Who gives a hotel its stars? ‘You are not allowed to touch the windowsill’

Who decides whether a hotel gets five stars? This question was sent to Find It Out!.

The assessment of hotels is regulated at European level. A hotel in the Netherlands is therefore assessed on exactly the same grounds as a hotel in neighboring countries. Hotels can achieve 1 to 5 stars. In the Netherlands, the umbrella organization Koninklijke Horeca Nederland is responsible for this. They have outsourced it to the ‘Hotel Sterren’ organization.

Aad Jonas is one of the inspectors who is on the road every day for Hotel Stars to check hotels. This is done according to a list of 280 points of attention. “We look at what a room meets”, says Jonas. “Is there a desk with a chair? Does the room have a shaving mirror? Wifi? A reading lamp next to the bed and a bathrobe in the room? This way you go through all the points one by one and a score rolls out.”

For each point of interest you get points, if you exceed 600 you are a 5-star hotel. That happened recently in Drenthe when Jonas visited the Havixhorst, in De Schiphorst near Meppel. Owner Chris Wijland is very happy with the appreciation. “I think it’s in line with the level we strive for, and for which we do our best. It feels like the top prize that this is recognized in this way.”

Wijland is well aware of the 280 points for attention. “For example, I didn’t have a shoehorn in every room yet,” he laughs. So it is there now. But other things required greater intervention. For example, the hotel did not have an elevator. “We are in a monumental building. Installing an elevator here is simply very difficult, but in the end we found a place where it fits. In this way we have gradually grown to the fifth star in recent years.”

According to Jonas, it was only a matter of time before de Havixhorst reached the desired level. “In the previous assessment they were already 80 percent satisfied. The service level was very high, if your pants broke they were already taken to the tailor for you. The location is also great, with a lot of allure.”

“But I think it’s very clever that they dare to do it at the Havixhorst”, inspector Jonas continues. “Especially in these times of staff shortages. You are still raising the bar. With 5 stars on the facade, guests will expect even more from you. But I have a lot of confidence in Chris and his girlfriend Fleur. He grew up in this hotel and I I also think she’s really smart. They know very well what a guest expects. Together they are on top of it every day.”

Jonas is very honest about the hotel stars. The system is not completely watertight. “I sometimes get complaints about furniture in hotels”. People think it’s old, or ugly. “But hotel stars are not about age or taste. If the wardrobe is intact and there are pendants in it, the hotel gets points for that. Even if the bed is thirty years old. After all, there is no arguing about taste, we have to be objective The only thing I can ask hoteliers is to put realistic photos on the site.”

In addition, Jonas calls the bandwidth very large. “You have 4-star hotels that are just getting that fourth star with their heels over the ditch. Others are very close to the fifth star. That difference can be very large.”

In addition, signs may be dated. Some companies that drop in the number of stars leave the old rating on the facade. Jonas: “While some signs are twenty years old. But unfortunately this does happen. After all, it is attached to their premises, so I am not legally authorized to remove it. That is why we are working on a new online recognizability for booking websites Also, people can always look at our site if they have any doubts.”

The shortage of staff is also a problem at the moment. “Then a hotel, for example, has a sauna or hotel bar, but it is not open due to a lack of people. Then people will send us an email that they do not think the number of stars is fair. We will then discuss this with the manager. They have to communicate or solve such things well. I advise hoteliers to make fewer rooms available, so that they can still offer the usual level for the other rooms.”

In the meantime, there are also companies that are a 5-star hotel in terms of quality, but maintain a 4-star hotel. “For example, I know a hotel in Limburg to which this applies,” says Jonas. “Some companies there are against their people sleeping in 5-star hotels on principle. I regularly hear this about civil servants who do not dare to do that with public money. But if that is your target group, you should think twice before you screw that fifth star on the facade.”

In general, the picture in Europe is fine, thinks Jonas. “Especially the large chains are loyal customers and adhere to all the rules.” It is different in Turkish hotels, for example. “That’s a different world, everyone hangs five stars on the facade there, while not all of them are.”

A glance in the hotel rooms of De Havixhorst is reassuring, there are no Turkish situations or a sign from twenty years ago. All rules are followed neatly, although a minibar is missing. “We don’t think that fits in this characteristic building. But we get dispensation for that because we have 24-hour room service. So a cold Coke is never far away,” Wijland winks.

That characteristic building made updating the rooms quite a challenge. “You can’t just cut into everything,” Wijland continues. He points to the radiator he would have liked to have concealed. “But behind them are protected window sills, you can’t touch them. You shouldn’t want to, but you do look at them. The windows are also the same story. Is single glass. We can’t change anything in any way.”

Yet Wijland also believes that it is more about the service level than about the radiator. For the 5-star status, the service level has been increased even further. The reception and room service are open 24 hours a day, there is valet parking, an ironing service and guests’ shoes are shined on request.

“It all has to be right,” said the host. “It’s a whole laundry list of points to get rid of, but the difference between 4 and 5 stars is really the service you provide. It’s all about the people who walk around here, the ladies who provide the five-star service.”

With his new assessment Wijland hopes to receive even more guests. “Maybe that the audience will become a bit wider? Down-to-earth Dutch people don’t look at the number of stars much, but this is important for international guests. They pay attention to it. Hopefully we get even more international guests to Drenthe, that would be nice.”