Hotel stars in europe
UNDER THE PATRONAGE OF HOTREC
WHAT DO HOTEL STARS MEAN IN EUROPE?
THE BIRTH OF A COMMON EUROPEAN HOTEL CLASSIFICATION
Since 2004, HOTREC and its associations have been working on bringing the hotel classification systems in the various European countries closer to one another. In 2009, 7 members committed to apply almost identical criteria for their hotel classification and created the Hotelstars Union under the patronage of HOTREC. Since its creation, 11 additional European countries joined the initiative. Today Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Slovenia, Sweden and Switzerland are Members of the star family.
REGULAR ADJUSTMENT OF THE SYSTEM
The harmonized classification criteria are revised every five to six years, are based on market observations and reflect guests’ expectations.
After a first revision in 2014 (criteria 2015-2020), the aim of the latest revision (criteria 2020-2025) was to further develop the existing criteria while protecting the investments driven by the classification criteria. The revision pursued the following five objectives:
- Simplification and reduction of criteria
- Open and non-restrictive formulation of the requirements
- Strengthening the core services of the hotel industry
- Consistent integration of technological developments and the concept of sustainability
- Adjustment of the points system