Q

I recently stayed in a four star B&B and felt that the owners were cutting corners to keep costs down. For instance, the soap in the bathroom was out of its packet and had already been used. There was no light by the side of the bed, so we had to switch off the main light, then return across the room in the dark. There were only two pillows, one each, and despite asking for two more they never arrived. At breakfast we were offered one egg OR bacon! The proprietors were taciturn to the point of curtness. I could go on, but you get the picture.

A

This sounds more like a one or two star establishment. Four stars denotes accommodation that is ‘very good’ – that’s the way the assessor described the rating system to us. (Five star is ‘excellent’, three star is ‘good’, two star is ‘satisfactory’). There are basic standards that a four star B&B must meet that are spelled out in detail in a Quality in Tourism booklet. For instance, there must be fresh soap for each guest, and there should be bedside-operable lighting regardless of the star rating! A four star establishment must make available extra blankets and pillows if asked. Again, all B&Bs should provide a full cooked breakfast (or a very substantial continental) with at least two cooked items on offer. Four star B&B owners are obliged to make guests feel at home with a warm and cheerful welcome, so their attitude just wasn’t good enough. It sounds as though standards have dropped dramatically following this B&B’s initial assessment by an incognito assessor and I suspect they might have subsequently dropped out of the scheme as they would have lost their four star rating had these failings shown up on subsequent visits. I hope you made your feelings known to the establishment!

Tags: Quality in Tourism, star rating

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