How Europe classifies and stars hotels

The European Hotel Alliance classifies hotels based on a set of 247 criteria, divided into five categories, but there are exceptions.

When booking a hotel for your next trip to Europe, many travelers ask themselves how a hotel can achieve a 4-5 star rating. Here is the answer from Markus Luthe, President of the European Hotel Alliance.

Twenty-one member states and five observer states in Europe participate in a standardized star rating process that assigns stars to hotels operating in the country. The stars range from one to five, depending on various criteria, according to Markus Luthe. The Federation of Associations of Hotels, Restaurants, Cafes and Similar Establishments in the European Union and the European Economic Area (HOTREC) is the sponsoring association for the star rating.

HOTREC is a prestigious organization that sponsors star ratings in Europe. Photo: Euro News — HOTREC is a prestigious organization that sponsors star ratings in Europe. Photo: *Euro News*

Under the auspices of HOTREC, members of the Hotelstars Alliance classify their hotels based on a set of 247 criteria, divided into five categories. Each criterion is given a score based on its importance, ranging from 1 to 20 points. Each category has mandatory criteria and additional criteria to earn points.

According to Luthe, simply meeting the minimum criteria of the code is not enough to achieve star status. Hotels that fully meet the mandatory criteria and provide outstanding services will be awarded the additional "Superior" title.

However, there are exceptions to these rules. Hotels of 4 stars and above can still achieve 4-star status without having a restaurant. In these cases, the hotel will announce that it has a "hotel without restaurant" or garni - a term popular in France and Germany.

Although the Hotelstars alliance holds a lot of power and prestige in hotel ratings in much of Europe, some countries, including France and Portugal, still use their own rating systems. Finland and Norway do not have star classifications. Spain and Italy have separate regional classifications for hotel ratings. According to Luthe, these countries all have their own reasons for not joining the Hotelstars alliance, such as political factors and specific niche market conditions.

While the star-rating process can vary from country to country, most start the same way: hoteliers fill out a comprehensive self-assessment questionnaire and submit it to the Hotelstars alliance for review. The alliance then conducts an audit to determine whether the hotel is overrating itself. Once the audit is complete, the alliance awards the stars.

“But it’s not always that simple,” Luthe said. There are two possible scenarios where a hotel doesn’t deserve its own rating or isn’t actually eligible for any stars. In the first scenario, the hotel is advertising itself to attract bookings. Such hotels are required to remove the false stars. If they don’t comply, the alliance will report them to national consumer or competition authorities. In the second scenario, the hotel doesn’t meet the minimum standards required, such as hygiene and safety. In these cases, the hotel is deemed unqualified for a star.

Speaking of some hotels around the world that claim to offer 6-7 star service, Luthe said that in the rankings, 5 stars are the highest. Hotels that achieve outstanding service will be assigned the word "premium", becoming 5-star luxury hotels.

“If hotels above 5 stars occasionally appear in the media, then to our knowledge this is pure advertising,” Luthe said.

Anh Minh (According to Euro News )

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