MANILA, Philippines - Close to 700 hotels and resorts in the country will soon be awarded new star ratings in a bid to develop the quality of accommodation and hospitality in the country.
The new ratings, using criteria in line with other leading and globally-recognized assessment and accreditation systems, will be released late this year.
The Department of Tourism (DOT) launched the “National Accommodation Standards” in 2012, setting out clear quality standards for hotels, resorts and apartment hotels. “In order to deliver on the promise that it is truly more fun in the Philippines, there is a need to establish a credible and objective rating system that will provide an official seal of quality for accommodation in the Philippines,” DOT Undersecretary Maria Victoria Jasmin said.
Earlier this year, the standards underwent a detailed review by a team of international assessors under the Improving Competitiveness in Tourism Project, a DOT technical assistance funded by the government of Canada and administered by the Asian Development Bank.
Jasmin said the formal star ratings will replace the dated classification system of Economy, Standard, First-Class and Deluxe for hotels, and A, AA and AAA for resorts. The new set of accommodation standards – composed of five levels ranging from one to five stars – is a point system based on availability of facilities and services, condition and quality of a specific facility, as well as the quality of service.
“Basically, a One-Star rating is an achievement in itself and means that the accommodation is fair and acceptable. Two-Star indicates good, Three-Star means very good, Four-Star is excellent, while a Five-Star grade is outstanding. signifying the highest international standard,” Jasmin said.
The assessment, to be conducted every two years, is performed jointly by DOT area officers and independent third-party auditors who are professionals currently working in the tourism industry. Hotels and resorts will be assessed according to business areas that are common to all types of accommodation, such as the arrival and departure process, food and beverage and amenities, among others.
Jasmin said that a reliable star-rating standard can ultimately be used as part of the marketing strategy of the Philippines. DOT is targeting the arrival to the Philippines of 10 million international tourists per year starting 2016.