UNWTO Report Identifies Common Criteria For Hotel Classification

THE new UNWTO report Hotel Classification Systems: Recurrence of Criteria in 4 and 5 Star Hotels has identified the common criteria among four and five star hotels, provided valuable insights for destinations wishing to revise existing or establish new hotel classification systems.

In a statement sent to The Guardian by UNWTO Senior Media Officer, Marcelo Risi, benchmarking international accommodation standards can help destinations establish hotel classification systems which are more relevant and useful to consumers, hotels, intermediaries and destinations alike.  The new report compares criteria recurrence in 30 European destinations and six destinations in other regions.

Prepared jointly by UNWTO and Norwegian Accreditation (NA), an agency of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries of Norway through its QualityMark Norway programme, the report reveals that despite the existence of many types of classification systems across the globe, there are more similarities than differences, both between geographic groups and between 4 and 5 star categories.

The report also provides a general overview of the existing types of hotel classifications, their benefits and challenges, and offers general guidance on areas to consider when setting up an official classification system.

Findings also suggest that more regular reviews of hotel classification systems can be useful to keep them up-to-date with rapidly evolving consumer needs, particularly with regards to technology and accessibility.

This is the second joint UNWTO/Norwegian Accreditation report on the topic of hotel classification, following Online Guest Reviews and Hotel Classification Systems: An Integrated Approach, published in 2014.