businesstraveller.com
OPINION
65ILLUSTRATION: BENJAMIN SOUTHANNOVEMBER 2018L
et’s start with John Murray’s
“Handbooks for Travellers”
which were, in 1836, the first
publicationstouseastarrating
for hotels. Murray used one star
for recommended, and none for the others –
a much clearer system than those of the more
than 20 organisations that today attempt
to classify properties worldwide. In North
America there is the AAA Diamond rating ,
intheUnitedKingdomtravellershavethe
Automobile Association or the national tourist
boards. Most of continental Europe adopts
the scheme by HOTREC (the Association
of Hotels, Restaurants and Cafés), though
France, with Gallic desire for differentiation,
favours the Hôtels de Tourisme award.
At the start of the 20th century, the
Michelin Guide introduced star ratings to
restaurants. By 1931 it increased the number
awardedtoamaximumofthreepervenue.
This opened up a Pandora’s box, and star
rankings turned into constellations. Over the
decades, three-star ratings began to
be used for pretty much everything :
military ranks, films, books, theatre,
even financial products.
In France, at the start of the 21st
century, a hotel ranking system going
up to five stars was introduced. In
2010 a sixth rating was created, the
“Distinction Palace”, of which there
are currently only 24 recipients.
WithjustoverhalfoftheminParis,therest
are mostly in the Alps or the Cote d’Azur and
only one offshore – the Cheval Blanc in
St Barts. This ranking is given for those
properties that display extensive facilities
in spa and fitness, as well as visible steps
in managing the environment.
AN EMPTY GESTURE?
How can the traveller understand these rankings
when the rules that the grading organisations
apply vary so dramatically? And how
relevant are they anyway? From my analysis,
it seems that most organisations bestow stars
based on the range of the facilities, with little
recognition for service. In this way, a hotel
without a lift will rate lower than one with,
despite the fact that the hotel may only be two
storeyshigh.Thereisnoregardfortheservice
in the hotel without the lift, which may well
make it more attractive than its competitor.
In Europe a growing number of branded
hotels do not even mention star level in their
publicity. Is the Hilton Vienna the same grade as
that in Paris? Hilton hopes you think so; both
hotels are Hilton standard, international and
apparently carefree of organised evaluation.
Hilton’s only reference to ranking uses price
and Tripadvisor’s “suns” – it believes those
most qualified to grade hotels are customers.
Moving eastward I enquired how Jumeirah’s
Burj Al Arab hotel
had achieved
its seven-star
rating. I was told
by its marketing
department that
it “seemed a good
idea to add to their
publicity when
suggested by a
journalist”. Not
especially helpful if it
was just made up.
The only books that
give a proportionate
amount of recognition to
service as well as facilities are ForbesTravel Guides. The inspectors visit more than
50 countries, and are quite sniffy about which
hotels they include. They have more than 900
criteria to evaluate, with an emphasis on service.
Anewthemeamongthesystemsappearsto
be environmental impact, and there are several
organisations promoting efforts to reduce
this. The Green Building Initiative, a US
non-profit organisation, awards Green Globes
based on sustainability, while the Green Key
organisation champions an eco-classification.
More systems are on the way. From the
Middle East is the Salam Standard. This
evaluates how Islamic a property purports
to be. Presumably there is little chance of a
minibar, but you won’t get lost, as rooms will
give an indication to the direction of Mecca.
Who is allowed to give inspections and
award stars? As a rule, anyone, for while a small
number of countries have a legal framework
for this, most don’t. In Great Britain
properties that do not wish to be inspected
andrankedhavenoobligationtodoso.Even
where they have agreed to inspections, there
is no requirement to display the ranking.
If you want to be graded, you will likely be
charged. The AA only rates hotels that pay
to be members and can offer consultancy to
help those hotels achieve higher standards.
So there you have it. The only promotion
to seven stars I know of has been either for
a North Korean general or a hotel in Dubai
andI’veneverseenaone-starproperty
advertising itself as such.
I lie. My Murray’s handbooks reveal The
Cecil Hotel in Pall Mall, with the then-
coveted one star. Good bachelor and family
accommodation, fine cuisine and bed for my
valet. Sadly, when I try to find it, I discover it
was demolished by a bomb in World War II.BTDEREK PICOT
A HOTELIER FOR MORE THAN30 YEARS
AND AUTHOR OFHOTEL RESERVATIONSStar treatment
What do hotel ratings really mean?
And who decides them?A hotel without a lit
willrate lower than
one with, despite the
fact the hotel may only
be two storeys high