Hotels in France switch to the five-star system

Hotels in France switch to the five-star system
One of the most luxurious hotels in Paris - Ritz - was among the first to receive a five-star status in France
(0) marks: 0

Hotels in France from now on will be ranked according to five-star system. Switching of French hotels to the new system will provide tourists with a possibility to obtain more precise information about a class of the hotel and a level of service they can expect.

Prior to the adoption of a new classification system hotels in France were ranked according to four classes, where the highest for the hotel was “4 Deluxe” class. The old classification has remained unchanged over the past 20 years. However, from now on more than 18 000 hotels in France will be able to use the classical world classification.

A number of luxury hotels in France, among which are the Ritz in Paris and Negresco in Nice, have already taken advantage of new opportunities and received a five-star status, according to France Press agency.

A more transparent scheme of hotel ranking will allow French hotel business to improve the competitive characteristics of their own hotels and successfully cope with the global financial crisis.

A number of stars worthy of a particular hotel will now be determined not by government institutions, as it used to be before, buy by the independent auditors. At the same time, the state reserves the right to influence the awarding of stars, so the final verdict depends on the prefect of the district, where the hotel is located.

However, if luxurious hotels benefited due to the adoption of the new system, it is not so clear for budget hotels. 2 * class hotels in France got vaguer criteria for the class and their former clients now do not know exactly what level of service they can expect.

As to basic facilities, then, for example, one star hotel must provide a guest with room with minimum area of 9 square meters and shared shower for no more than 7 rooms. For three star hotels in France an access to the Internet from now on will be a mandatory requirement. French hotels without a class (zero stars), which has existed before, will become a thing of the past.

The system of stars awarding will be conducted on a fee basis. At the same time, many hotels will have to undertake renovation works in order to match the desired class. Total expenses for the modernization of hotels in France in compliance with the new criteria are estimated by tourist authorities of the Republic to 10 billion euros.

Date: 28/12/2009

Voting

Select a mark:  

Comments (0)

No comments