Starr Classification of Hotels (SHRAR / HRACC) Significance

Hotel ratings are often used to classify hotels according to their quality. The development of the concept of hotel rating and its associated definitions display strong parallels. Hotelstar

Tourist

Excerpt of the catalogue of criteria 100% of the rooms with shower/WC or bath tub/WC Daily room cleaning 100% of the rooms with colour-TV together with remote control Table and chair Soap or body wash Reception service Facsimile at the reception Publicly available telephone for guests Extended breakfast Beverage offer in the hotel Deposit possibility

The Superior flag is provided when the additional service and accommodation provisions are not sufficient for the next Hotelstar. Superior The bathroom facilities are usually at the same level as for two stars Tourist hotels but built from cheaper materials. The cost for regular inspection by independent associations is waived as well. In addition to the single star (*) hotels:

Standard

Breakfast buffet Reading light next to the bed Bath essence or shower gel Bath towels Linen shelves Offer of sanitary products (e.g. toothbrush, toothpaste, shaving kit) Credit Cards

The Superior flag is provided when the additional service and accommodation provisions are not sufficient for the next Hotelstar. Superior The Standard-Superior does usually offer the same service level as Standard three-star hotels but the interiors of the hotel are smaller and cheaper so that the three stars were not to be awarded by the inspection body. A two-star superior does not require mystery

guesting. In addition to the standard star (**) hotels:

Comfort

Reception opened 14 hours, accessible by phone 24 hours from inside and outside, bilingual staff (e.g. German/English) Three piece suite at the reception, luggage service Beverage offer in the room Telephone in the room Internet access in the room or in the public area Heating facility in the bathroom, hair-dryer, cleansing tissue Dressing mirror, place to put the luggage/suitcase Sewing kit, shoe polish utensils, laundry and ironing service Additional pillow and additional blanket on demand Systematic complaint management system

The Superior flag is provided when the additional service and Superior accommodation provisions are not sufficient for the next Hotelstar. Comfort The accommodation facilities for a superior hotel need to be on a modern level and fully renovated which is checked regularly. In addition to the comfort star (***) hotels:

First Class

Reception opened 18 hours, accessible by phone 24 hours from inside and outside Lobby with seats and beverage service Breakfast buffet or breakfast menu card via room service Minibar or 24 hours beverages via room service Upholstered chair/couch with side table Bath robe and slippers on demand Cosmetic products (e.g. shower cap, nail file, cotton swabs), vanity mirror, tray of a large scale in the bathroom Internet access and internet terminal " la carte"-restaurant

The Superior flag is provided when the first class hotel has a First proven high quality not only in the rooms. The superior hotels Class provide for additional facilities in the hotel like a sauna or a Superior workout room. The quality is checked regularly by mystery guesting of an external inspection service. In addition to the first class (****) hotels: Luxury

Reception opened 24 hours, multilingual staff Doorman-service or valet parking Concierge, page boy Spacious reception hall with several seats and beverage

service Personalized greeting for each guest with fresh flowers or a present in the room Minibar and food and beverage offer via room service during 24 hours Personal care products in flacons Internet-PC in the room Safe in the room Ironing service (return within 1 hour), shoe polish service Turndown service in the evening Mystery guesting

The Luxury star hotels need to attain high expectations of an Superior international guest service. The Superior Luxury star is only Luxury awarded with a system of intensive guest care.

Objectives
From the initial purpose of informing travellers on basic facilities that can be expected, the objectives of hotel rating has expanded into a focus on the hotel experience as a whole. Today the terms 'grading', 'rating', and 'classification' are used to generally refer to the same concept, that is to categorize hotels, mostly using stars as a symbol There are a wide variety of rating schemes used by different organizations around the world. Many have a system involving stars, with a greater number of stars indicating greater luxury. Forbes Travel Guide, formerly Mobil Travel Guide, launched its star rating system in 1958. The AAA and their affiliated bodies use diamonds instead of stars to express hotel and restaurant ratings levels. Food services, entertainment, view, room variations such as size and additional amenities, spas and fitness centers, ease of access and location may be considered in establishing a standard. Hotels are independently assessed in traditional systems and rest heavily on the facilities provided. Some consider this disadvantageous to smaller hotels whose quality of accommodation could fall into one class but the lack of an item such as an elevator would prevent it from reaching a higher categorization. In recent years hotel rating systems have also been criticised by some who argue that the rating criteria for such systems are overly complex and difficult for laypersons to understand. It has been suggested that the lack of a unified global system for rating hotels may also undermine the usability of such schemes.

Introduction
Hotels are an important component of the tourism product. They contribute in the overall tourism experience through the standards of facilities and services offered by them. With the aim of providing contemporary standards of facilities and services available in the hotels, the Ministry of Tourism has formulated a voluntary scheme for classification of operational hotels which will be applicable to the following categories:

I. Star Category Hotels: 5 Star Deluxe, 5 Star, 4 Star, 3 Star, 2 Star & 1 Star II. Heritage Category Hotels: Heritage Grand, Heritage Classic & Heritage Basic 2. The Hotel & Restaurant Approval & Classification Committee (HRACC) inspects and assesses the hotels based on the facilities and services offered.

Hotel Projects are approved at implementation stage Operational Hotels are classified under various categories

Methodology
Basic requirements for star classification by govt. deptt. a ) Copy of Feasibility Report b ) Star category planned c ) Number of rooms (with attached bathrooms) and size for each type of room (in sq.ft) d ) Size of bathrooms (in sq.ft.) e ) Details of public areas with size in sq. ft. Lobby / lounge; restaurants; bar; shopping; banquet/conference halls; business centre; health club; swimming pool; parking facilities (no. of vehicles) f ) Facilities for the differently abled guests (room with attached bathroom earmarked for this purpose, designated parking, ramps for free accessibility in public areas and to at least one restaurant, designated toilet (unisex) at the lobby level etc.). All hotels at project stage will require conforming to the requirements by 01.09.2010. g) Ecofriendly Practices (a) Sewage Treatment Plant (b) rain water harvesting (c) waste management (d) pollution control method for air, water and light (e) introduction of non CFC equipment for refrigeration and air conditioning. All hotels at project stage

will require conforming to the requirements by 01.09.2010. h) Energy/ water conservation (use of CFL lamps, solar energy, water saving devices / taps) i) Details of Fire Fighting Measures / Hydrants etc. j) Date by which project is expected to be completed and become operational k) Any other additional facilities l) Security related features

Requirement of details of the hotel: a) Area of Hotel site (in sq. metres) with title owned / leased with copies of sale/lease deed b) Copy of Land Use Permit from local authorities c) Star category being applied for d) Number of rooms and size for each type of room in sq. ft. (Single/ double / suites all rooms to have attached bathrooms e) Size of bathrooms in sq.ft. f) Air conditioning details for guest rooms, public areas g) Details of public areas: i) ii) iii) iv) v) vi) vii) viii) ix) Lobby / lounge Restaurants with no. of covers Bar Shopping area Banquet / conference halls Health club Business centre Swimming pool Parking facilities (no. of vehicles which can be parked

h) Facilities for the differently abled guests: dedicated room with attached bathroom, designated parking, ramps, free accessibility in public areas and at least to one restaurant, designated toilet (unisex) at the lobby level etc. All operational hotels will require conforming to the requirements by 01.09.2010 i) Eco-friendly Practices

(a) Sewage Treatment Plant (b) rain water harvesting (c) waste management (d) pollution control method for air, water and light (e) introduction of non CFC equipment for refrigeration and air conditioning and other Ecofriendly measures and initiatives. All operational hotels will require conforming to the requirements by 01.09.2010. In regard to Sewage Treatment Plant it is not mandatory for
st

hotels which have already submitted their applications for classification before 1 July 2012 or already classified and have applied for Re-Classification. Sewage Treatment Plant will be
th

mandatory for all hotels which apply for classification after 30 June, 20 Revised June 2012 j) Measures for energy and water conservation, water harvesting (use of CFL lamps, solar energy, water saving devices / taps etc.) k) Details of Fire Fighting Measures l) Security features viz. CCTV, XRay check, verification of staff etc m) The architecture of the hotel building in hilly and ecologically fragile areas should incorporate creative architecture keeping in mind sustainability and energy efficiency and as far as possible in conformity with local art and architecture with use of local materials n) Any other additional facilities

Conclusion
Food services, entertainment, view, room variations such as size and additional amenities, spas and fitness centers, ease of access and location may be considered in establishing a standard. Hotels are independently assessed in traditional systems and rest heavily on the facilities provided. Some consider this disadvantageous to smaller hotels whose quality of accommodation could fall into one class but the lack of an item such as an elevator would prevent it from reaching a higher categorization.

Bibliography
Google.co.in wikipedia.com scribd.com