Know your hotel star rating

From Lagos, to Accra, Kampala to Nairobi, Windhoek to Johannesburg, hotels opened every day, amid claims of standards that are often not justifiable.

As well, many guests are being ripped off by some of these hotels that claim 3-star or 4-star, but deliver mere guest-house standards.

In the recent past, some foreigners on business trips in Central Africa accused their travel agents of ripping them off by paying more for less standard accommodation. Presumably, they asked for a 4-star hotel and were offered 2-star accommodation.

The argument put up by the travel agent was that the hotel is 4-star and the hotel management also insisted that they are a 4-star property.

There are many of such ugly incidents across the continent, and in some parts of the world, due to the lack of uniform standards for the hospitality industry. The situation is compounded in Nigeria with the absence of a singular authority that is responsible for grading hotels and enforcing the implementation of standards.

However, the ugly scenario above should not stop one from patronising hotels while on a trip. All you need to do is to know the hotel star-rating system and use the knowledge as a guide while searching or booking for hotel accommodation.

Basically, a one-star hotel offers very basic hotel accommodation and needs; two-star offers modest, comfortable, affordable accommodation and services; while three-star offers, in addition, nice styling and extra amenities.

But for a four-star-rated hotel, it offers very nice lodging, many extras, and service and facilities that are more comfortable than a three-star, while a five-star, seen as the benchmark offering, is simply a luxury hotel with everything.

But when a hotel offers services and facilities above five-star, it can claim to be six or seven-star.

“There is nothing like a seven-star as Dubai is claiming. Five-star in the benchmark of service delivery in hotel business globally,” Jason Maui, a Kenyan hospitality expert said.

For Ikechi Uko, a hotel expert, “Any hotel that claims seven-star is just for advertorial as five-star is still the benchmark and the highest offering in hospitality business across the world”.

You have to look at room diversity, food and beverage operation, language skill, facilities and services on offer, the style and presentation, among others, to aim for five-star, he said.

Though the star-rating system created in the United States of America by Mobil Travel Guides is a very subjective way of measuring hotel quality, most hospitality experts believe that guests rate hotels better than any agency because they are the ones to say how satisfactory or poor a service or facility is.

This also implies that a hotel cannot claim certain ratings when the guests, who paid to experience such services and facilities, have not confirmed quality or standard being claimed.

In Africa, South Africa, Egypt, Morocco and Kenya parade the most five-star hotels, while the likes of Nigeria trail behind due to less investments in that category.

Some hotel experts argue that quality standard is all that matters to guests and any rating that does not conform to standard on ground sends the wrong signal, which is bad for business.

“No matter what any agency does in the name of hotel rating or grading, the guests still have the core decision on rating because they are the ones who pay to use the facilities. It is easier for guests than rating agencies to sample quality on offer at different hotels they visit because they are constantly looking for value for money offerings,” Emmanuel Ocheme, an Abuja-based hotel manager, said.

In any case, most hotels do not conspicuously display their rating for guests to see before making any booking or payment, and most would-be guests do not ask after the star-rating as well; they are usually mindful of the rates and discounts.

“As a guest, you are king and have the right to ask whatever question, even rating. You can even go to inspect the room or have a taste of a dish before paying. It is allowed. But most guests in Nigeria are after price, hence they are easily ripped off by substandard hotels that parade star-ratings, services and facilities they do not have,” Ocheme said.