Hotel Classification System Research Articles

The Classification of Hotels in the Context of Sustainable Development Factors: A Case Study of Public Policy in the European Union and Poland

With the growing awareness among entrepreneurs and consumers within the tourism industry regarding the field of sustainable development, it seems necessary to base hotel classification systems on an integrated approach to management quality, including the fulfillment of ecological and environmental criteria. However, this topic has yet to be recognized in the literature, especially concerning the European market. Therefore, this article aims to fill this research gap and indicate how environmental standards have been implemented in the European system of hotel classification—Hotelstars Union (HSU)—and that in force in Poland. With regard to these systems, the differences in the classification criteria taken into account by the certifying organizations in the European Union (EU) and the administrative hotel categorization system in Poland are pointed out. Particular emphasis is placed on the criteria related to environmental management in the hotel industry. The criteria related to environmental management were identified through an analysis of the criteria of eight environmental management systems that are applicable to the contemporary hotel industry. The results of this research prove that, even though the HSU system takes the principles of sustainable development into account to a much greater extent than the Polish system, its primary weakness is that most of its criteria related to the environment are optional. In addition, the optional criteria have higher weights than the obligatory ones. In turn, the Polish classification system makes very little reference to environmental standards. Moreover, it is not detailed, and the assessment criteria are not up to date. Therefore, it is recommended that a greater number of environmental criteria be included in the next update of the HSU system, which should be obligatory for hotels to meet. In addition, the sustainability criteria included in the HSU system should be adapted to the policy system aimed at the hotel industry in Poland and other EU countries.

The present and future of hotel star ratings through the eyes of star rating operators

PurposeThe purpose of this study is, first, to determine which developments have shaped official hotel classification systems over recent years (including the impact of guest-review platforms) and second to establish the future of those systems through the eyes of the people who are actually in charge of operating them.Design/methodology/approachSemi-structured interviews were chosen as the most suitable method for approaching hotel classification system administrators. This method is in line with previous research on approaching key informants in their respective fields. Sixteen people representing 12 different official national hotel classification systems from across the world as well as one commercial hotel star rating system participated in the online interviews.FindingsThe first main conclusion is that hotel classification systems – especially voluntary ones – would not have survived the enormous impact of guest-review platforms without quickly adjusting to the ever-changing hotel industry landscape. The frequent review of classification criteria and procedures has become the main survival strategy of classification systems. The second conclusion is that system operators are strongly optimistic about the future outlook of hotel classification based on their proven flexibility to swiftly adapt to new market conditions.Originality/valueResearch about hotel classification systems is usually based on the views of the systems' users, i.e. hotels or hotel guests, whereas the present paper reflects the perspective of the systems' operators, an angle rarely analyzed in the literature.

The influence of Airbnb on hotel occupancy in Mexico: a Big Data Analysis (2007-2018)

The main objective of this paper is to analyze the influence that the usage of the Airbnb’s platform has had on hotel occupancy in Mexico during 2007- 2018 period. The Hotel Classification System is considered to know if there are differences in this influence, according to hotels’ category. To obtain the information from Airbnb, an application was created that extracted the public information of each lodging published on the website. Results were estimated by using the panel data econometric methodology, showing that the only negative impact the usage of Airbnb has on hotel occupancy is in 4-star hotels, and that an increase in the price of Airbnb’s lodgings produces a rise in hotel occupancy. In other hotel categories there is no negative effect. An implication is that the usage of platforms like the one studied can be moderately regulated in Mexico.

Evolution of Hotel Classification System in Russian Federation

The main aim of this paper is to analyze the approaches to the system of classification of accommodation facilities in the Russian Federation. The United Nations World Tourism Organization pays great attention to the unification of classification systems for accommodation facilities in all countries of the world, issuing appropriate recommendations on tourism statistics systems, classification of economic activities, as well as criteria for interregional harmonization. In the Russian Federation, there are a number of laws, regulations, state standards, building and sanitary norms and rules concerning the classification of accommodation facilities. They are so imperfect that they have to be revised almost annually or even several times a year. The general statistics of accommodation facilities currently do not correspond to world recommendations. The classification system needs to be revised and brought into line with international standards as much as possible.

Characteristics of official hotel classification systems

Characteristics of official hotel classification systems

Creation of a Model Hotel Classification System

Creation of a Model Hotel Classification System

A Critical Evaluation of the Hotel Classification System of India

A Critical Evaluation of the Hotel Classification System of India

Are users’ ratings on Tripadvisor similar to hotel categories in Europe?

European countries do not have the same hotel classification system. Therefore, the criteria and requirements used to assign star ratings to hotels do not concur among the different countries. There have been some criticisms about the way hotel stars are assigned, because the requirements do not necessarily match the quality of service offered. Technical criteria such as infrastructure and room dimensions are taken into account, but users do not perceive them although these have nothing to do with the satisfaction. This study aims to determine whether the hotel category of about 80,000 hotels in 9 different European countries on TripAdvisor is related to customer satisfaction, measured from the point of view of the user ratings on this site. The one-way ANOVA test shows that there are significant differences between the average ratings of the hotel category, except in the classification of 1-star and 2-star hotels from most countries analysed that behave similarly, and 1-star and 3-star hotels from Austria, Greece, Portugal, Spain and UK that are ranked similarly.

Insiders vs. outsiders in the hotel sector

ABSTRACTWe investigate whether entering an official hotel classification system is as lucrative as suggested in the tourism management literature. Indeed, in countries in which the official hotel classification system is voluntary, a substantial fraction of hotels choose not to enter the system, and are outsiders. Considering that being classified (being insider) as a predictor of the rate structure may raise an endogeneity issue, we apply the recursive semi-ordered probit model to control for endogeneity and appropriately assess the effect of being classified on price rates. Using a sample of 357 hotels of Corsica, we show that, in contrast to previous research, classification does not provide any rate premium. We also fully derive conditional probabilities and partial effects on differences in conditional probabilities within the recursive semi-ordered probit model.

Global governance conceptualization and the case of hotel classification

This paper analyses the establishment of international hotel quality regime via the current conceptualization of the world order as global governance (GG). It asks: What are the major characteristics of the concept of GG, and to what extent it captures adequately changes in the global political order? The concept of GG refers to macro-structural and micro-operational groups of characteristics. The GG literature tends to focus more on the macro level and less on the way GG events operate internally. The focus on the structural attributes leads to a consensus among researchers regarding the applicability of GG conceptualization, between international management events before and after the 1980s. Based on the above distinction between GG macro and micro characteristics and its application to the case study on international hotel classification system, the paper argues that GG conceptualization can be also applied to international governing events before the 1980s, albeit with varying degrees.

Are guests of the same opinion as the hotel star-rate classification system?

Hotel classification systems have been questioned on some occasions due to the loss of credibility of stars as a quality standard and because they are sometimes subject to outdated criteria. In any case, this system allows reducing the adverse effects of asymmetric information, characterized in a market such as the hospitality industry. With a sample of more than 14,000 hotels in 100 cities around the world taken from two of the most important tourism websites as are Booking and TripAdvisor, we ascertained whether the star-rating classification system of hotels, room price, or even hotel size, match user satisfaction measured from the point of view the scores awarded by past users. The results confirm that despite the differences in criteria in implementing the hotel star-rate classification system throughout the world, a relationship does exist with user satisfaction, based on the scores awarded by former customers both on TripAdvisor and on Booking. In turn, price is related to hotel category and with satisfaction. However, the number of rooms does not influence the score awarded, although depending on the region, there is a relationship between hotel size and category. We conclude that the hotel classification system adequately fulfils its function as customer ratings increase with each additional star, just as price is also related with both aspects. The main contribution of this study is that the results concern hotels from around the world comparing them with the views of customers expressed on TripAdvisor and Booking.

United Nations World Tourism Organization Study on Online Guest Reviews and Hotel Classification Systems: An Integrated Approach

The proliferation of online travel-related content is changing how consumers book and research travel. Before making an online hotel reservation, consumers visit on average almost 14 different travel-related sites, with about 3 visits per site, and carry out 9 travel-related searches on search engines. Official hotel classifications are often used by consumers as a filter mechanism in the hotel research and booking process, with guest reviews being used to make a final selection among a smaller group of hotels. As online reviews continue to grow in popularity, questions arise as to whether traditional hotel classifications systems are becoming less relevant. Traditionally, classification systems have been about amenities, whereas guest reviews are about meeting expectations; thus, guest reviews may be able to provide a quality check on the amenities that are required as part of the classification system. We outline an integrated approach for the inclusion of online reviews into hotel classification whereby guest reviews add a quality dimension to hotel classifications, thereby refining the classification.

The integration of environmental management standards in contemporary hotel classification systems

This study investigates how hotel classification systems integrate environmental management practices in hotels. There is a growing awareness that hotel classification should be based on an integrated approach to quality, including environmental management practices. A content analysis of eight recently updated hotel classification systems was conducted using keywords that were filtered from the Green Key Certification System. The findings indicate that hotel classification systems include environmental management standards but use different structures, which lead to different impacts on the actual hotel rating and thus present varying levels of control. It is recommended that hotel classification bodies review the desired outcomes of the integration of environmental management standards and structure these so that the outcomes are more likely to be achieved by the hotel classification system.

Hacia un sistema armonizado de clasificación hotelera

El análisis comparativo de las normativas autonómicas sobre las actividades turísticas muestra que su diversidad genera distorsiones en el funcionamiento del sector. Específicamente, la disparidad de regulaciones autonómicas sobre establecimientos hoteleros resulta especialmente disfuncional en un aspecto relevante de su régimen jurídico como es la clasificación. La disección de las diversas áreas que integran la competencia sobre turismo permite valorar aspectos en los que un tratamiento diferencial parece adecuado, junto a otros en los que resulta distorsionante. En concreto, no se encuentran razones de peso que justifiquen la existencia de sistemas de clasificación hotelera autonómicos diferentes. Por ello, se propone la normalización de los mismos en base al sistema Hotelstars Union, modelo extendido y ya testado en Europa, cuyas ventajas son puestas de manifiesto. En la parte final del artículo se explica el esquema de clasificación y funcionamiento de dicho modelo, finalizando con una propuesta concreta sobre la vía adecuada de implantación del mismo en nuestro país.

When quality signals talk: Evidence from the Turin hotel industry

This study analyzes the relationship between quality signals and price setting through the application of hedonic price functions. The model proposals also include variables relating to land use policies and tourism development strategies. A simultaneous equation model endogenously estimates quality signals. This method is appropriate for analyzing emerging urban destinations, as characterized by the presence of an expanding hotel industry. The results are based on a dataset of 145 hotels in Turin, Italy. The empirical findings reveal that reputation-based quality signals help explain tariff levels. Price proposals also include a premium for quality assured hotels, defining some limits of the current hotel classification system. The empirical evidence has significant marketing implications for the hospitality industry’s competitiveness, since the results clarify the impact of quality signals on price level.

A Domestic Model for Classifying and Grading Hotels in Iran

This research aims to present a domestic model for classifying and grading hotels in Iran. It deals with the factors affecting hotel classification and grading and in this respect, the role of service quality as a main affecting factor is reviewed. After introducing the hotel classification system and grading standards in the world, the domestic model for classifying and grading hotels in the country is presented as the analytical model of the research.The research findings showed that such factors as management style, features of human capital, hotel services, location and structure and all their components can affecting directly and positively the hotel classification and grading in the country.

World Practices of Hotel Classification Systems

Official hotel classification systems vary by country and often have different symbols (stars, diamonds, etc.) to distinguish between hotel categories, causing confusion not only for tourists but also the hospitality industry. Previous research has given prominence to European and American grading systems and less attention to other important tourist destinations of the world. Therefore, this paper aims to extend the range of investigated classification schemes to Asian countries as emerging tourist markets and to elucidate the differences between classification in Europe and Asia. Many studies have been reported about classification schemes in general, but less research has been engaged with comparing the different frameworks in detail. This work addresses this gap by comparing the structures and characteristics of these systems and giving concrete examples about Switzerland, Germany, Hungary, China and Japan. The results of a classification criteria analysis show the correspondence of these systems, assisting a better understanding of grading schemes in general. Thereby, this study is intended to support both academic and practical fields. Finally, future research directions and limitations are identified.

Is the hotel classification system a good indicator of hotel quality?An application in Spain

Is the hotel classification system a good indicator of hotel quality?An application in Spain

Is the hotel classification system a good indicator of hotel quality?: An application in Spain

This paper analyses whether the hotel classification system is a good indicator of hotel quality, where quality is defined to be satisfying the expectations and needs of the client. We conducted our research in Spain, where a five-category system using stars is employed. To be exact, the hotel sector of one autonomous community (Cantabria, located in northern Spain) was studied, given that it is these autonomous regions that have exclusive authority to regulate and promote tourism. The results of the study confirm that even though significant quality differences are seen between the different categories, the ranking by quality does not correspond to that by categories. This supports the idea that quality is associated with the delivery of a service according to client expectations, more than it is with establishment category.

Classification and grading of smaller hotels, guesthouses and bed and breakfast accommodation

States that the development of classification and grading schemes for hotels and other accommodation in the UK is an important activity which affects customers and practitioners alike. In the light of evidence of a low take‐up of the English Tourist Board (ETB) Crown Classification system, reviews some of the major issues in developing an effective hotel classification system and reports feedback from the perspective of properties of bed and breakfast operations.