Abu Dhabi Struggles with the Stars to Rate Hotels

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(ABU DHABI, UAE) -- Visitors to the UAE always hear one of two things: if they're in Dubai, they are told that the Burj Al Arab, the iconic sail-shaped hotel, is a 7-star hotel; if they're in Abu Dhabi, they're told that the Emirates Palace, originally built as a palace for the Gulf Cooperation Council, is a 6-star hotel. However, no official designation of hotel quality assigns these hotels or any hotels in the UAE more than 5 stars.

Veteran travellers know that in some countries a 1-star hotel will be clean and safe while in others anything less than 4 stars is likely to be unacceptable. Up to now hotels in the UAE claimed 4 or 5 stars even if they were nowhere near that level of service or quality.

Soon, at least in Abu Dhabi, hotels will be classified according to internationally benchmarked standards with 5 stars the top rating. The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) has announced that its representatives will be visiting the 49 local hotels beginning in August. Ratings will be announced in 2011.
 
"This is a major step forward in the delivery of destination integrity. It will provide much-needed consistency to tour operators selling the destination," Mubarak Al Muhairi, ADTA director general, said.

"The system will also provide a framework for hotel investors when designing their properties to include the necessary facilities and services to attract their desired market groups. It will also be an incentive to hotel owners and managers to upgrade their facilities," he added.

ADTA will also include five value-added categories - environmental sustainability, special needs, detailed standards, cultural tourism, and implementation planning. Hotels must score on a scale of 1 - 900 to qualify for a particular rating according to detailed criteria.

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