We have decided to go with the Visit Britain / Visit England star rating system, mainly so that we can be included on local tourist offices' accommodation listing - they will only include graded accommodation.
Our first inspection visit is next week. Apart from going through the quality guidance with a fine tooth comb to make sure we have included everything in the cottage that we should have done, and of course making sure there isn't a speck of dust in sight, does anyone have any tips on how to perform well in the inspection visit?
Thank you!
Any tips for Visit England inspection?
I would recommend that you (pleasantly) explain to the inspector right at the beginning that you have been through the criteria and realistically expect to be awarded 4 star (or 5 star or whatever). Ask them to point out anything that you might have missed that would mean you shouldn't get that grading. Unless you are obviously not of that standard he /she may well find it more difficult to grade you low you after that.
It worked for me on a lodge park where everyone else who is VB graded, bar two, is only 3 star.
Of course you could just self-award yourself a grading
It worked for me on a lodge park where everyone else who is VB graded, bar two, is only 3 star.
Of course you could just self-award yourself a grading
Our experience with the individual assessors has been positive. On our very first assessment we had quite a lengthy discussion about whether we wanted to be 5 star or 4, and the assessor left it in our hands; if we wanted 5 star we could make a couple of improvements she highlighted and let her know within a few weeks (can't remember the actual timescale), or we could settle for 4 star. Her local experience of the market in our area was very helpful.
On subsequent visits from different assessors each has been approachable and happy to give advice; there's a difference between official advice and useful off the record advice based on their experience. They won't offer the latter, but there's nothing to lose by asking and telling the assessor that you understand it's not official.
I don't know the remit of the VE/QIT assessors, but in any "normal" QA assessment the aim is generally to work with, rather than against the client. They won't miss much, despite what might seem to be a brief glance round, but they shouldn't be setting out with the intention of finding as many faults as possible.
You may well be surprised and find it a useful experience rather than a hostile examination; I think Windy's suggestion of saying where you'd like to be and asking for the assessor's help is a good one.
Don't forget they'll want sight of your fire risk assessment (which they won't read in any detail or comment on beyond the fact that it exists) and access statement.
Good luck!
On subsequent visits from different assessors each has been approachable and happy to give advice; there's a difference between official advice and useful off the record advice based on their experience. They won't offer the latter, but there's nothing to lose by asking and telling the assessor that you understand it's not official.
I don't know the remit of the VE/QIT assessors, but in any "normal" QA assessment the aim is generally to work with, rather than against the client. They won't miss much, despite what might seem to be a brief glance round, but they shouldn't be setting out with the intention of finding as many faults as possible.
You may well be surprised and find it a useful experience rather than a hostile examination; I think Windy's suggestion of saying where you'd like to be and asking for the assessor's help is a good one.
Don't forget they'll want sight of your fire risk assessment (which they won't read in any detail or comment on beyond the fact that it exists) and access statement.
Good luck!
Thanks for the useful advice so far. It is difficult to know what rating we are able to achieve. I would like to be five star, and all of our fixtures, fittings and equipment etc have been provided with the intention of being a five star. We also add lots of personal touches to the accommodation which I understand is important for five star.
However, our cottage is small, and I am concerned that we simply don't have the space required to achieve a five star rating. I simply don't know how important this is though in the whole scheme of things - is a tiny but immaculate cottage able to achieve the highest rating, or are we limited to four star on the grounds of space? The quality guidance is sketchy on this area.
And maybe it is better to be a high four star than just scrape a five star? I don't know.
All of these things will be useful to discuss with the assessor, but my lack of understanding of the exact requirements means I don't think I can state "We think we should be five star" on his arrival!
However, our cottage is small, and I am concerned that we simply don't have the space required to achieve a five star rating. I simply don't know how important this is though in the whole scheme of things - is a tiny but immaculate cottage able to achieve the highest rating, or are we limited to four star on the grounds of space? The quality guidance is sketchy on this area.
And maybe it is better to be a high four star than just scrape a five star? I don't know.
All of these things will be useful to discuss with the assessor, but my lack of understanding of the exact requirements means I don't think I can state "We think we should be five star" on his arrival!
Space is important. Our beckside lodges have a charm that our smaller more modern one (4 star) lacks but they could never be more than 3 star because of their more limited space. It's not all about whether our guests will go "Wow!" (or even at all about that) - it's a paper exercise intended as far as possible to be objective . If you have ever been involved in a competitive tender you will know the strengths and (manifold) weaknesses of this type of approach. Whilst it is obviously flawed (tie backs on all curtains !!) and limited, to be fair I don't see how else they can operate without being accused of favouritism, bias etc by those who narrowly fail to get the grade they want.
If you haven't already get yourself a copy of the grading document - it was available on the QIT site as a pdf download when I last looked. Then concentrate on making sure that you have ticked all the boxes for the grade you want.
From discussion i have had with inspectors and other owners you might be better aiming for 4* Gold than 5*. Apparently 5* visitors bring a load more expectations, and it's always better to exceed rather than fail to meet expectations. That sounds a bit negative but I hope you see what I mean.
If you haven't already get yourself a copy of the grading document - it was available on the QIT site as a pdf download when I last looked. Then concentrate on making sure that you have ticked all the boxes for the grade you want.
From discussion i have had with inspectors and other owners you might be better aiming for 4* Gold than 5*. Apparently 5* visitors bring a load more expectations, and it's always better to exceed rather than fail to meet expectations. That sounds a bit negative but I hope you see what I mean.
Yes, I see exactly what you mean Windy. I agree it would be far nicer to exceed expectations!
I do have the guidance document. Apart from the minimum floor area (which we meet, easily) which is a minimum requirement, the other requirements on "space, comfort and ease of use" appear to be quality gradings rather than minimum entry requirements.
I can't really work out though whether it's possible to meet every other quality grading part of the 5 star requirements and just fall down on the "Large amount of free space which may include more than one sitting room" quality indicator... Anyway, we shall see!
I do have the guidance document. Apart from the minimum floor area (which we meet, easily) which is a minimum requirement, the other requirements on "space, comfort and ease of use" appear to be quality gradings rather than minimum entry requirements.
I can't really work out though whether it's possible to meet every other quality grading part of the 5 star requirements and just fall down on the "Large amount of free space which may include more than one sitting room" quality indicator... Anyway, we shall see!
As Windy has thrown that one into the equation, and at risk of derailing the thread (hope not), I'll add a bit.Windy wrote: From discussion i have had with inspectors and other owners you might be better aiming for 4* Gold than 5*. Apparently 5* visitors bring a load more expectations, and it's always better to exceed rather than fail to meet expectations. That sounds a bit negative but I hope you see what I mean.
We're at the very top end of 4 star, with a Gold Award. In fact at our last inspection we scored enough to put us into the 5 star bracket. We know what we'd need to do to be comfortably in 5 star, and it's something we ponder.
Our thinking has a lot to do with what Windy says about 5 star and expectations, or perhaps the type of people that 5 star can attract. These are the serial complainers, the sort who will find fault where none exists because nothing is quite good enough for them. We live on site and we interact with our guests, at whatever level they choose. The relationship that we have with guests, although a fairly insignificant part of their holiday, is important to us; when someone is telling you face to face how much they appreciated what we provide etc etc it gives us a real buzz, and that is a very important factor in enjoying what we do. A moaner on the doorstep 3 times a day would kill that.
How real that is we simply don't know, and obviously you can get a serial moaner at any level, but it's one of the key reasons why we choose to list as 4 star Gold Award and not 5 star. But - here it comes - we are seriously considering moving up to a solid 5 star as much as anything because of some of the dross that exists with a (genuine) 4 star rating. It's almost the reverse situation - a guest's expectations of 4 star could be so low that they'll disregard a place, so you don't even get the booking that enables them to see what it's really like. The issue there is the wide range of properties that fit into the criteria for 4 star - many don't deserve the title.
So three years further down the road than you are Jenny, we're still pondering the options, including dropping from the scheme altogether as and when we feel sufficiently comfortable with our level of repeat and recommendation bookings.
If you start with a good 4 star or 4 star Gold it's not a bad place to be while you gain experience of your market and guests. You can find out what would take you firmly into 5 star territory and work towards it if it suits you. It's got to be worth an informal chat with the assessor, who should have a good idea of what's in the area, and another important aspect - whether a 5 star rating would significantly increase occupancy.
It would be very interesting to hear the experiences of five star owners.
I think you probably can unfortunately.just fall down on the "Large amount of free space which may include more than one sitting room" quality indicator
We were clearly told that the space would preclude our beckside lodges from being four star.
Time to move the furniture round and hang a few mirrors?
The furniture is already as carefully placed as it can be to maximise the free space! And the only wall space we have for a mirror would be above the TV which I don't think would work. Thanks for the idea though. I'd rather not have a rating at all if we cannot achieve four star, so hopefully that won't happen!
And like you greenbarn, I love having positive comments from guests - I just walked out to the car and our guest told me what a lovely time they were having and how much they were enjoying the home made cake. I would hate it if people complained all the time - it would take all the joy out of the business![/quote]
And like you greenbarn, I love having positive comments from guests - I just walked out to the car and our guest told me what a lovely time they were having and how much they were enjoying the home made cake. I would hate it if people complained all the time - it would take all the joy out of the business![/quote]
Unfortunately home made cake isn't on the assessors list which goes to show that the star rating doesn't necessarily have a direct relationship with the guest's enjoyment of the holiday.
As was pointed out on another thread recently the star rating scheme was really useful when you couldn't tell what you were letting yourself in for.
These days with web sites like yours I wonder whether it really adds that much value. Whilst people can and do mess with photos, I'd be pretty confident about what I was booking having looked at your website. I'm not sure what a star rating would actually add to that.
which goes to show that the star rating doesn't necessarily have a direct relationship with the guest's enjoyment of the holiday.As was pointed out on another thread recently the star rating scheme was really useful when you couldn't tell what you were letting yourself in for.
These days with web sites like yours I wonder whether it really adds that much value. Whilst people can and do mess with photos, I'd be pretty confident about what I was booking having looked at your website. I'm not sure what a star rating would actually add to that.
It is a good thought as to what you hope to get from a star rating. If it's independent confirmation of your standard, plus some useful advice from the assessor, that's fine and I believe it's very useful when starting out.Windy wrote: I'm not sure what a star rating would actually add to that.
Beyond that, our own experience and I'm sure that of others suggests you'll get very little. It does enable you to be listed with your local TIC, but whereas that's probably a useful source of drop-in bookings for a B&B, guests looking for a longer stay in s/c aren't generally going to be using TICs. We've never had an enquiry via the Enjoy England website, and probably never will; it's not a site that google is likely to hit and VE don't make any effort to push it. Your local tourist board may require a rating if you want to list with them; that may be valuable or not, depending on what effort they put in. We no longer bother with Cumbria Tourism who don't recognise the existence of anywhere outside the Lake District, other owners have had good experiences with their own area board.
It does give you a presence; the VE rose sign is easily recognised, even better if you can stick the Gold Award sign up alongside it, and you can then justifiably claim to be "Award Winning" in your advertising.
Like Windy, I've just had a look at your website. You've got a gorgeous looking property in a niche market (couples). It looks thoughtfully equipped to a high standard, and I'm sure the bits that can't be seen are equally as good. You are right that if you can't get a 4 star rating, then don't bother and just let the cottage speak for itself.
One point - I clicked on a photo to open it up and was taken to Picasa. Having had a good look at the pix, I couldn't see a quick link back to your main site. It's quite likely that someone would close the window at that point, and they're gone.....
Well I was discussing this with SWMBO last night and if you search Google for "Lake District Self Catering" the Enjoy England site is not on the first 20 pages. It is on page 3 for "England Self Catering". I don't imagine many people coming to stay in Troutbeck would search for "England Self Catering" though.We've never had an enquiry via the Enjoy England website, and probably never will; it's not a site that google is likely to hit and VE don't make any effort to push it.
I'd echo GB's comments about the usefulness of TICs and the Enjoy England Listing. The only useful thing I can say about it is that I could, if asked, point people at the EE site to show we exist - but I use YHM for that anyway.
There are some web sites locally to us that insist on at least a three star rating.
Ooops this is starting to be thread creep - back to inspections....
We're 5-star Gold award and our guests are generally very nice - we haven't come across the serial complainers (yet!). We tend to get quite a lot of bookings for events (lots of 30/40/50/60th birthdays, wedding anniversaries, several honeymoons etc) which are year-round so it helps a lot with out of season bookings. We also don't really get potential guests trying to negotiate on the price, which I know other people can have problems with. Having said that, I think we have a genuinely unique, top-end product (regardless of the VB rating) and I think there will always be people willing to pay for that.It would be very interesting to hear the experiences of five star owners.
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kendalcottages
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Congratulations, Jenny! 
Kendal Holiday Cottages Ltd., Kendal, Cumbria - between the Lake District & the Yorkshire Dales.