Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Starry Nights

If you've ever been confused by the French hotel rating system, you're not alone. In yesterday's Telegraph, Nick Trend tells of booking three Provence hotels on a four-night trip to examine the star system firsthand. What he found? A system that's "opaque and unhelpful" with stars awarded based on requirements often "arbitrary and probably irrelevant." The bottom line: stars don't tell you much. When it comes to what should be done, however, Trend doesn't offer too many suggestions, other than point to the Britain's rating system as one that might be emulated. "After decades of a highly-confusing system," he says, "we [Britain] now have one which works relatively intuitively in the way it assigns stars to reflect the facilities on offer, but also has gold and silver awards which can be made to flag the quality of an establishment. This gives a boost to hotels which make an extra effort to make guests feel both comfortable and welcome." Read the full article here.
Photo courtesy of Getty Images via Telegraph.co.uk

3 comments:

  1. I don't know if I agree with that article or not. I have found that a 2 or 3 star hotel in France is usually just what I want. I was appalled at what I got in London at a 3 star hotel-absolutely one of the worse places I have ever stayed.

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  2. Is a Brit seriously criticizing the star rating system in France? I have never been disappointed by a French hotel, but don't get me started on hotels in England. I love Jolly Old and visit often, but I must vote in favor of French beds, breakfasts, and coffee.
    Marsha

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  3. Hi Julie!
    Interesting subject...I always feel compelled to window shop hotels in Paris, even when I'm staying in an appartment and the star system makes no sense to me either. Maybe because it's Paris?
    Qui sait...
    Carolg :)

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