Classification Norms-India V/S International

Contrary to popular belief, the hotel star classification guidelines instituted by the department of tourism when compared to other norms for hotel star classification in other countries is no better or worse. Neeti Chopra gets more details...

In May 2003, after much deliberation the Department of Tourism (DoT) renewed the 1955 initiated Guideline for the Classification of Hotels. This move was aimed at ensuring that hotels in India meet international standards in services and facilities. Although the five-star and four-star hotels in India have been able to meet international standards, some of them do not figure anywhere on the global map. On the other hand, hotels in the UK and the US that have been accredited as four-star and five-star are globally recognised. But can we compare the hotel classification process of India with the UK and the US?

With the dramatic development of domestic and international travel in the past fifty years, various public and private-sector interests periodically raise the question of how hotel ratings compare across the world. There is no real international hotel ratings system. Ratings of hotels in different countries, if they exist, typically come from the government or quasi-government sources, independent ratings agencies or sometimes the hotel operators themselves.

Therefore, variations between countries' standards naturally exist. For example, in France the government conducts a star rating system ranging from one-star for simple accommodation to four-star for a deluxe hotel. Hotels in Germany and some Scandinavian countries have a one- to five-star rating, which the government reviews every three years, while in Britain the Automobile Association, Royal Automobile Club and English Tourist Board have agreed to a standardised hotel rating system. In South America, hotels are typically granted a star ranking from the government tourism ministry at the date of the hotel's opening, which may not be modified as the property ages.

From the private sector there are the independent ratings guides such as the England's AA and RAC guides or in the United States the American Automobile Association (AAA) Guide for motels (See box on page 3). Others, like the Leading Hotels of the World or Relais and Chateaux, recommend hotels that they have selected to include in their guides that meet their requisite standards. These latter agencies are not entirely independent, since they receive a fee for agreeing to list the particular hotel in their guide and for bookings at the hotel via their reservation service.

The International Standards Organisation (ISO) and the World Trade Organisation (WTO) met in 1998 to jointly discuss harmonising hospitality standards. However, the delegation got only so far as to recommend that as a first step standards be set in key areas of housekeeping, front office, and food and beverage but nothing was implemented. Similarly, the European Union addressed the issue at a Forum in December 2002, but no definitive steps have since been taken towards creating a European-wide hotel standards system.

The star classifications of the hotels are a function of the services provided by them. But, the present star category classification norms in India have been so haphazard that hotels claim to be six-star or seven-star, when the global norm classifies hotels as one star at the lower end and five-star deluxe at the luxury end.

The reason for differences between the global and the Indian norms is in the standard of services being offered by the hotels in India. As seen in the past few years, most of the luxury chains have started renovating and refurbishing their property, as also upgrading existing services to match the new benchmarks (services offered by international entrants such as Radisson, Hyatt and Intercontinental). With the entry of the foreign hotels, these norms in India would have to be reset to reflect the new services offered by foreign chains, which follow a standard set of service offerings across its property. But at the same time the hotels need to upgrade their services with changing scenario.