Do You Speak Hotel Language?
With so many acronyms and hotel terminology flying around the hotel industry it can become very confusing for the average customer. Hotel price comparison website HotelsCombined.com has collated the top
industry terms customers query.
1.
Star
Rating
The
star rating system is a widespread classification system for hotels where
luxury is indicated by a higher star rating. The AAA and their affiliated
bodies use diamonds instead of stars to define hotel rating levels. In some
countries, there is an official body with standard criteria for classifying
hotels, but in many others there is none. There have been attempts to unify the
classification system so that it can become internationally recognized at a
reliable standard but large differences exist in the quality of accommodation
across countries. In recent times, there has been an expansion beyond the
traditional "five star" rating which has led customers to question whether
it is simply marketing hype.
Six
to seven star hotel example: Burj Al Arab Hotel Dubai (official site)
Five
star hotel example: Le Meridien Hotel Nice (official
site)
Four
star hotel example: Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort Hotel (official
site)
Three
star hotel example: Holiday Inn Express Stratford-London (official site)
Two
star hotel example: Formula 1 Kings Cross Motel Sydney (official
site)
One
star hotel example: Super 8 Hotel Hangzhou Hi-Tech (official
site)
2.
Best
Available Rate (BAR)
Best
Available Rate (BAR) is a pricing mechanism introduced by Hotel Marketers in an
attempt to reduce customer confusion and guarantee the lowest available rate
for each night stay. Where it starts to become confusing to customers is that
several accommodation booking websites advertise BAR for the same hotel at
different rates. Furthermore it is evident that consumers cannot count on these
guarantees as most guarantees must be carefully documented if consumers are
planning to file a claim and even then it can be difficult to extract the
guarantee.
3.
On
Request Availability
Most customers expect instant confirmation when making a reservation online. Yet
there are many online travel agents which conduct business by means of “on
request” availability. An “on request” booking is when a customer submits a
reservation form and payment details to an online travel agent who then contacts
the hotel to confirm the customers’ reservation. If the hotel confirms the customers’
reservation request, the customers’ credit card will be charged and the
customer will receive a confirmation email. If the room(s) is not available,
the customer will be informed as soon as possible by email and the customers’ credit
card will not be charged.
4.
Cancellation
fees
If
a customer wishes to cancel their booking, a cancellation fee may apply in
accordance to company policy. What customers get confused about is how much
cancellation fees can vary, depending on where the customer made the booking
and the lead time of their check-in date. A customers’ cancellation of their
reservation may result in a fee up to the full cost of their stay. It is
recommended that customers’ pay attention to the fine print to understand what
the actual cancellation fee may be.
