Earlier this year I met an accommodation provider whose property had a four-star grading, and probably a good four star at that. When I quizzed him as to whether he would be pursuing a fifth star, he was a little hesitant. He said that he probably wouldn’t, arguing that it would make his business less profitable. His argument was that guests staying in 5-star accommodation understandably expected the very best. Modest wear and tear on furnishings wouldn’t be acceptable and so he would have to continually invest and replace and improve anything that wasn’t completely up to scratch.
More recently I read about how some top-rated hotels in France and Germany were looking to shed a star from their ratings in order to improve business. Hotels in Berlin belive they are losing business from the pharmaceutical industry if they carry the top ratings, whilst 3-star hotels in France have been known to decline an additional star because it takes them into a new tax bracket. Interesting stuff.
Are you aware of other instances where hotels don’t strive for the highest grading possible?
As a banquet manager, every property must deal with general wear and tear so much that it is hard to just keep up let alone improve enough to attain a 5 star rating. Plus, the service skill training must be ongoing to reach clients’ expectations. Very hard to do.
Comment by banquet manager — July 22, 2008 @ 1:41 pm