Hotel Ratings and Nigeria

[batt-travels and tours]

The use of hotels in tourism in the modern times cannot be overemphasized, it connotes a useful and satisfactory meaning due to comforts, free gift of nature, and confidence people derive from it. The way people spend their vacations has undergone a great change. People like to spend good times with families and friends while at the same time exploring various tourist places across the globe. As a result the tourism industry across the globe has seen an unprecedented growth which in turn has also resulted in tremendous growth in the hotel and accommodation facilities.
Comfortable hotels and accommodation facilities play a very important role in popularizing any tourist destination. If a person, who is quite far away from home, gets to enjoy the same facilities and comforts as he enjoys at his home, then he is bound to become attached to the place. On the other hand if the tourist ends up at a place where the hotels and accommodation facilities are not satisfactory, it is quite likely that he might never visit that place again.
As a result of this, there is need to categorize hotels into various ranks known as “STAR”. Different people with different opinion regards their taste for satisfaction and this has brought about how people tend to crown hotels from their different point of view.
BASIC FACTS
From all Indications, there is no basic international rating standard of hotel. Therefore, Hotel can be rated either by private organization, Government or hotel itself. Private organization is mandated by law conducted by national hotel association, for instance; Belgium, Denmark, Greace, Austrial, Germany etc have their own national hotel association. Except in the case of an international body called World Hotel Rating (WHR) Project which major aim is to set International Classification Standards and Rating criteria along the line of a World Star-rating System.
WHR will also establish an information platform on the hotel Industry which will be multilingual and multicultural. WHR aspires to play a key role in the development of quality hotels services, equitable, sustainable tourism and protection of the world’s cultural and natural heritage. A test period is schedule for 2010.
CHALLENGES
Based on the facts gathered, there is so far no International standard or classification which has been adopted , most hotels are rated by themselves or individual or private organization which has brought biased and selfish classification because every hotel wants to be rated high and globally recognized. Most of the hotels rate themselves “Five star (Luxury), Six Star and Seven Star” even without the adequate required facilities such as; location, service, room features, hotel amenities, staff and hotel features. Also, the natural heritage such as; natural vegetation, game reserve park, the free gift of nature i.e the natural environment, natural breeze which connotes maximum natural comforts are basic factors to be considered in rating seven star hotel. But how many star hotels meet up to the above standard? Only few throughout the world and yet we have millions of star hotels.
There has been an attempt at unifying the classification system so that it becomes an internationally recognized and reliable standard but, they have failed.

NIGERIA as Case study
Locally, Nigerian as a case study, many hotels rates themselves Star hotels, despite the fact that they are not up to the task required. Many of them claim to be “ Luxury” i.e five star hotels), where as five star hotels are the top of the unofficial ratings system with a superb décor and landscaping, also more than one eatery, bar/lodge, 24hrs service is standard, uninterrupted 24hrs power supply, the Spa and pool, guest service, velvet parking service, concierge, furnished rooms with tourch such as: safe, stocked bar and refrigerator, DVD player, Jacuzzi function in the bath tub, internet café, laundry, tailoring, barbing and hairdressing salon, supermarket etc.
Star rating hotel also entails, locating at the natural environment, where free gift of nature is seen and felt. It involves the taste of green nature of life; a tourist must be able to enjoy the natural endowment of the hotel environment which implies that everything has to be natural; mild animals, green vegetation, natural breeze, natural tourist attraction and the natural comforts just like the “GARDEN OF EDEN”. The natural warmth of the nature that makes people feel they are in paradise. That is why seven star hotel is not found in Nigeria except countries like: South Africa (Sabi Sabi hotel), Indian etc. Even Al Arab hotel in Dubai that is known to be one the best hotels in the world is not rated Seven Star because everything about the Hotel was artifically built except that is was erected on Island even though it is superb.
CONCLUTION.
Based on the information above and from every point of view, most hotels that rate their hotel Five star are not worth Five Star because they are not competent in terms of facilities and amenities required.
Therefore, Nigeria does not TRULY have A Five Star hotel.

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