Star Ratings Explained


Visit York strives to promote accommodation that is trusted to be of an acceptable standard and encourages providers to sign up to one of the two national quality schemes.


A


ccommodation featured in this guide displaying star symbols means is has been quality assessed by VisitEngland or the AA. A property not displaying stars will be awaiting inspection.


A property displaying a ‘Q’ symbol indicates that it has been self assessed and the owner has agreed to adhere to and sign up to a


‘Code of Conduct’. Some larger hotel companies operate their own internal inspection policy.


Please be aware that ratings may change throughout the year.


To confirm a rating, contact Visit York Information Centre on 01904 550099


To ensure that choosing accommodation is as simple as possible, all accommodation featured in this guide has been divided into five categories:


Hotels


Hotels must have a minimum of six rooms, a licence, offer dinner at least five nights a week (unless designated a Metro Hotel) and have all rooms en suite or with private bathrooms. They must also operate a high staff to guest ratio thereby making service very attentive.


Guest Accommodation


A category on its own, Guest Accommodation also covers B&Bs, Guest Houses, Inns, Farmhouses and Restaurants with Rooms and tends to be personally run by the owners.


Self Catering


For self-catering accommodation, the layout and design of the accommodation and the range and quality of the kitchen equipment is assessed, as well as the quality and comfort of the bedrooms and bathrooms and most importantly, the cleanliness. Higher star- rated accommodation tends to have more spacious bedrooms and bathrooms.


Budget Accommodation


Hostels and campus accommodation provides somewhere safe for young people, families and larger groups, and can be star-rated. Higher rated accommodation often provides en suite rooms.


Holiday, touring, and camping parks


VisitEngland’s star ratings reflect the overall quality of the park from one to five stars - five stars being reserved for parks of exceptional quality. The AA provides a similar inspection scheme for which they award pennants.


Star ratings made easy ★


★ ★ ★ ★ ★


Simple, practical, no frills Well presented and well run


Good level of quality and comfort


★ ★ ★ ★ Excellent standard throughout ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Exceptional with a degree of luxury


The Inspection Process


Both VisitEngland and the AA assess hotels and guest accommodation to the same criteria with the star rating reflecting the overall quality of the experience. Professional assessors visit properties every year, carrying out a routine day visit or an overnight stay in the case of serviced accommodation. On these occasions, they book in anonymously and test all the facilities and services. A quality score is awarded for every aspect of the experience including the comfort of the bed, the quality of the food and, most importantly, the cleanliness. They also score the warmth of welcome.


The ‘Q’ Code of Conduct


Should an accommodation provider decide not to be inspected, Visit York will only promote that provider on the condition they sign a Code of Conduct declaring that they will provide a quality standard throughout. Failure to do this will result in Visit York refusing to place bookings or promote them via the Visit York website.


visityork.org


Awards Gold, Silver and Red or Yellow Stars


Places that ‘go the extra mile’ will, in the case of VisitEngland, be awarded a Gold or Silver award and in the case of the AA, be entitled to display red stars for a hotel or yellow for guest accommodation.


Rosettes


The AA’s rosette scheme is an award, not a classification. It is designed to assess the quality of food served and is awarded annually on a rising scale of one to five.


Accessibility


National Accessible Scheme for wheelchair users and those with limited mobility.


Typically suitable for a person with sufficient mobility to climb a flight of steps but would benefit from fixtures and fittings to aid balance.


Typically suitable for a person with restricted walking ability and for those that may need to use a wheelchair some of the time and can negotiate a maximum of three steps.


Typically suitable for a person who depends on the use of a wheelchair in a seated position. This person may be an independent traveller.


Typically suitable for a person who depends on the use of a wheelchair in a seated position. This person also requires personal / mechanical assistance (e.g. carer, hoist).


Access Exceptional – Attained by providing for all levels of mobility impairment listed above with reference to British Standards BS 8300:2001. This is awarded to establishments that fulfil all the requirements of M1, M2, M3 (A or I) and some additional Best Practice criteria.


Accommodation There are a number of accommodation providers who, although not eligible to display a NAS symbol, are still able to offer suitable and very comfortable accommodation for people with limited mobility. These divide into two groups and are clearly marked in each entry.


Alternative Accessible DisabledGo


Establishments displaying the DisabledGo symbol have been visited by a trained access surveyor. Detailed access information for these venues is available at www.disabledgo.com


SA (Self Assessed)


Accommodation providers, restaurants and cafes displaying the self assessed SA symbol may have limited access but can accommodate people with mobility problems. For more information, contact Visitor Information 01904 550099 or go to www.visityork.org for information on individual accommodation providers.


Complaints


If you have any issues that have not been resolved by the proprietor/ manager and which you would like to bring to the attention of the inspecting authority, please address your correspondence to the relevant organisation:


For VisitEngland ratings: Quality in Tourism Security House Alexandra Way Ashchurch Tewkesbury


Gloucestershire GL20 8NB


More detailed information about the requirements of each star rating is available from Quality in Tourism www.qualityintourism.com or the AA www.theaa.com.


Disclaimer: Please note the York Visitor Guide is only a guide and, as such, Visit York cannot be held responsible for the standard of accommodation featured within it.


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For AA ratings: The AA 15th


Basing View Basingstoke RG21 4EA


Floor Fanum House


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