Anything over five-star is… well, five-star

Last week the Scottish press reported that the Four Seasons hotel group is to transform the grand Taymouth Castle, near Aberfeldy, Perthshire, into Scotland's only seven-star hotel. Four Seasons confirms it's in talks with a developer who's looking to buy and transform the castle into a magnificent hotel the group would then manage - but seven stars? Come off it.

"That's not vocabulary we'd use," said John Stauss, regional vice-president and general manager of Four Seasons UK. "I think five stars should be the ultimate accolade. I don't see a need for any other benchmark. To have six or seven stars the whole system would just become inflationary, with three stars becoming four stars. We should protect the accolade."

A handful of hotels outside the UK are promoted as six-star hotels, such as the Sandy Lane in Barbados, but these assertions are rarely made by the hotels themselves. One tour operator, Carrier, confirmed that Sandy Lane was indeed a six-star hotel. However, general manager Colm Hannon said otherwise.

"I don't think there's any rating above five stars. This six-star thing is something that travel writers say about us."

Certainly, Hannon believes the Sandy Lane's investment in plasma-screen TVs and remote-controlled curtains in every room all add to exceeding the five-star criteria.

The opulent Burj al Arab hotel in Dubai has even been described as a seven-star hotel. A call to the assistant front office manager at the Burj al Arab set the record straight. "We're officially a five-star hotel. It's the media that gives us the name of being a seven-star hotel," said Danielle Haas.

Paul McManus, president and chief executive of the Leading Hotels of the World consortium, which has 400 five-star hotels on its books, believes that in the eyes of the public the entire star-rating system has become much more a turn of phrase than a set level of standards.

"A six- or seven-star hotel is every guest's expectations, but with a big plus," he said. "The star system is from an original concept that started, certainly in New York, as a government rating system for taxation purposes - but the system is all a bit pass‚."

The strengthening of brands over the past decade has compounded this. International travellers who stay in a Marriott hotel anywhere in the world, for example, know what they're going to get, and the need for a star-rating system has become less important. However, for the thousands of independent hotels it's an important benchmark that needs to be protected, even if the standards of the ratings differ from country to country.

A few years ago the AA carried out a project in the Middle East to grade a group of hotels. However, using UK standards, none of the hotels would have achieved five stars.

"They were unhappy about some hotels not getting a five-star rating because what they wanted was to show their best hotels. In most countries five-star means their best," said Peter Birnie, the AA's chief hotel and restaurant inspector. And as far as adding another level or two to the system, Birnie is very much with the hoteliers.

"When Marco Pierre White was making his name, Michelin didn't say, ‘We'll add another level,' they just said, ‘He's the tops and gets our top rating.' I don't see there's any need to create another grade - and it's a dangerous thing for hotels to grade themselves."

So what do the star ratings mean?

AA star classifications for the UK and Republic of Ireland

* At least one eating area open for breakfast and dinner at least five days a week.
TV in lounge or bedroom.
Majority of rooms en suite.

At least one dining room for breakfast and dinner.
TVs in bedroom.
En suite or private bath/shower and WC.

*
Dedicated receptionist at peak times.
Hotel bar, full dinner service.
Remote-control TV.
Telephone, en suite bathroom.

Uniformed staff anticipating and responding to guests' needs.
Strong emphasis on food and beverages and serious approach to cuisine.
24-hour reception.
Express checkout facilities.
Porter on request.
TV, telephone.
High-quality toiletries.
Bathroom with fixed overhead shower.

*
Flawless guest services.
Spacious and luxurious accommodation.
Doorman or means of greeting guests at entrance.
Porter and concierge service.
Restaurant open seven days a week.
High-quality menu and wine list.
Evening turndown.
TV, telephone, desk, luxury toiletries.
Bath sheets and robes.

Source: Caterer and Hotelkeeper magazine, 30 January - 5 February 2003