Announced in November 2021, the new hotel classification grid will come into effect on Friday.
More green and more digital, these are the main changes in the new hotel classification, which comes into force on April 1. Announced last November by Prime Minister Jean Castex as part of the tourism reconquest plan, the ranking has undergone a facelift with one objective: to adapt it to innovations in the offer and changes in the sector. “The classification criteria set requirements on the level of comfort and the quality of service, checked every 5 years by a control body accredited by Cofrac, explains Atout France. This control is declared for requests relating to categories 1*, 2* and 3*. It is completed by a mystery visit for the 4* and 5* categories. The control is carried out on the basis of the classification criteria in force. »
To dust it off, a cleaning has been done in the obsolete criteria: exit for example the optional criteria of provision of a radio, a DVD player, a fax or to install a peephole or a telephone in the bathroom, details the GNI.
Criteria related to sustainable development are clearly gaining ground. Numbering 13 in the previous classification – of which only 3 are compulsory -, they are now 27 in number, underlines the GNI. And 13 are now mandatory. “We should particularly note the obligation to implement at least one measure to reduce energy consumption, water consumption and waste, the implementation of measures aimed at reducing the environmental impact of the management linen (by proposing to reduce the frequency of changing bath and bed linen), the existence of waste sorting systems,” explains the GNI.
Digital and pooling
Staff training in energy efficient management, water saving measures and waste management is now mandatory. This criterion was optional in the previous version of the ranking.
Digital is also more taken into account in this new grid. Wi-Fi access is now mandatory in all categories and check-in can be done electronically.
As expected, the new trends observed in the development of hotel projects are also incorporated into the new classification, such as taking into account the sharing, between two nearby hotels and under certain conditions, of certain services or equipment. This is the other major change in this ranking. It can be a swimming pool, a spa, a restaurant, but also meeting rooms, a playground for children, charging stations for electric vehicles…
The classification, whose new grid is available here , is a voluntary process. Accommodations are inspected every five years by inspection bodies accredited by Cofrac. Last November, 87% of hotel rooms were classified in France.
In addition to hotels, the classification of collective accommodation also concerns campsites, residential leisure parks, tourist residences and holiday villages. All the accommodation benefits from a classification ranging from 1* to 5*, assessed according to the level of comfort of the equipment, the services offered, good practices in terms of respect for the environment and reception of customers in disability status.
