When booking a hotel for your next trip to Europe, many travelers wonder how a hotel can achieve 4-5 stars? Here is the answer from Markus Luthe, President of the European Hotel Alliance.

Twenty-one member states and five observer states in Europe participate in a standardized star rating process that assigns a number of stars to hotels operating in their countries. The stars range from one to five, depending on various criteria, according to Markus Luthe. The Federation of Associations of Hotels, Restaurants, Cafes and Similar Establishments in the European Union and the European Economic Area (HOTREC) is the sponsoring association for the star rating.

Under the auspices of HOTREC, members of the Hotelstars Alliance classify their hotels based on a set of principles consisting of 247 criteria, divided into five categories. Each criterion is given a score based on its importance, ranging from 1 to 20 points. Each category has mandatory criteria and additional criteria to earn points.

According to Luthe, simply meeting the minimum criteria of the code is not enough to achieve star status. Hotels that fully meet the mandatory criteria and provide outstanding services will be awarded the additional "Superior" title.

However, there are exceptions to these rules. Hotels of 4 stars and above can still achieve a 4-star rating without having a restaurant. In these cases, the hotel will announce that it is a “hotel without restaurant” or garni - a term common in France and Germany.

Although the Hotelstars alliance holds a lot of power and prestige in hotel ratings in much of Europe, some countries, including France and Portugal, still use their own rating systems. Finland and Norway do not have star ratings. Spain and Italy have separate regional classifications for hotel ratings. According to Luthe, these countries have their own reasons for not joining the Hotelstars alliance, including political factors and specific niche market conditions.

While the star-rating process can vary from country to country, most start the same way: hoteliers fill out a comprehensive self-assessment questionnaire and submit it to the Hotelstars alliance for review. The alliance then conducts an audit to determine whether the hotel is overrating itself. Once the audit is complete, the alliance awards the stars.

“But it’s not always that simple,” Luthe says. There are two possible scenarios where a hotel may not deserve its own rating or is in fact not eligible for any stars. In the first scenario, the hotel may have assigned itself a star for promotional purposes to attract bookings. Such hotels will be required to remove the false stars. Failure to do so will result in the association reporting the hotel to national consumer protection or competition authorities. In the second scenario, the hotel may not meet the minimum criteria required, such as those related to hygiene and safety. In these cases, the hotel is considered unqualified for a star.

Speaking of some hotels around the world that claim to offer 6-7 star service, Luthe said that in the rankings, 5 stars are the highest. Hotels that achieve outstanding service will be tagged with the word "premium", becoming 5-star luxury hotels.

“If hotels above 5 stars occasionally appear in the media, then to our knowledge this is pure advertising,” Luthe said.

Anh Minh (According to Euro News )