The Independent Hotel Show collaborated with our partner, AA Media and caught up with Peter Hancock, ambassador for James Hallam (insurance), former Chief Executive at Pride of Britain Hotels and Chair – Quality Advisory Board for VisitEngland and the AA, to uncover what improved quality standards mean for the hotel industry.

It is important for businesses to thrive in a fast-paced world.

Earlier this year the AA and VisitEngland, modernised their assessment schemes and quality standards, making it easier for hospitality businesses to showcase their brilliance. Backed by trusted hospitality industry leaders, scheme modernisation was designed to ensure these accreditation schemes are
robust and fit for purpose.

Why the need for modernisation and what does this mean for hotels?

When VisitEngland and the AA asked me to chair their new Quality Advisory Board in 2023, I was handed two huge advantages: a very clear brief and a board made up of leading experts from each accommodation sector. It has been a fascinating and exciting process and great to be at the forefront of reshaping the assessment schemes. Our mission was to modernise and simplify the grading schemes, knowing that our advice would complement the work of professional assessment teams across the UK. Our aim was to make the assessments as intuitive as possible, also making it easier for the guest to understand the type of experience and quality they would have.

Scheme modernisation means that quality assessment now focuses more on the guest experience rather than hotel facilities. These are easily understood, robust and trusted measures.

Why are quality standards so important for our industry?

Quality standards provide the building blocks that hotels need to achieve nationally recognised and approved ratings. Key areas in quality standards include Cleanliness, Service, Food, Bedrooms, Bathrooms and Hospitality. They form the basis of what AA inspectors and VisitEngalnd assessors look for when they visit a property. Applying these criteria means that hotels can be confident that they meet the high industry standards required. It's not only the assessment of the physical product that is important, but the quality of the guest experience that a hotel provides.

The 18-month process encouraged the board to consider what is really important to today’s guests when staying at hotel properties, which is to be able to rely on a simple promise of quality. Studying the ratings criteria in detail has enabled us to focus on what is really important to today’s guest, which is a simple and straightforward promise of quality. We reached unanimous conclusions, even on the major changes around the application of star ratings. One of the upshots of this exercise was the introduction of a brand-new Visitor Ready badge, based on the verified uploading of a range of critical documents including fire certificate and insurance, and the deletion of the old 1 and 2 star ratings. I understand there has already been huge interest from owners in getting this entry level accreditation, which is free of charge for the property.

Have you got a message for hotels who want to increase their standards?

I am excited to see how the hotel sector embraces these improvements which will help consumers have a greater understanding of quality standards whenever they book.

Find out more about the revision of the assessment schemes at ratedtrips.com/modernisation and Quality assessment here.

Are accreditation schemes the key to success?

Join the conversation and next week’s insightful seminar session at 15.30 on Tuesday 15 October, hosted by Peter Hancock, Simon Numphud, Managing Director of AA Media, alongside a panel of hospitality experts. Together they will discuss, the value of being associated with various accreditation and certification schemes, and how to choose between them all. Find out more about this session here.