Over 90% of consumers ‘disappointed’: what do quality ratings from the Tourist Board mean for guests?

According to a recent survey undertaken by Suffolk Character Cottages, over 90% of consumers have previously been disappointed by a holiday letting because it did not live up to expectations. Guests often choose a property based on the number of stars it has been awarded, but do consumers really understand what the star ratings actually mean? Is a 5 star holiday letting the same as a 5 star hotel?  The discrepancies in the star rating system could be confusing consumers instead of guiding them, according to Donna Bell, co-owner of Suffolk Character Cottages, a luxury holiday lettings company which offers premium 5 star self-catering accommodation.

7 surprising facts about Tourist Board star ratings:  

 
1.    Cleanliness isn’t 100% compulsory across the star ratings: A 2 star property is required to receive a 50% score for cleanliness. A 3 star property should have a 65% score, 4 star 75%, and 5 star 90%.  This applies to both self-catering accommodation and hotels. Should any guest expect anything less than 99% clean?

2.    5 star self-catering accommodation will contain an ‘excellent range of items, could include [...] videos, including blanks.’  A 5 star hotel room may contain ‘DVD or video library’  As an example of the outmoded rating system, Sky TV is not mentioned and VHS is seen as an equal alternative to DVD. Why settle for a VCR and a blank VHS when you can just press record on the Sky remote? When both are apt to achieve 5 star, how can guests differentiate between quality?

3.    The words ‘luxury’ and ‘luxurious’ are used to describe accommodation 8 times in the quality guidelines for hotels.    At no point is the word ‘luxury’ used to describe any five star features for self-catering accommodation quality standards.

4.    3 star self-catering accommodation will have ‘no obvious structural defects’.  Is the implication here that structural integrity is not a minimum requirement?

5.    2 star self-catering accommodation may have cobwebs.  Does this reflect guest standards?

6.    It is a minimum requirement to provide a hairdryer at a hotel. Additionally, at 4 and 5 star hotels, another hairdryer must be available on request when the hairdryer is in a fixed location in the bathroom.  There is no need to supply a hairdryer at self-catering accommodation in order to comply with the quality standards or achieve any star rating.

7.    It is a minimum requirement to have a butter dish at self-catering accommodation.  Is a butter dish really a top priority for today’s holiday home guest?


“With the Tourist Board ratings, it’s about facilities.” says Donna Bell, co-owner of Suffolk Character Cottages.

“Having a specific item scores points yet the quality of mod cons does not necessarily count. If you have a dishwasher that’s what counts, whereas providing highest quality pans such as Le Crueset is not significant. You can provide the softest sheets and Sky TV, but it won’t gain you as many points as hiding your dustbins or baking a homemade cake will.

“One of our properties, Stay Barn, has just been awarded [the highest rating] 5 Star Gold, and of course we’re delighted, but we would like to see a luxury category introduced. Currently, there is nothing to differentiate Stay Barn from other Gold Star properties with fewer luxuries.  Suffolk Character Cottages provides special additions including high thread count pima cotton sheets, 800gsm towels, softened water and a top-of-the-range Nespresso coffee machine. If we did not meet the facilities requirements for items such as tin bins and a butter dish, these special additions would not in themselves achieve Five Star Gold.

“With the rise of stylish boutique holiday homes, guests may find it useful to have a more up-to-date rating system in place which reflects today’s standards and expectations. We passionately believe in the rating system provided by the Tourist Board and hope they will rise to the challenge of adapting it to modern day requirements. And from my own experience, when I think of a 5 star hotel, I expect a holiday letting to be of a similar standard. However, there is a far wider variation between 5 star holiday homes than there is between 5 star hotels.  It’s all about consumer perception and I think the hotel system is the most familiar.

“Stay Barn scored 100% for cleanliness, which was a factor in its 5 star Gold award, yet we believe this should be a basic and fundamental requirement for all stars. You have to be a very glass-half-full person to believe that 50% clean is acceptable, as is the case with a 2 star property.

“For Suffolk Character Cottages, it’s the special additions and special experiences that make it exceptional, which is why we’ve introduced the phrase ‘six star’ into our marketing. We want people to know that we’ve covered all the ordinary bases and that we’ve gone much further than five star and gold award criteria, because that’s our niche.”

All facts taken from Quality in Tourism, Self-Catering Accommodation: Quality Standard [2009] and Quality in Tourism,  Hotel Accommodation: Quality Standard[2009]

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