Visit Wherever, Star Gradings and Trip Advisor

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Windy
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Joined: Tue Oct 02, 2007 8:21 am
Location: Windermere UK

Visit Wherever, Star Gradings and Trip Advisor

Post by Windy »

UK tourist authorities are to withdraw their support for the long-standing hotel star rating system, claiming user reviews are a better indicator of quality.

The coalition government says it will publish a wide-ranging tourism policy paper in February in which it will propose ending the existing system of one-to-five stars for hotels.

Officials say websites such as TripAdvisor are better at providing a benchmark on the quality and range of services a hotel can offer consumers, rather than the existing system where hotels are evaluated privately by experts and the appropriate star is awarded.

With the end of the official star rating system, hotels will be free and also advised to choose a standard of their own (some hotels already promote using a TripAdvisor score) or establish a system of their own, using consumer data and opinions.

The government says it will stop trying to “corral” hotels into joining an official rating scheme provided by the state’s tourism authorities.

“The Government will encourage any rating schemes or customer websites which improve the quality of information which visitors can use to choose the right holiday for them, so they make informed choices rather than discovering problems when it’s too late.

“We will also encourage every scheme to provide specialist information on travel, accommodation and attractions which is accessible to visitors with disabilities, and which is sustainably ‘green’ as well.”

There is no suggestion at all that TripAdvisor will be promoted by tourism boards as the de facto rating scheme to use – it is being highlighted by officials purely as an example of an established user review system, albeit one with issues of its own and not exactly the universal support of the hotel industry.

But the scrapping of the existing star rating system is likely to be a controversial move in some quarters, with some probably suggesting a government-sanctioned system actually gives a hotel some kind of official backing rather than what consummers have opined on websites.

The UK government does not see it that way:

“In the end, of course, it is for individual businesses to make up their own minds what ratings systems they sign up with. The important thing for us to try to support both the industry (through deregulation and removing administrative burdens etc) and the customer (through the provision of relevant, accurate and up-to-date information to help inform their holiday choices).”

The policy paper to be released next month (also covering issues as wide as tourist visa regulations and airports) replaces an existing position being considered by VisitEngland before the last UK general election.

In March 2010, VisitEngland said it was considering a combination of user generated content and official star ratings for hotels.
This and other reports brought this rapid, content heavy but meaning free email from Visit Britain - oops Visit England.
VisitEngland statement regarding star ratings

Dear Quality scheme member,

Over the last few days, you may well have read or heard coverage in the national media regarding the future of the star ratings scheme. Indeed some of you have commented on industry forums. VisitEngland has released the following statement which we hope clarifies the situation.
In response to recent media coverage on the future of the star ratings scheme James Berresford, VisitEngland’s Chief Executive, commented:

“We are committed to ensuring visitors experience the best quality on offer in this country. As long as the national Quality Assessment Scheme remains beneficial to the industry, VisitEngland will continue to support it and ensure that it evolves to meet the needs of the industry and consumers.
The VisitEngland Quality Assessment scheme currently has 24,000 members and is one of the most reputable and robust accommodation schemes in the world. The scheme adheres to The Common Standards which brought together accommodation schemes from the AA as well as the other national tourist boards in Britain in 2005. Recent research show, 76 per cent of us make use of star ratings when choosing accommodation. From research undertaken with the industry we know that 3 in 4 claim membership to the scheme helps improve business.
Customer expectations and industry practices do change and we are currently looking at modernising the scheme to address this. As such and in line with the Tourism Minister’s aspirations, we are to review schemes ensuring they are independent of Government funding and that they are fit for purpose for the 21st Century consumer. The use of social media and user generated content will be key to this process. It’s clear from our research that the consumer of today is web savvy and uses a number of methods to aid purchasing decisions.
I believe there is a place for the star rated scheme as it offers consumers the endorsement of the national tourist board. This is as valuable a benchmark as reviews from consumers online and can be used in tandem to make a decision that is right for the consumer.”
If you have any comments or reactions we would be glad to receive these via the following email address:
Quality.EdgeExtra@visitengland.org

Jeremy Brinkworth
Head of Business Development, VisitEngland
Does anyone know what the plans are for self-catering? - I'm not hurying to pay my invoice for this year now, but we are not on trip advisor as we are not a hotel, B&B or a complex.
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greenbarn
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Post by greenbarn »

Received today from EASCO:
Self-catering has not been mentioned specifically in the public debate in the media, which has concentrated on hotels. Self caterers typically have many fewer clients who stay for longer periods than hotels. This means their user base is much smaller. Consequently, the number of reviews is often very small.
When there are not many reviews, it is easy for one or two disgruntled customers to make a big impact.
EASCO will be following developments on this topic closely.
There's also an unrelated topic regarding charges for disposal, as well as for collection, of rubbish from holiday lets. Not that ours gets collected anyway.....
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