A star rating is an independent assessment of cleanlinhess, comfort and warmth of welcome you can expect to find Whatever the size of property or the facilities offered.
England's national quality scheme is operated jointly by VisitBritain and the AA. There is a category for every kind of holiday accommodation and the guidelines vary so that hotels have different requirements from B&Bs or self catering properties.
An experienced assessor (you've seen them on the hotel Inspector TV show!) awards from one to five stars to reflect the overall quality of the experience. The very best get additional recognition with silver, gold, rosettes, % scores awarded too. Sometimes ratings change throughout the year depending on when the assessor visits and what they find so always when you make your booking.
For more information regarding the national grading schemes, or to confirm a rating please contact VisitBritain or the AA directly.
VisitBritain awards Gold and Silver status in addition to their star ratings.
Gold Awards are given to Hotels and Guest Accommodation with exceptional levels of quality, comfort and cleanliness in bedrooms and bathrooms, and outstanding levels of customer care and food.
Silver Awards are given to Hotels and Guest Accommodation with high levels of quality, comfort and cleanliness in bedrooms and bathrooms with very good levels of customer care and food provision.
Rose Award - Rose Awards are given to individual caravans where the overall holiday parks services and facilities provide very good or exceptional levels of quality. These can only be found on 4 or 5 star Holiday Parks.
Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS) is the largest environmental accreditation body of tourism-related businesses in Europe. In the UK it includes accommodation providers, visitor attractions, tour operators and conference facilities - show Green Tourism Gold, Silver or Bronze awards. Look for these awards to support quality businesses also concerned about their environmental impact. Click here for more information on the Green Tourism Business Scheme.
Welcome Walkers & Cyclists - This accolade is given to establishments making a conscious effort to to meet the specific requirements of walkers and cyclists such as somewhere to dry wet outdoor clothing overnight, somewhere to clean off cycles or walking boots, appropriate food arrangements etc.
The AA Awards (percentage %)
AA Merit Scores - In addition to the star classification, the AA gives each hotel an AA Merit Score in the form of a percentage. This indicates the level of quality achieved within each star rating and will help you to compare hotels with the same number of stars.
Good Quality - (64% to 70%). A hotel which more than satisfies the minimum standards and in certain areas offers higher standards than its star rating requires.
High Quality - (71% and above). A very good hotel, which is strongly recommended for achieving excellent standards in most areas of its operation.
The AA's Rosette Award Scheme annually assesses the quality of food served by hotels and restaurants. The emphasis is solely on the quality of the food served; although presentation and competent service are important, they don't affect the rosette assessment.
