Classification of hotels

 

 

The classification of hotels is a vast and complex subject to discuss. The literature review on the hospitality industry revealed that there are numerous criteria and programmes used to classify hotels. There are such programmes used at a national level, at an international level, criteria set by public authorities or by private companies. (Minazzi, R.,2010)

In this report the author will describe a number of hotel classification criteria found in the literature review.

In UK there are only 2 organisations qualified to award stars to accommodation businesses: the AA (Automobile Association) and Visit England.

The Automobile Association ‘introduced a star rating system to classify hotels in 1912, and in 2006’ they ‘developed Common Quality Standards (alongside the main tourist boards) for inspecting and rating accommodation.’(TheAA.com)

According to the standards aforementioned, there are three types of awards:

         The third type of award is not for accommodation organisations but for restaurants. It is called the Rosette.

The star rating is offered depending on the type of services provided by the accommodation. ‘For full accreditation, hotels must annually undergo an overnight inspection and pay a fee of between £624 (for a one-star hotel) and £2,123 (for a five-star hotel).’ (Which.co.uk, 2020)

The one-star hotels are open seven days per week, each bedroom must have a private bathroom or en suite. The restaurant is open seven days a week, serving breakfast every morning and dinner only five evenings out of seven. These are small hotels, with a reduced number of rooms, services may be limited.

The two-star hotels are usually small to medium in size. Compared to the 1 star hotels, the two star ones may offer slightly better services: the staff may be more professional, the restaurant should serve dinner every evening.

The three-star hotels show a significant increase in the quality of services offered to the public. More rooms, better trained staff, a decent level of comfort are just a few extras. Bedrooms are all en suite, better equipped with hair dryer and toiletries. The restaurant is open to the public as well, not just for those staying at the hotel.

The four-star hotels should offer ‘high enough ratio of staff to guests to provide services like porterage, 24-hour room service, laundry and dry-cleaning. The restaurant will demonstrate a serious approach to its cuisine.’ (Kumar, 2020) ‘Services should be formal, well supervised and flawless in attention to guests’ needs, without being intrusive.’ (Kumar, 2020) In addition to the three-star hotels, the four-star ones are ‘offering guests luggage assistance, 24-hour room service including a cooked breakfast, thermostatically controlled showers’. (BBC.co.uk)

The five-star hotels offer to their guests ‘enhanced services e.g. valet parking, escort to bedrooms, proactive table service in bars and lounges and at breakfast, ‘concierge’ service, 24-hour reception, 24-hour room service, full afternoon tea.’(Narehotel.co.uk, 2019)

Other criteria for hotel classification, according to SETUPMYHOTEL.com :

1.   Number of rooms

 

Levels of service

 

3.   Ownership type and affiliations

4.   Target markets

5.   Levels of service

 

 

In conclusion, the literature review on this subject is very vast, this paper only presents the most common used criteria for accommodation businesses classification.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Bbc.co.uk, ‘Bitesize: The star rating system’, [ONLINE] available at https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zvjm47h/revision/3, accessed at February 20, 2021

Kumar, P.,2020. ‘Criteria for star classification of hotel (Five, four, three, two, one & heritage)’, [ONLINE] available at https://hmhub.me/criteria-star-classification-hotel-five-four-three-two-one-heritage/, accessed at February 20, 2021

Israeli, A., 2002. ‘Star rating and corporate affiliation: their influence on room price and performance of hotels in Israel’, [ONLINE] available at https://www.academia.edu/1390076/Star_rating_and_corporate_affiliation_their_influence_on_room_price_and_performance_of_hotels_in_Israel, accessed at March 1^st, 2021

Minazzi, R.,2010, ‘Hotel Classification Systems: A Comparison of International Case Studies’,[ONLINE] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228645808_Hotel_Classification_Systems_A_Comparison_of_International_Case_Studies, accessed at March 1^st, 2021

Narehotel.co.uk (2019), ‘UK Hotel Star Rating System’, [ONLINE] available at https://www.narehotel.co.uk/uk-hotel-star-rating-system, accessed at March 2^nd, 2021

The AA Hotel and Hospitality Services, ‘Ratings and Awards’, [ONLINE] available at https://www.theaa.com/hotel-services/ratings-and-awards, accessed at January 2^nd, 2021

Setupmyhotel.com, ‘Types of  Hotels or Classification of hotels by their type’, [ONLINE] available at https://setupmyhotel.com/train-my-hotel-staff/front-office-training/76-classification-of-hotels.html#:~:text=Hotel%20targets%20many%20markets%20and,casino%2C%20convention%20and%20conference%20hotels, accessed at March 1^st, 2021

Which.co.uk, (2020), ‘Hotel star ratings explained’, [ONLINE] available at https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/uk-hotel-chains/article/hotel-star-ratings-explained-a0bgV3M8kfx2, accessed March 2^nd, 2021