Caribbean specialist Sandals threw down the gauntlet to competitors at World Travel Market last month with the launch of the first ever ratings system for all-inclusive resorts.
The new star-rating scheme aims to stop the all-inclusive banner becoming a generic term open to interpretation. It is determined by a points system covering 19 categories and 57 sub-categories of services and amenities, including accommodation, food, water sports, entertainment, pools and beaches.
Sandals director for industry relations David Roper said the ratings scheme was needed to differentiate between the growing market of all-inclusive holidays, which he believes are in danger of becoming synonymous with cheap packages.
He admitted that the scheme may have some flaws but claimed that it will act as a starting point for other all-inclusive holiday companies to work from.
“We’ve been calling for someone to do this for years but we are the first to have a stab at it and are throwing it out as a challenge,” he said.
Sandals Resorts chairman Butch Stewart said customers are being misled by resorts that claim to be all-inclusives. “The public deserves to know what they’re buying,” he said.
However, rival operator SuperClubs’ divisional vice-president of sales and marketing for Europe Paul Verhaak believes that an industry-wide initiative would have been more beneficial to customers.
“We really would have liked Sandals to have involved us, and other operators, in the development of this grading system,” he said.
“They’ve gone off and done their own thing and are now asking us to go along with it. We’re just not ready.”
This view is shared by Airtours sales, marketing and development director Ed Sims.
“I would welcome any initiative that brings greater clarity to the retailer and customer in helping them to decide which all-inclusive is right for them. But this sounds like a missed opportunity,” he said.
“The industry needs a reasonably regimented system with no more than 10 grades that can be applied across everyone’s portfolio of properties. The issue needs to be simplified,” he added.
Under the new system, the Sandals Royal Bahamian has been awarded the maximum 10 stars, while the other nine Sandals resorts have been awarded at least six.
“They’re saying that all the Sandals resorts are fantastic but some are more fantastic than others,”commented Sims.
“The exercise has a partisan nature. We need an impartial ratings system because I don’t believe that this scheme will reduce the confusion that exists with retailers,” he added.
Roper responded that other operators could easily apply the same formula to their resorts and grade them similarly.
“The scheme might not be perfect but what we are saying to our competitors is ‘here is our effort, if you can come up with something better, feel free.'”
Caribtours managing director Catherine Leech said: “Clients also need to know the feel or atmosphere of the place, not just the star rating.”