New star rating system launched for hotels, resorts

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines is now better positioned for tourism growth and competitiveness after a new star rating system to standardize the accreditation of local hotels and resorts has been introduced, according to foreign tourism development experts.

British Hospitality Association executive director Willie Macleod said a well-established system for hotels and resorts would further encourage tourism-related businesses that will meet consumer expectations.

“An independent assessment of quality would enable businesses to benchmark themselves against competitors, assist with market positioning and price points, and help decide and prioritize new development and refurbishment of premises,” he added.

Macleod noted a globally accepted star rating system is an independent indicator of quality of tourist experience, from reservation, arrival, stay and departure, as well as value of money, type of accommodation, convenience, accessibility, safety, cleanliness and hospitality.

Furthermore, registrar of standards in the tourism body of Ireland John Mulcahy said the star ratings system is useful for marketing and benchmarking and would help small businesses compete and understand the market they are in.

“The introduction of such a system must be considered as a long term, multi-generational project, involving significant culture change, the acquisition and development of new skills at staff and management levels, capital investment, all based on very good insights about the visitor and their requirements. If that is the case, the system will produce significant dividends over a long period of time,” he added.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) is poised to award new star ratings to more than 700 accredited tourism accommodation providers in efforts to bring the system in line with those applied in other countries.

The new star ratings system encompasses all sizes and types of tourism establishments such as hotels, resorts and apartment hotels.

The Tourism Act of 2009 mandates primary tourism enterprises to obtain accreditation from the DOT. The formal classification comprises of five levels ranging from one to five stars, which is based on a point system focusing on inventory, availability, condition and quality of a specific facility.

With the new star ratings system, DOT hopes to gain the confidence of foreign and domestic travelers who visit the country for business and leisure and raise the country’s tourism competitiveness.

According to the latest World Economic Forum (WEF) Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report, the Philippines currently ranks 74th among 140 countries, up eight notches from 2013, as surveyed in world tourism competitiveness ratings.

Several countries including  Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, and Great Britain have adopted the quality assurance system for hotels and other tourist accommodations involving stars, where greater number of stars indicate greater luxury.