Marguerite Sequaris, CEO of Hotrec

26/01/2010

“ Create a harmonised hotel classification system ”

Last month, the hotel associations from Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland created the “Hotelstars Union”. This global classification system, patronized by HOTREC (Hotels, Restaurants & Cafés in Europe) will offer clients a plain standard. Marguerite Sequaris throws some light upon this new entity.

BWMN: What’s the Hotelstars Union? How has it been brought to life?
Marguerite Sequaris: The Hotelstars Union was set up by 7 national hotel associations, which are all members of HOTREC, representing more than 17,000 hotels in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Sweden, Hungary, the Netherlands and Switzerland. The aim of the Hotelstars Union is a harmonised hotel classification system with common criteria and procedures in the participating countries. Work on bringing the European hotel classification systems closer together started in 2004 and continued with the adoption of 15, now 21 HOTREC principles on the setting up of hotel classification systems in Europe. The creation of this new association can be regarded as a step towards a harmonised European hotel classification system.

BWMN: What does this common classification consist in? What are its criteria?
Marguerite Sequaris:The common criteria concern the building and rooms (size of the rooms, cleanliness of the building, reception opening hours, etc.), the furniture and equipment (wardrobe, number of chairs, noise control, etc.), service (food, banquet options, etc.), leisure (spa, library, etc.), arrangement of offer (like a complaint management system), in-house conference facilities (size of rooms, daylight, etc.). Hotels must meet all those criteria and reach a minimum of points required to access the 1 to 5 stars classification.

BWMN: Do you think a common classification can be used throughout the whole European continent in a close future?
Marguerite Sequaris:There are still some major differences between the classification systems in the different European countries. Therefore, the benchmarking exercise launched by HOTREC is allowing the various European systems to get closer to each other according to their own pace of development and taking into account the special national and regional circumstances. The example of the Hotelstars Union shows that some systems are already that close to each other that they can agree on common criteria and procedures. Thus, a shared classification system throughout Europe is not a utopia anymore. Of course, further benchmarking activities and cooperation between the private and public entities are requested, such as in countries, where classification is imposed by legislation.
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