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Thailand Preparing Implementation of a
 National Hotel Star Rating System

By Nondhanada Intarakomalyasut, Bangkok Post, Thailand
Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Sep. 24, 2003 - A national hotel star rating system has been completed and is ready to be implemented by the end of this year.

However, the industry is still debating whether the Hotel and Tourism Standard Development Foundation, the private entity that devised the system, should also issue the star ratings.

Three alternatives have been proposed to the Tourism and Sports Ministry. Under the first proposal, the foundation would assign star ratings but participation would be voluntary. Second, the ministry would make ratings mandatory but a new private entity would issue them. Third, the ministry would set minimum standards in areas such as security systems but the private entity would issue the ratings.

Sonthaya Khunpluem, the tourism and sports minister said the Office of the Tourism Development would study the options and recommend a choice for implementation in December.

Vichit na Ranong, chairman of the Tourism Council of Thailand suggested that a government body should be the one to issue the star classifications as tourists would see it as more reliable.

Having an official hotel standard would help create more credibility among tourists which would benefit tourism overall, said Mr Vichit.

Although several hotels have been classified, no single standard applied to all hotels nationwide, he said.

However, Sitti Tantivanich, chairman of the Thai Hotels Association (THA), which initiated the hotel standard programme, said the new standard would force several hotels to downgrade their star classifications unless operators improved facilities and services.

Another delegate at a seminar yesterday on the proposals said the star programme should not be intended to spur hotel operators to upgrade their property classifications but focus on service quality at each particular level.

-----To see more of the Bangkok Post, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.bangkokpost.com

(c) 2003, Bangkok Post, Thailand. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

 
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