It could be the end for hotel star ratings

Like Kate I find both the star rating system and review sites useful, however imperfect they are. I would be sorry to see either go and the disappearance of either would ultimately be detrimental to the consumer, and to the trade as well.

I would argue first that, on principle, regardless of what the subject is, to have more that one source of information (I would count several review sites as only one source) is always more useful than just the one.

Secondly, hotel, B&B and guest house owners (I’ll call them all hoteliers for simplicity’s sake) should be allowed to continue to strive to achieve as many stars as they can, or at least maintain what they have been awarded, but in a new improved scheme, where the number of stars isn’t merely related to the number of facilities, but also includes the general feel of the place for example, a scheme employing (as) professional and objective people (as possible) to do the reviews.

Finally, hoteliers’ customers should be allowed to continue (and they will) to share their experience with other customers, make their views known good or bad. If unfairly reviewed, hoteliers have every right to reply in those very same sites and explain exactly why they think the reviews are unfair. If the criticism is fair, hoteliers are then in fact given a chance to see that they did something wrong in the first place (not always obvious, I imagine), put things right, and once they’ve done that they can say so in the website and therefore advertise the fact that they listen to customer complaints and act on them. And if the criticism is favourable, what can I say, this is free advertising for the hoteliers.

No-one need be a loser in all this.

I’m also in agreement that having as many sources of (trustworthy) accommodation reviews as possible is the best solution. Even though Visit England inspections are infrequent, it’s reassuring to know that the inspector has not only the trained knowledge to judge what makes a good hotel or B&B but will have seen a good range of properties in one area, so can judge whether it’s above average for that area. And it’s worth saying that the official assessment already does take on board levels of comfort and customer care as well as facilities.

What I’d like to see most of all would be a statutory scheme across the UK to assess minimum standards for all guest accommodation, including staffing assessments, and health, hygiene and safety checks. This would get rid of the very worst places – but I suppose with no chance of government funding to set this up, this is unlikely to become a reality for many years!

I agree with the others about the “tick-box” system of rating used not only for hotels but for other holiday accommodation., I am not interested in trouser presses, gyms etc but in the quality of the accommodation and just as important the service and ambience.
Often the only way to find these hotels is to start with the 3* ones which are expensive for their rating.

Trip Adviser is useful but needs care in using, people tend to post if they have had a bad experience rather than a reasonable/good one ( as with many surveys/reviews) and there is often a lack of “it was fine but nothing exceptional” type of report. I take more notice of the reviewers who have posted a large number of times.

There is a lot wrong with the star rating schemes currently in use for hotels. Although the AA, RAC and English Tourism Council have adopted a common set of standards against which to measure the hotels that subscribe to their schemes [in England only – Scotland and Wales are outside this system and have their own grading scheme] there does not seem to be much consistency in practice, or may be the star bandings are so wide that consistency is impossible even within one operator’s scheme. We generally look for a four-star standard of hotel to give us the service, comfort and facilities we require for a completely relaxing leisure break. Ignoring room rates – which are not a reliable guide – we find the quality varies widely and there is no finessing of the star category to help make a selection if visiting a place for the first time. Assuming a grading scheme has a maximum of five stars – which presumably applies to The Savoy, Dorchester, Claridges and similar – how can so many city hotels without their special qualities justify five stars? And more to the point, if five stars indicates high-end super de luxe, four stars should at least denote reasonable luxury with ample-sized rooms, sensible size and shape of bathroom with essential provisions [forget the silly toilet products – most people prefer their own], everything working, everything clean, good heating & ventilation, and helpful and cheerful service. Unfortunately four stars often mean poky rooms, knackered beds, busted lamps, too hot or cold, and only one [uncomfortable] armchair. Numerous hotels do not subscribe to one of the “official” recognition schemes and award their own stars [not illegal so long as they do not mimic the “official” signage] or are in a local scheme which over-rates all the establishments in one city. As for the customer review sites, we have found them very useful for giving a bit more of a personal feel for the place than the objective tick-sheet assessments of the inspectors, especially for pointing out more recent deficiencies or improvements that have occurred since the latest inspection and for giving little tips on how to get the best out of a place from day one [eg ten minutes earlier down for breakfast can save you forty minutes]. I have only recently become aware that there have been some dishonest misuses of the customer review sites which is a great shame. Sadly, many hotels in England have a “We are dreadful but we don’t care” sort of attitude as demand now frequently exceeds supply in city centres and popular leisure break locations. We have posted [honest] feedback on customer review websites; sometimes the proprietor or manager has responded in an appreciative and helpful manner, sometimes in a defensive and unhelpful manner, but usually has not responded at all and they probably never read their reviews in case they have to make some improvements. On balance I would like to keep the star rating system but expand it to ten stars to allow for better differentiation between clear levels of quality and also find a way of putting some finesse into the assessment to reflect the ambience, convenience, conscientiousness and enjoyabilityy of each establishment. I doubt if there is any practical way of cleaning up the customer review sites so they need to come with a truth warning as, properly conducted, they are a very useful way of improving one’s selection process.

Having spent many years in a professional capacity trying to ensure the highest standards for guests throughout visitor destinations i think that its essential that we keep the national inspection schemes and indeed make it cumpulsory for all visitor accommodation! There will be many visitors coming to London in 2012 who will have the shock of their lives when they stay in fleapit un-inspected accommodation and never come back to these shores because of it. I agree with many of the comments given here though, that the schemes need to adapt and progress, and reflect the different “styles” of establishments, and that review sites have a useful purpose, provided theyre backed up by a professional national inspection scheme.