservation, you agree to reimburse Palmer House Inn and pre-authorize Palmer House Inn to charge your credit card in the event of consequential loss or damage to Palmer House Inn, financial or otherwise, if your room is rendered uninhabitable for a subsequent guest, (including the cost of relocating such a guest to alternative housing) in the discretion of the Palmer House Inn management as a consequence of damage created by your Service Animal.

Website Accessibility

We are committed to facilitating the accessibility and usability of this website for all people with disabilities. We will continue to implement the relevant portions of the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 Level AA (WCAG 2.0 AA) or such other standards as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Periodically, our website will be tested with assistive technology. Please be aware that our efforts are ongoing. You may email us at innkeepers@palmerhouseinn.com or call us with questions or concerns regarding ADA accessibility issues, including issues accessing the website.