The UK hotel rating scheme which is due to be replaced by online reviews is being ignored by many travellers, according to new research.
Half of Britons questioned by price comparison website www.travelsupermarket.com said that they had been disappointed by a hotel they have stayed at, expecting more given its star rating.
Even more (62%) were pleasantly surprised – illustrating that many holidaymakers have found the reality of a hotel different from expectations.
Experiences such as this have clearly led to a lack of trust within the ratings system with just 6% of 2,014 people polled saying that star rating had the biggest influence on their choice of hotel. This compared to 13% who cited reviews.
Thirteen per cent said that they did not care about star ratings at all and a further 8% claimed they didn’t know they existed. The results came as the Department of Culture Media and Sport looks to withdraw state backing for the national star rating system in favour of reviews posted online.
Travelsupermarket.com travel expert Bob Atkinson said: “There are certainly pros and cons to the hotel star rating system, but our research seems to clearly show that it isn’t particularly in touch with the reality of how many book their hotels these days.
“Many are incredulous to find that a small and quaint hotel which they have really enjoyed had a poor star rating – this is in many cases down to box-ticking by hotel ratings staff and means that if you lack certain facilities, you will automatically not be able to receive a certain level of star-rating.
“The current system also relies on hotels paying to have an official rating completed, so we still see outdated ratings from a range of sources in hotels windows. And we still face the issue of widely differing star ratings systems throughout Europe and the rest of the world just to add in additional confusion.
“We now live in the internet age, and this has facilitated direct peer reviews which give people a great insight into a hotel, with a personal touch. However these systems aren’t perfect – a hotel may get a terrible review from a customer holding a grudge, or even a rival.
“And different nationalities can offer very different reviews based upon expectations and standards in their own country. My advice on this would be to never rely on one review – read several to get a real feel for the hotel.”