Hotels and B&Bs across the UK are to be rated under a new set of common standards. Here are the costs and descriptions of all categories.
Costs
Costs vary across the organisations due to the range of services offered.
VisitBritain:
- Fees banded according to the number of bedrooms and the single, B&B midweek rate charged.
- One-off joining/administration fee (£99-£550) in the first year, plus an annual fee (£179-£1,445).
Welsh Tourist Board:
- All hotels irrespective of size/standard pay
- Basic fee £113/ fee per room £3.25
VisitScotland:
- Fees based on size of property and joining fee – (£38 or £77 for members with more than one property)
- Annual fee plus £9.20/bedroom; 1-3 bedrooms: £104.20/year; 4-9 bedrooms: £113.90/year; 10+ bedrooms: £122/year
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AA (fees for 2005)
- Fees depend on hotel rating
1 star: £606
2 star: £685
3 star: £891
4 star: £1,160
5 star: £1,338
RAC – is withdrawing its guidebooks and inspection services from the market by end of 2006
Categories
- Hotels: General accommodation with full service. Minimum six guest bedrooms, but more likely in excess of 20.
- Country house hotel: A country house hotel with ample grounds in a rural or semi-rural situation.
- Small hotel: Smaller hotels run by the proprietor with a maximum of 20 bedrooms. Likely to have limited function business.
- Town house hotel: High quality town/city centre properties of architectural character and individual and distinctive style with a maximum of 50 rooms.
- Metro hotel: A town/city hotel, which provides full hotel services with the exception of dinner.
Guest accommodation sub categories
- B&B: Accommodation provided in a private house, run by the owner and with no more than six paying guests.
- Guest house: Accommodation providing for more than six paying guests and run on a more commercial basis.
- Farmhouse: B&B or guest house accommodation provided on a working farm or smallholding.
- Inn: Accommodation provided in a fully licensed establishment. The bar will be open to non-residents and provide food.
- Restaurant with rooms: Destination restaurant offering overnight accommodation, a maximum of 12 bedrooms, with the restaurant being the main element of the business and open to non-residents.
- Guest accommodation: Any establishment that meets the minimum entry requirements is eligible for this general sub-category.
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