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Making the Grade A Guide to Quality Assurance


All the accommodation featured in this publication has been independently assessed so you can make your choice in confidence, knowing that each place to stay has been given a rating according to the quality and facilities on offer. These ratings mean that you can be sure of standards and choose the accommodation that’s just right for you.


Visit Wales/AA are the only checking agents in Wales, checking out over 5,000 places.


STARS are your guide to quality. The Star Quality Grading Schemes apply to all types of accommodation: serviced – hotels, guest houses, bed and breakfast, farm accommodation, hostel/hostel type accommodation, self-catering cottages and apartments and caravan holiday home and touring/camping parks.


All accommodation grades are based on a set of common quality standards agreed by Visit Wales, Visit England, Visit Scotland and the AA. The star ratings reflect the facilities and overall quality of the experience.


What do our star ratings mean? Accommodation operators are graded between one and five stars based on the overall quality of the experience and the facilities available.


★ ★★


Simple, practical, no frills Well presented and well run


★★★ Good level of quality and comfort


★★★★ Very Good ★★★★★ Excellent


Does a lower star rating equal less quality? Many lower star rated accommodations may still offer high quality but do not meet all of the facility and service expectations for the higher star ratings. It is particularly important not to compare Guest Accommodation ratings against Hotel ratings as different criteria are used when assessing.


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The advice is to always check with an establishment before booking to check that the accommodation offers the services and facilities that meet your needs – they will only be too pleased to help.


Also look out for that extra- special property that has been awarded Visit Wales’ Gold Award, given for exceptional standards of hospitality, comfort and food in serviced accommodation.


Occasionally, it has not been possible to visit the accommodation prior to publication. In these instances, the property is marked as ‘Awaiting Grading’.


Some accommodation operators have chosen not to be star rated, but they have been checked out to ensure that they provide an acceptable level of services and facilities appropriate to their


type of business. They are identified as either ‘Verified’ or ‘Listed’


A Warm Welsh Welcome Watch out for this sign as these places have achieved a Croeso Award in recognition of their exceptional Warm Welsh Welcome.


Accommodating visitors


with disabilities All Visit Wales graded properties have an Access Statement. This statement tells visitors in a clear, accurate and honest way how the property can meet their particular needs.


Three symbols have been introduced to help visitors with physical impairments find the Access Statements of most relevance to them.


Accommodation providers have selected the one symbol which best describes the improvements that they have made to their properties.


Look out for these symbols: Access improved for mobility impaired people


Access improved for visually impaired people


Access improved for hearing impaired people


Please note: All gradings and awards were correct at the time of going to press. Occasionally, it may not have been possible to undertake a grading.


This situation is clearly identified by ‘Awaiting Grading’ appearing within the advertisement/entry.


Grading assessments are on-going and improvements made by establishments may have resulted in a revision since publication. Please check when booking.


Further information on gradings and awards is available from Visit Wales, Welsh Government, Rhodfa Padarn, Llanbadarn Fawr, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion SY23 3UR Tel: 0845 010 8020 email: quality.tourism@wales.gsi.gov.uk wales.gov.uk/tourism


Any problems? In the unfortunate event that you do encounter problems with your chosen accommodation, please refer to http://wales.gov.uk/topics/tourism/ contactus/complaints/concomplaints/ for further guidance.


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