Hotel Classification – Time for an overhaul

Nina Basset, the UK’s youngest ever hotel inspector, says its time for the classification system to recognize the changing face of hotelkeeping.

As a “hands on” hotelier and ex AA Hotel Inspector, I am often asked my opinion of hotel classification schemes and their merit to modern day hoteliers. Guests rarely remark upon the fact that Hotel TerraVina is not rated with the AA or Visit Britain, but they do often mention other mediums as useful sources of information about establishments.

Classification schemes are close to my heart. When I joined the AA in 1990 their scheme consisted of 1- 5 Black Stars, 1-5 Red Stars and the ‘add on’ of a Country House emblem, with a percentage rating attached to each establishment. At that time the AA quickly realized that a new breed of establishment was emerging that simply did not fit the existing classification scheme – the smaller, city-centre, Boutique hotel.

Many such establishments only served fantastic breakfasts, as they did not need to serve dinner with so many restaurants on their doorstep. As a result they were unable to be included in the traditional 1-5 Star scheme, and yet they were obviously so much more than a Bed and Breakfast establishment.

Thus, prior to leaving the AA in 1994 to help set up the Hotel du Vin group of hotels with my husband Gerard Basset and our then business partner Robin Hutson, I was instrumental in the creation of a new classification scheme: the Townhouse Classification.

The Townhouse classification proved to be a much needed additional part of the overall star ratings. However, while there has been a revamp of quality assessment in the Bed and Breakfast category in recent years, both the AA and Visit Britain are now falling behind the times once more.  

As in the 1990’s it is the emergence of a new breed of hotel that is the cause, but this time increased competition in the guide book market, and technology, are exacerbating the situation. It is the non-urban Boutique hotel that is neither a country house hotel, Townhouse, nor a typical 1-5 Black or Red Star establishment that is not being covered. As a result these stylish, quirky and quality hotels go unclassified because the constraints of outdated classification schemes lack the flexibility to fit them comfortably into the ratings. Often it is not that the hotelier does not wish to be included in a rating scheme such as the AA or Visit Britain, but more that the rating scheme will mis-represent them, to the detriment of their business.

With this in mind a new breed of up-to-date, stylish and sexy hotel guides have been born – The Hip Hotels Collection, Mr and Mrs Smith, Chic Retreats to name but a few. They are full of fantastically different, stylish, design led, and often privately owned and personally managed hotels. Hoteliers are opting for inclusion in such books not only because of the cachet of being included in such style led guides, but also because they recognize how individual and different these styles of hotels are. Coupled with that they often offer on line booking and beautiful photos of each establishment, with a journalist style review of the property.

Alongside these more stylish guides there is a new player on the block, the online peer review sites, most notably Trip Advisor. These sites are an increasingly important factor when customers are considering where to stay, further challenging the value of a traditional ‘classification’ when it comes to decision making.    

What the industry is desperately in need of is a complete overhaul of current classification schemes, informed by a wide ranging debate amongst industry experts. Only then will the likes of the AA and Visit Britain be seen to be moving with the rapidly changing face of the hotel industry, and gain the admiration of modern day hoteliers.

Nina Basset FIH

Part of this article first appeared in The Times in September 2009