Euronews Travel spoke to Markus Luthe, the President of the European Hotelstars Union, to search out out exactly how the star rating process actually works.
ADVERTISEMENTWhenever you’re booking a hotel for an upcoming trip, have you ever ever wondered how a destination achieves its rating? You’re not alone.
Across Europe, 21 member countries and five observer nations participate in a standardised rating process by several official bodies – meaning their hotels can achieve from one to 5 stars, depending on various criteria.
The Confederation of National Associations of Hotels, Restaurants, Cafés and Similar Establishments within the European Union and European Economic Area – way more succinctly referred to as HOTREC – is the umbrella association of those rating authorities.
Euronews Travel spoke to Markus Luthe, a member of HOTREC’s Executive Committee, in addition to CEO of the German Hotel Association and President of the European Hotelstars Union AISBL, to get the within scoop.
How are hotel star rankings decided?
Throughout Europe, the 21 nations use a typical classification system which rates hotels with stars. Each is rated based on 247 criteria, spread across five categories.
Under the patronage of HOTREC, all members of the Hotelstars Union classify their hotels based on the very same set of criteria – also referred to as the 21 HOTREC principles.
“Each criterion is assigned points based on its significance, starting from 1 to twenty points. There may be an inventory of mandatory criteria for every category, and extra criteria that might be used to realize more points,” Luthe tells Euronews Travel.
“Meeting the minimum criteria alone isn’t enough to attain a star category. Hotels that meet all of the mandatory criteria of their category and offer an exceptional level of service are awarded the “Superior” suffix,” he adds.
There are, though, exceptions to all rules. Hotels with as much as 4 stars can still achieve the rating while operating and not using a restaurant. In such cases, they will still be sold as a “hotel without restaurant” or “garni”, the latter a term common in France and Germany.
How do hotel star rankings differ across Europe?
Despite the Hotelstars Union wielding an excellent deal of power over hotel rankings in much of Europe, some nations – including France and Portugal – use their very own national systems.
In other countries, like Finland and Norway, there is no such thing as a star classification in any respect.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, Spain and Italy use 17 and 21 separate regional classifications respectively to rank their hotels.
“We’re in close contact with these countries, but each of them has its own reasons for not (yet) participating within the Hotelstars Union. These are particularly structural political reasons, the institutions involved or specific market conditions,” Luthe tells Euronews Travel.
What does the star rating process seem like from start to complete?
The method for obtaining a star classification may different barely between countries, Luthe explains, however the overwhelming majority begin in a really similar way.
Hotel owners must fill out a comprehensive self-evaluation questionnaire, which is then submitted for review by the Hotelstars Union.
ADVERTISEMENTAfter it’s been evaluated, the Union will conduct an on-site audit to examine the hotels aren’t marking their very own homework too highly.
If the inspection is accomplished to the satisfaction of the Union, the relevant star classification might be awarded – but it surely’s not at all times so straightforward.
Luthe says there are two possible scenarios if hotels aren’t worthy of the rating they’ve given themselves – or, indeed, in the event that they don’t qualify for any rating in any respect.
“The primary scenario is when a hotel advertises with stars regardless that it isn’t classified.
ADVERTISEMENTSuch hotels are contacted and requested to remove those stars. If the hotel doesn’t comply with the request, a report might be made to the national consumer or competition protection agency,” he tells Euronews Travel.
“The second scenario is when a hotel within the classification process doesn’t fulfil the minimum criteria required, as an illustration concerning hygiene or safety. In such cases, the hotel doesn’t obtain any classification in any respect,” Luthe adds.
Do hotels which sell themselves as having 6 or 7 stars really earn that rating?
Numerous hotels globally attempt to sell themselves as ‘above’ the official rankings, claiming they provide 6 and even 7 star services.
In Europe, HOTREC member countries have agreed to categorise their hotels exclusively on the normal five-star scale.
ADVERTISEMENTWhile this seems to preclude the existence of 6 or 7 star establishments, there may be a better rating which might be given to the easiest destinations.
5-star Superior rankings, Luthe explains, might be awarded to “top establishments inside each category that sometimes stand out for his or her particularly high level of service.”
He and his colleagues refute claims that there are hotels which might accurately describe themselves as any higher than this level.
“If hotels with greater than 5 stars occasionally appear within the media, then, to our knowledge, these are purely promoting messages of the hotel or media, which usually are not based on an official catalogue of criteria,” Luthe tells Euronews Travel.
ADVERTISEMENT“In our view, it’s also unwise to extend the utmost variety of stars achievable for each latest extreme luxury hotel by a number of levels, as if the classification were moving upwards on an open Richter scale,” he adds, “This may deprive the buyer of security somewhat than providing additional transparency.”
How long do star rankings last – and the way easy is it to enhance them?
Once a classification has been obtained, it’s valid for as much as six years – depending on the country.
When this era involves an end, the method starts again and a latest audit have to be carried out on site.
“If the hotel has stayed on the ball and made the essential investments or adjustments, it is going to be awarded the identical stars again when it’s re-classified,” Luthe says.
ADVERTISEMENT“Otherwise, it has the choice of either being downgraded or making the essential adjustments inside a certain time period as a way to remain in its category,” he adds.
If a hotel has worked hard on improvements and desires to attain a higher category, HOTREC ensures it makes the essential adjustments and investments to achieve the usual of the brand new rating.
One other audit will make certain the adjustments have been made and the brand new criteria is met accordingly after which the hotels can move up a level.
How vital are star rankings for European hotels really?
“In some member countries of the Hotelstars Union the classification is freed from charge, in some countries there may be a fee that needs to be paid per classification,” explains Luthe, “In any case, the star classification provides added value for money and is less expensive than print media promoting.”
ADVERTISEMENTDefinitely, most hoteliers we now have spoken to say the rating process is a hoop essential to leap through as a way to appear in customers’ sights.
But how vital are these rankings to travellers really?
“For guests,” Luthe says, “the star rating continues to be certainly one of the fundamental criteria for selecting a hotel, as they know no less than roughly what they will expect from a 3-star hotel, for instance.”
HOTREC say that tourists profit from an internationally harmonised system, which offers real comparability of offers across national borders.
ADVERTISEMENTLuthe explains the rating system is probably more useful in the trendy world, where all the pieces might be found online.
In response to HOTREC, hotel stars remain as one of the steadily used search filters on booking portals.
This appears to be of profit to each travellers, who often use stars to narrow down their hotel search at an early stage, in addition to the booking sites themselves.
Despite first person reviews from guests being commonplace, Luthe says the sites are increasingly turning to rankings to assist them market hotels.
ADVERTISEMENT“An increasing number of online portals are recognising the special importance of hotel classification and are reserving star symbols exclusively for officially classified hotels,” he says.
