Hotel rating system needs overhaul to reflect higher Gulf standards, say hospitality experts

A major overhaul is needed of hotel-rating systems due to widely varying standards around the world - especially in the Gulf - hospitality experts in the region have said.

Cavendish Maxwell, a property advisory group in Dubai, is calling for industry stakeholders to collaboratively explore a new rating methodology that would allow travellers to make more informed decisions when booking accommodation.

A report issued by the company, titled Is the system of hotel rating still fit for purpose?, poses that hotels in the Gulf offer a level of service out of kilter compared with those in Europe and the US.

“A five-star hotel in Dubai and other parts of the Middle East is not equivalent to a hotel with the same rating in other global regions, particularly when it comes to brand-new properties,” said Gergely Balint, associate partner of commercial valuation and hospitality property expert at Cavendish Maxwell. “The same can apply to four and three-star establishments, which offer varying levels of service and amenities depending on their location.”

Mr Balint believes luxury hotels in the Gulf would benefit from a shift towards six and seven stars, a label unofficially given to Dubai’s Burj Al Arab when it opened 25 years ago. “With tourism evolving at pace, gone are the days when the main reason for booking a hotel was for a break in the sun or a business conference. The steady rise in tourism subsectors such as wellness, adventure, experiential, sport and volunteering is not only diversifying hospitality offerings but changing the expectations of travellers, too. As a result, the current hotel star rating system is, arguably, no longer appropriate at a global level.”

How do hotel ratings work?

There is no one unified body of hotel ratings globally. Instead, each country has its own system, with some imposed by governments, while others are driven by private associations.

In the UK, the Automobile Association (AA), a private motoring services provider, offers ratings of one to five stars based on hospitality, service, bedrooms, bathrooms, cleanliness and food. In South Africa, the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa (TGCSA), the only officially recognised quality assurance body for tourism products in the country, offers one to five stars, with additions for high-end five-star hotels. These are rated based on hospitality, service, cleanliness and bedrooms.

In Gulf countries, these ratings are led by tourism authorities and government bodies, such as Dubai's Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing and the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi.

Yet, according to the Cavendish Maxwell report, with tourism now more globalised than it was when national hotel rating systems emerged, there is an acute need for a genuinely comparable international system. To fill this gap in the meantime, a few systems have launched, such as Michelin Guide's key ratings, which covers luxury and boutique properties, or Europe-wide Hotelstars Union and TripAdvisor's worldwide guest ratings.

The need for wider parameters

Rasha Lababidi, founder and chief executive of Meraki & Modus, a boutique strategy firm that works with hospitality brands across the world, said guests basing decisions purely on star ratings are “generally left confused and in many cases misled”, adding that the star system is “archaic” in today’s globalised and digital world. She disagrees Gulf ratings need a total overhaul, however.

“My view is that for organisation or categorisation purposes, the GCC maintains the five-star rating system but incorporates mandatory requirements to include experiences, sustainability, well-being and service level aspects in the ratings rather than the more functional criteria currently being used,” she told The National.

“Images and authentic reviews of hotels speak louder than ‘stars’, and with the rise of more unifying global references like Michelin's keys … the power of categorisation has somewhat shifted to the guest and trusted sources,” she added. “What guests say about hotels and are willing to pay for the experience is more relevant than ticking boxes.”

Deborah Bevan, director of luxury travel at Dubai-based travel and events specialists 2xceed destination management, agrees the system needs an overhaul. “When you look at the amenities that go with that property versus a five-star Marriott in Chicago – they’re ultimately the same thing as five stars, but you couldn’t ask for more contrasting products,” she told The National. “The whole essence of hospitality is far higher in the UAE. Even when you look at the same brand between different continents, you can see a difference,” she added.

“We need to be a bit more diverse in how we’re doing hotel ratings because there is so much new product out there, whether it be a homestead, a safari lodge, glamping – it needs a secondary or primary category, then the star rating goes on top of that.”

It does help in emerging destinations, such as the UAE, that properties are often built from scratch, added Ms Bevan. “There are cracking properties all over Europe that have the legacy and history. It’s easier to build a property with all the bells, whistles, amenities and abilities to move things around when you start with a blank canvas.

“But some places in Europe are hundreds and hundreds of years old, therefore you’ve got things you can’t change and that’s part of the aesthetic beauty of what you’re offering. There also needs to be some sort of historical categorisation based on the history of the building.”

Asia and Africa dominate in hospitality standards

Some regions are on par with the Gulf, said Ms Lababidi, referring to East and Southeast Asia. “Hotel products in China, Indonesia, Thailand and Japan are and have been astounding for the last 30 years, and the innovation has been continual.” India, where Ms Lababidi has been working with clients for the past few years, is also rapidly growing its luxury offerings, she added.

“I’d say these regions, along with the GCC, have hospitality in their cultural DNA and are able to authentically deliver luxury experiences in a way that resonates with the guest of today.”

Africa is also booming, she said, as “the appetite for luxury and ultra-luxe hotels is growing as more and more guests gravitate towards authentic, culturally immersive experiences”.

She added: “African people are some of the most genuinely kind and this shines through in their service style. Their natural joy and authenticity are perhaps the most longed-for traits in hiring today. Luxury guests expect a high level of skill, but they also want real connections.”

This desire to please is another reason why the Gulf’s hospitality industry is far superior, said Ms Bevan. The combination of Khaleeji culture and diverse nationalities on staff in each hotel is “a really positive thing”.

She explained: “When you go to Paris, good luck if anyone even acknowledges your existence … but in the Gulf, the hospitality industry, especially in the UAE, has worked hard to really be that next level, and it's now an expectation. It’s also being proud of where you work. I think in some countries people just turn up for work and do their job and walk home again.”

UAE-based travel content creator Yvonne C Mtengwa said a new ratings system must also separately consider boutique properties. “The premise of boutique is exclusivity, bespoke, personalised service. So, luxe brands like Waldorf Astoria and the Six Senses lot will have experiences that scream high-end, but, for me, you still feel like a number. When we experience smaller, intimate spaces with 12 suites or six tents, for example, it’s different from being on the fifth floor of a 400-room product.”

Ultimately, products across the US and Europe don’t match up to those in the UAE “and a good chunk of Africa and Asia”, Ms Mtengwa told The National. “They have long stood on other USPs like food offering, history, art, fashion or simple destination brand equity, such as in Italy, Paris, London, New York, Vegas, Prague, but when we look at actual product – design aesthetic, service hallmarks, customer journey, innovation – the UAE and certainly some other markets trump the UK and US.”