by editorial office, chd
The German classification of hotels is currently undergoing complete revision by Dehoga Bundesverband, Berlin, in order to align it with the hotel star systems of Austria and Switzerland.
The new criteria for the awarding of hotel stars may come into effect as soon as early 2010. This was reported by the on-line edition of trade magazine „Top hotel“. Dehoga Bundesverband and Hotrec, umbrella association of the industry in Brussels, are further working towards an alignment of the many different hotel categories on a European level. In light of this, a new classification system was introduced in France in 2009, which now, for the first time, permits the classification of five-star hotels in the country. „We are going in the right direction with our harmonization of hotel classifications in Europe, and we are making progress that was unthinkable a few years ago“, said Markus Luthe, Chief Executive of Hotelverband Deutschland (IHA – German Hotel Association) and chairman of the Hotrec quality board.
The preferences and expectations of guests are important criteria for the relaunch of the hotel stars, and the necessary information is provided by a representative study conducted by TNS Infratest on behalf of the Austrian Trade Association of the Hotel Industry. It shows that high-quality beds and cleanliness of the bathrooms are the most important factors for satisfied guests. Details of the survey were already presented to the public at the end of the last year. Dehoga Bundesverband has already conducted surveys on the preferences of guests in 1998 and 2003.
Quality of service will play another important role in the new hotel classification, and it is already being evaluated in 15 of the 16 German states since early this year. Establishments that pass the inspection receive a seal of approval showing a „Q“ for quality management. „This may be honored in the classification of hotels in one way or another“, said Luthe. In addition, there are plans for adjusting the criteria to market shifts even in regards to the so-called hard factors, such as spa facilities.
The revision of the criteria is a joint effort of the Austrian Economic Chamber’s (WKO) Trade Association of the Hotel Industry and the Hotelleriesuisse Association. In Austria, the new catalog of criteria is intended to be launched on January 1, 2010, while in Switzerland, the system is to be relaunched at a later date. „All of us realized that in the classification of hotels, it is important to look beyond one’s own nose“, Matthias Koch, Chief Executive of the WKO Association of the Hotel Industry, admitted. He is doubtful in regards to a Europe-wide classification of hotels, however: „This cannot be rushed.“
Luxury hotels, in particular, have raised complaints that there are considerable variations in the classifications of „five-star“ and „five-star superior“ hotels on a European level. Also, some countries do not even have an official classification of hotels, such as Norway. Several top establishments see this as a reason to completely forgo official hotel stars. But there is another reason, namely the tactical handling of the pharmaceutical codex.
With the new criteria for its hotel stars, Dehoga Bundesverband hopes to win over additional lodging establishments for the classification. At present, 40 percent of the total of 21,000 hotels and bed and breakfast hotels have been classified. For comparison: In Austria, 75 percent of hotels make use of the stars, which were already introduced there in 1958.
