The four-red-star Cotswold House Hotel & Spa in Chipping Camden, Gloucestershire, has decided to pull out of the AA guide because it does not promote the individuality of the property.
Is the Cotswold House Hotel right to pull put of the AA? For the full story, read:
http://www.caterersearch.com/Articles/2010/09/08/334965/Cotswold-House-pulls-out-of-AA-hotel-guide.htm
This is interesting and flags up a potential cost saving to hotels. If you enter the Cotswold House Hotel And Spa on the AA site the hotel is 'still' listed, albeit unrated, but is still available to book.
Is it therefore the case that you don't have to subscribe to the AA to receive bookings via there website?
If so, that sounds fantastic and will save many hoteliers significant costs in a time of recession.
My opinion is that no it doesnt do enough to promote hotels. The organisation seems very stayed and needs to step up a gear. I have a feeling many will follow suit. Also what does an AA rating mean to people when they can see genuine reviews on the like of tripadvisor.
As an impartial observer I should like to say something in defence of the AA.
Hotels, restaurants and other providers of accommodation are not obliged to appear in the AA's guides, yet thousands choose to do so. I suspect in many cases this is because the star rating is seen as an important indicator for potential guests and the wide awareness of the AA brand adds credibility to a hotel's own efforts to promote itself.
Despite all the flaws in the star scheme, on which I have commented before, many hoteliers still go to considerable trouble to achieve a good rating, knowing that people are influenced by them.
It is of course for individual hoteliers to assess the value they get from any form of promotion but I do think the ability to influence should be considered alongside any overt promotion. Presumably when Mr Cartwright worked for the AA he was fully behind this concept?
There are potentially two other reasons for a hotel to be in the AA Guide.
1. They may not have their restaurants included in the Restaurant Guide, or rated for rosettes.
2. Inclusion also gets one on the AA Sat Nav Database.
Am I right in thinking many chefs like the Rosette system as it immediately describes their skills?
Anthony Lloyd
Fallowfields Hotel and Restaurant, Oxfordshire
www.fallowfields.com
We were certainly deleted from the purportedly 'Independent' Restaurant Guide when we with drew from the AA scheme for cost reasons (£1300 for less than 1% of our business just didn't stack up, and the common standards grading policy means there are far better value assessment schemes i.e. WTB). Several colleagues report similar experiences, but in any case, the AA have cheapened the rosette scheme by their commercial actions. To answer the question then, no, not enough!