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1. Our commitment
The Beacon has welcomed guests to Ocean Drive since 1936, and we want every one of them to be able to plan a stay, book a room, and enjoy the hotel. We are working to make both the building and this website usable by as many people as possible, including guests who use screen readers, keyboard navigation, screen magnification, or mobility aids.
If something here does not work for you, we would rather hear about it than have you give up. Call (305) 763 8700 and a person will help you directly.
2. Accessibility at the hotel
The Beacon is a 1936 Art Deco building. Some features of a historic property are fixed, so it matters that you know what to expect before you arrive.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Step-free entrance | [confirm: is the Ocean Drive entrance step-free, and if not, where is the accessible entrance and how is it reached?] |
| Elevator | [confirm: elevator present? cab dimensions, door width, braille and audible floor indicators] |
| Reception desk | [confirm: lowered counter section available?] |
| Accessible parking | [confirm: on-site or nearest accessible parking, distance, and valet arrangements] |
| Public restrooms | [confirm: accessible public restroom on the ground floor?] |
| Courtyard and lounge | [confirm: step-free route from lobby to courtyard, lounge, and breakfast area] |
| Service animals | Service animals are welcome throughout the hotel. |
| Beach access | The beach is directly across Ocean Drive at a signalised crossing. [confirm: is a beach wheelchair or Miami Beach accessible beach access point nearby? Guests ask this often] |
| Visual and hearing | [confirm: visual fire alarms, vibrating alert kits, TTY, closed captioning on TVs] |
3. Accessible rooms
Two of our six room types are designed for accessibility:
- Accessible King: one king bed, sleeps 2, with step-free access and an adapted bathroom.
- Accessible Double: two double beds, sleeps 4, with wider doorways and a roll-in shower.
[confirm for each: doorway widths, turning space, bed height, grab bar placement, roll-in vs transfer shower, shower seat, sink clearance, and whether the room has a visual alarm. Guests booking an accessible room need exact numbers, not adjectives.]
Accessible rooms are limited. If you need one, book early and call us to confirm it is held for you.
4. This website
We aim to meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 Level AA. That is our target, not a certified result. The site has not yet been formally audited.[confirm: commission an audit, then replace this paragraph with the tested conformance status and audit date]
Built into the site so far:
- Semantic page structure with landmarks, so screen readers can jump between header, navigation, main content, and footer.
- A “skip to content” link as the first item on every page.
- Descriptive alternative text on every photograph.
- Menus, buttons, and image galleries that work with a keyboard alone, with a visible focus outline.
- The photo viewer closes with Esc and moves between images with the arrow keys.
- Animation is reduced automatically if your device is set to prefer reduced motion.
- Text that reflows without horizontal scrolling down to a 320-pixel-wide screen.
- Colour combinations chosen for contrast against their backgrounds.
The accessibility widget
This site carries a UserWay accessibility widget, the icon on the left of your screen. It lets you adjust contrast, text size, spacing, and cursor, and it can read the page aloud.
We want to be straight with you about what it is: an assistive layer on top of the site, not a substitute for the site being built properly underneath. It does not make this website conformant with WCAG, and it is not a replacement for your own screen reader or browser settings if you already have tools that work for you. The fixes that matter are the ones in the list above, and we are continuing to make them.
5. Known limitations
We would rather name these than let you discover them:
- The booking window is not ours. Reservations are taken through third-party systems (Selfbook and Sabre SynXis). We do not control their code and cannot guarantee their accessibility. If the booking window is a barrier, please book by phone (see below).
- The embedded map is provided by Google and inherits whatever accessibility Google provides. Our full address and written walking directions are given as text on the location section, so you never need the map to find us.
- Older photographs carried over from the previous website may have shorter alternative text than we would write today. We are working through them.
- The site has not yet been tested with a full range of assistive technology. That testing is planned.[confirm: target date]
6. Booking with assistance
You never have to use the website to stay with us. Call (305) 763 8700and our team will take your reservation, confirm which accessible features a room has, note any requirements for your arrival, and send written confirmation by email.
Rates booked by phone are the same as the direct rates on this website. You are not charged extra for booking with a person.
7. Tell us about a problem
If you meet a barrier on this site or at the hotel, tell us what happened, what page or place it was, and what you were trying to do. We will reply and tell you what we are doing about it.
Beacon South Beach
720 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, FL 33139
(305) 763 8700
[email protected]
We aim to respond within [confirm: response time, e.g. 2 business days].[confirm with counsel: whether a named accessibility coordinator and a formal complaints route should be published here]