DUBAI’S Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) has released a decree formally legalising a new Hotel Classification Scheme for the emirate in the UAE.
The new system will improve clarity and increase the transparency about the type and quality of hotel rooms and accommodation available across the emirate and the services provided within the establishments.The announcement was made on the sidelines of last month’s Arabian Travel Market (ATM) in Dubai, where DTCM outlined the ‘Dubai Tourism Vision for 2020’ and comes a year after the scheme was soft launched at the same event in 2012. Following a period of extensive research, benchmarking against key local and international destinations and discussions with the hotel industry, the scheme was passed into law. The law has been designed to provide the industry and visitors with clarity and transparency on the type and quality of each hotel establishment within the emirate, and adopts a multi-layered framework to rate and categorise each hotel. The system provides specifications on the requirements for different types and levels of guest accommodations and its multi-layered framework will formalise the quality and standard of guest accommodation and encourage a wider range and choice for visitors.The framework includes:• Ratings: The traditional one- to five-star rating system, with an additional ‘Budget’ level added; • Categories: Hotel establishments will be classified by category type, such as Hotel, Resort, Hotel Apartment and Guest House; and• Designator: A range of designators has been created to help describe the type of hotel establishment, including beach, airport, family, desert, heritage and business. Hotel establishments can apply for and be granted multiple designators – for example one hotel may be classified as both ‘desert’ and ‘family’. Majid Al Marri, director of hotel classification at DTCM commented: “Our current system of classification dates back to 1998 and required updating due to the vast growth of the hotel and hospitality sector in Dubai in the past 15 years. Following its soft launch last year, we have benchmarked it against grading schemes from markets in major destinations regionally and around the world, to help ensure that Dubai’s classifications are at the forefront globally. “We have also worked with the hotel industry to ensure that our new criteria match the range of tourist accommodation in the market today and that there is a smooth transition from the old classification system to the new one.”He continued: “By adopting a multi-tiered framework of ratings, categories and designators, clearer choice will be provided to visitors. At the same time, new marketing opportunities are provided with the ranges demonstrating the wide offering that has developed in Dubai, from a deluxe hotel apartment in the city to a family and golf resort on the beach, to a business hotel close to the airport.” A grace period of one year has been allowed for in order to give the management of existing hotel establishments the time to alter their offer to match the rating, category and designators that they want to achieve.