Standardization: To establish a system of uniform service and product quality that helps to create an orderly travel market distribution

system for buyers and sellers. Marketing: To advise travelers on the range and type of hotels available within a destination and to encourage healthy competition in the marketplace. Consumer Protection: To ensure that the hotel meets minimum standards of accommodations, facilities, and service. Revenue Generation: To provide revenue from licensing and the sale of guidebooks. Control: To provide a system for controlling general industry quality.

Commercial guides typically place more weight on the quality of service, food and beverage and comfort. Government schemes tend to concentrate on the physical aspects and facilities of the hotel. The difficulties in classifying hotels increase dramatically when classification is extended to an international level (Gee,1994;389): Subjectivity : Its difficult to grade physical aspects and other tangible items. These applications brings subjectivity of hotels.

Quality and Quantity of service and facilities: Without some sort of qualitative rating, the prospective first time buyer is note greatly helped if the only information provided is graphic symbols indicating that the hotel has a restaurant and bedrooms and private bathrooms, telephones and televisions. On the other hand if the buyer knows that the hotel is rated as a four-star, he or she may have a fair idea of what to expect in terms of accommodations quality and service level.

Cost: Regular inspection is required by qualified staff. This is not only costly and time-consuming also assumes the ability to find and train sustainable staff. In the international level, the cost of ensuring that standards are applied uniformly across borders could be exorbitant.

Cultural influence on standards and service : The existing variations in standards of hotel management and services offered reflect not only differing national cultures, but also wage levels, customs, tariffs, importations, and the availability of experienced local or expatriate staff. These differences are difficult to reconcile in an international classification scheme, which adds to the difficulty of developing of a universal system that meets industry as well as governmental concerns.

The first group deals with classification and registration matters (including for hotels) and should consist of four hoteliers in addition to the permanent members when a hotels grading requests are being evaluated. An analogous procedure applies to other tourism service providers such as: restaurants, rsidences de tourisme, vacation villages, campgrounds, the car hire industry and equestrian activities The second group deals with the authorisation of tourist attractions The third group deals with the approval of hotel projects and should, in addition to the permanent members, consist of four hoteliers and one representative of the travel industry.

 Permanent

commission members are nominated by the prfet for a three-year term, whilst the ad hocrepresentatives are selected by their professional associations or by a departmental federation.

of rooms, Common Areas, Equipments, Liveability Criteria, Service.

No

France has had a hotel classification system in place for some decades, and it is state regulated, the criteria appear very basic and rather outdated in some cases. There are precise physical measurement criteria which must be respected, but service-based standards are minimal and concern only very general provisions for food and beverage and the language capabilities of the reception staff. What distinguishes one grade from the next is the percentage of rooms which should be in conformity with a particular criterion.

Class L Luxury hotels Hotel, Congress hotel, All-Suite-Hotel Accomodation, breakfast, food and beverages offered International Standard, luxurious, modern Greetings of guests in front of the house High level of technical and personal services Meeting point, modern communication equipment Outside Germany often big shopping center included Price high Class 1 First Class Hotel Convention hotel Accomodation, breakfast, food and beverages offered High Standard of comfort Good level of technical and personal services Price medium to high Mostly large number of beds, chain hotels
12

Class 2 Middle class hotel, Aparthotel Accomodation, breakfast, food and beverages offered Practical, solid level of basic services Price medium Class 3 Hotel Garni Accomodation and breakfast, only some food and beverages only for guests Little city hotels, not much staff, often family run Price lower medium

13

Class 4 Pensions, Hotel pensions Accomodation and breakfast for longer stay guests, fixed menu food at specific times Simple, no special comfort, often close to spa institutions Without special services Prices dependent on length of stay Class 5 Rural hotel Gasthof Mainly restaurant, few beds mainly for restaurant guests Simple, rural, no special comfort Often family run with own butcher or fish farm Price low, except Star-restaurant places Others Motels, Resorts, Highway hotels, holiday homes etc.

14

DeHoGa Association = Deutscher Hotel- und Gaststttenverband 17 Provincial associations (HoGas) 3 special associations IHA-Hotelverband Deutschland UNIPAS-Union der Pchter von Autobahn-Service-Betrieben VIC-Verband der Internationalen Caterer in Deutschland 4 special departments 80.000 members in Germany

15

Basics of classification Voluntarily: Entering and exit always possible Transparency: Every hotel company can learn beforehand into which category it will be put Participants All accomodation companies with more than eight beds Criteria of Classification 19 criteria, higher level of fulfillment needed for each star level Further minimum levels of points for a star level from the criteria

x Building/rooms x Equipment/furnishing x Service x Leisure offers x Special Arrangements x In-house conference facilities
16

Categories Five star categories

x Tourist * (Garni) x Standard * * (Garni) x Komfort * * * (Garni) x First Class * * * * (Garni) x Luxus * * * * * (Superior)

Evaluation process HoGas on provincial level themselves or by other organisations like CoCs) Regular random controls Classification by document and representative sign

17

 One-star

Single rooms 8 sq m, double rooms 12 sq m Guest reception service Full breakfast Bath/toilet or shower/toilet on floor Fax at reception desk Safe deposit facility at reception

 Two-star

(in addition to one-star)

- Single rooms 12 sq m, double rooms 16 sq m - Breakfast buffet - 70% of rooms have en suite toilet, and shower

or bath - 70% of rooms have colour television - Beverages available - Chairs according to number of beds, and a table.

 Three-star

(in addition to two-star)

- Single rooms 14 sq m, double rooms 18 sq m - All rooms with en suite toilet, and shower or

bath - Reception opened 12 hours; 24 hours within call - Beverages offered in rooms - All rooms have colour television - Credit and/or debit cards accepted - Restaurant

 Four-star

(in addition to three-star)

- Single rooms 16 sq m, double rooms 22 sq m - Room service for breakfast and other meals - Minibar or 24-hour room service - Bathrobe on demand, cosmetic mirror,

hairdryer - Armchair/couch - Laundry and pressing services - Hotel lobby, restaurant, hotel bar.

 Five-star

(in addition to four-star)

- Single rooms 18 sq m, double rooms 26 sq m - Suites - Reception open 24 hours a day with concierge - Additional washbasins, cosmetic articles - Safe deposit box in room - Reception hall, restaurant, hotel bar.

Hotel grading in Switzerland is particularly interesting for two reasons. Firstly, Switzerland is the only European country to incorporate environmental criteria into theirgrading system. Secondly, Htelleriesuisse (the Swiss Hoteliers Association) has revamped its gradingstandards which has come into force in 2006.

The first level consists of an evaluation of the physical infrastructure and is divided into minimal norms which concern equipment and service features corresponding to a certain grade and general norms, which relate to maintenance and quality as well as supplementary equipment and service features. The second level evaluates quality of service and is optional. To earn the distinction of service quality, the hotel must submit to the inspection of a mystery client who visits the establishment unannounced. The hotelier must also foot the bill for this type of evaluation. The third level relates to the type of specialisation of the hotel of which there are 13: vacation hotel, golf, tennis, biking, health, wellness, seminar, convention, business, family,historic, eco-hotel and drive-in.

The American Automobile Association (AAA) began listing hotels in the tour books in 1930s. Since 1977, diamonds on a scale of one to five- have been used as a symbol of quality. Before rating properties, AAA first classifies them by nine lodging types (hotel, resort, motel, country inn, historical property, lodge, ranch, and complex)so that like comparisons can be made. The current AAA evaluation covers more than 300 items in nine major areas of the hotel: exterior, public areas, guestroom decor, guestroom equipment, bathrooms, housekeeping, maintenance, management, and guest services (Gee,1994; 401).

Five diamond: Renowned Four diamond : Exceptional Three diamond: Significantly exceeds requirements in many physical and operational categories. Offers very comfortable and attractive accommodation. Two diamond: Exceeds requirements in some physical and Operational categories. One diamond: Meets basic requirements for recommendations

 AAA

and Mobil use different approaches in evaluating a facility, it is not uncommon for a hotel to be rated differently by two organizations. AAA Tour Books constitute a rating service primarily for the use of its members, the publications are not made available for sale to the general public, whereas Mobil Travel Guides are distributed fort the public use.

Because

According this system; a point system divided in to two basic categories; (1)classification of property and facilities and(2) classification of services and products. Hotels are ranked on a scale of one to five star plus a five star deluxe rating. The classification is based on the number of points awarded to the hotel, up to 500 points for the physical condition of the hotel and up to 500 points for the qualitative aspects(Gee,1994; 402).

Type of Classification Scheme Symbols Used for Grade Brands

France Guide Michelin

U.S. AAA

Israel Official

U.K Official

Spain Official

5 houses 4 houses 3 houses 2 houses 1 houses Michelin

5 Diamonds 4 Diamonds 3 Diamonds 2 Diamonds 1 Diamonds AAA

5 star deluxe 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Ministry of Tourism

5 crowns 4 crowns 3 crowns 2 crowns 1 crown National tourist boards through regional tourist boards Questinnaries, inspections

5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Revelant regional community authority Unregulated and depend on regional policy

System Administered by

Type of Monitoring

Anoymous inspections

Annual evaluations; over-night stays for high rated properties AAA; membership dues Selected hotel and motels

Anoymous inspections- 14 years

System Founded By Hotel Classification System

Michelin; sale of guidebooks Selected hotels

goverment

Hotels with goverment subsidy All forms of accomodation s

goverment

All hotels

All forms of professionaly serviced

 Ministry

of Culture and Tourism has a rating criteria based on the physical structure of the hotels. Accomodation facilities varied in three categories as; hotels, motels and resort hotels. Each category has different rating criterias. Rating criterias are based on physical aspects such as; furnishings, exterior design, interior design, fire alarms and etc. Property must get the minimum standarts of related category. (www.turizm.gov.tr)

CLASS ***** OTEL **** *** ** * OTEL OTEL OTEL OTEL

MINIMUM POINTS 550 420 320 220 190