These grades are used on www.keswick.org, the
Keswick Tourism Association's official guide to accommodation
in Keswick and the North Lake District.
Hotels, B&Bs and Guest Accommodation The
Automobile
Association, English Tourism Council and RAC have
created one overall rating scheme for serviced accommodation
in
England, using Stars to represent Hotels and Diamonds for Guest
Accommodation (guesthouses, inns, farmhouses, bed & breakfasts).
The scheme puts greater emphasis on quality in Hotels and Guest
Accommodation - particularly in areas of cleanliness and guest
care.
In addition to inspection by the above authorities, properties
may also be inspected by an approved, qualified local
inspector from a body such as Lakes Hospitality Association
or AIAS.
These inspections are not associated with a quality grading,
but do ensure that each property inspected meets an
extensive
range of minimum requirements. Holiday accommodation approved
by local inspectors are identified by Local Inspection in
the individual accommodation entries on the Keswick Tourism
Association web site.
Serviced Accommodation:
Hotels:
Stars (AA, ETC, RAC)
Star ratings symbolise the level of service, range of facilities
and quality of guest care that you can expect. Hotels are required
to meet progressively higher standards as they move up the scale
from one to five Stars.
The gradings are:
One star: Practical accommodation with a limited
range of facilities and services, but a high standard of cleanliness
throughout. Restaurant/eating area. 75% of bedrooms will have en-suite
or private facilities.
Two stars: Better equipped bedrooms, all with ensuite/private
bathroom and a colour TV. A lift is normally available.
Three stars: Higher standard of services and facilities including
larger public areas and bedrooms, a receptionist, room service,
laundry.
Four stars: Accommodation offering superior
comfort and quality; all bedrooms with en-suite bath, fitted overhead
shower and WC. Spacious and well appointed public areas. More emphasis
on food and drink. Room service of all meals and 24 hour drinks,
refreshments and snacks. Dry cleaning service available. Excellent
customer service.
Five stars: A spacious, luxurious
establishment offering you the highest international quality of
accommodation, facilities, services and cuisine. There will be a
range of extra facilities.
You will feel very well cared for by professional, attentive staff
providing flawless guest services.
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Serviced Accommodation:
Guest house, B&B, Farmhouse, Inns
Diamonds (AA, ETC, RAC)
Diamond ratings for Guest Accommodation reflect visitor expectations
of this sector, where quality is seen as more important than facilities
and services. As a result Guest Accommodation is required to meet
progressively higher standards of quality and guest care as they
move up the scale from one to five Diamonds.
One Diamond Guest Accommodation: clean and comfortable
accommodation, providing breakfast and helpful service.
Two Diamond Guest Accommodation: An increased level of
quality and comfort, with greater emphasis on guest care.
Three Diamond Guest Accommodation: Well maintained, practical
decor, a good choice of breakfast dishes, a higher degree of customer
care and at least 40% of the bedrooms will have private or ensuite
bathrooms.
Four Diamond Guest Accommodation: An even higher level
of quality and comfort. Good level of customer care.
Five Diamond Guest Accommodation: Excellent quality in
furnishing and rooms. At least 80% of bedrooms will have ensuite/private
bathrooms. Excellent levels of customer care.
Additional awards are presented to those establishments
that achieve highly in areas known to be of particular importance
to guests, such as the Silver and Gold Awards
from the English Tourism Council.
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Self-catering accommodation
Every year the National Tourist Boards inspect more than 11,000
self-catering units.
Classification
The English Tourism Council's star ratings will help you choose
the accommodation that's right for you. Assessors visit flats, houses,
cottages and serviced apartments on your behalf assessing quality,
including comfort, space, facilities and most important of all,
cleanliness. The quality rating system is easy to use and is based
on extensive research. So when you choose a Star-rated property
you can rest assured that your expectations will be met or even
exceeded.
Quite simply, the more Stars, the higher the overall level of quality
you can expect to find. Establishments at higher rating levels also
have to meet some additional requirements for facilities. All properties
have to meet an extensive list of minimum requirements before they
can be considered for a Star rating. From there, increased levels
of quality apply. For instance, you'll find acceptable quality at
One Star, good to very good quality at Three Star and exceptional
quality at Five Star.
One Star: acceptable
overall level of quality. Adequate provision of furniture, furnishings
and fittings.
Two Star: good overall
level of quality. All units self-contained - 2 bathrooms where there
are eight or more guests.
Three Star:
good to very good level of quality. Good standard of maintenance
and decoration. Ample space and good quality furniture. All double
beds with access from both sides. Microwaves.
Four
Star: excellent overall level of quality. Very good care
and attention to detail will be obvious throughout. Either access
to washing machine and drier, if not provided in the unit, or a
24 hour laundry service.
Five Star:
exceptional overall level of quality. High levels of décor, fixtures
and fittings, together with excellent standards of management efficiency
and guest services. Excellent range of accessories and personal
touches.
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Camping
and caravanning
Every year the National Tourist Boards inspect more than 1,000 parks
under the British Graded Holiday Parks Scheme.
Classification
The scheme grades parks according to the relative quality of what
is offered. The parks are graded from 'One Star' to 'Five Stars'.
The more Stars, the higher the quality of the park.
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Hostels
Hostel accommodation includes owned hostels, youth hostels, bunkhouses
and camping barns.
Hostels are rated from one to five Stars. For eligibility hostels
must meet a minimum entry requirement for both the provision and
quality of facilities and services, including fixtures, fittings,
furnishings, decor and any other extra facilities. Progressively
higher levels of quality and customer care are provided for each
of Star ratings. Quite simply the more Stars, the higher the overall
level of quality you can expect to find.
Group Hostels provide hostel style accommodation that caters solely
for groups. Due to the style of accommodation an overnight mystery
guest visit is not possible. They must meet the requirement of Hostel
accommodation and are awarded Star ratings of one to five.
Bunkhouses offer a similar style of accommodation to Hostels, but
usually with more limited service and facilities, usually on a self-catering
basis. Bunkhouses are not Star rated but meet the same minimum requirements
as Hostels, where applicable.
Camping Barns provide very simple self-catering accommodation
often referred to as 'stone tents', they have the advantage of
being roomy and dry. Camping Barns are not Star rated and will
be assessed as
being fit for the purpose, meeting a specific minimum entry requirement.
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For the full list of all approved and inspected accommodation
in Keswick and the North Lakes visit www.keswick.org |
