Quality Gradings
Never has quality meant so much along The Coleridge Way
All the accommodation featured on this site has been quality assessed by either VisitBritain* or the AA, or has recently applied for a rating and is awaiting assessment. Please be aware that ratings may change throughout the year.
To confirm a rating please visit www.enjoyEngland.com or telephone VisitBritain on 0208 563 3309 or email: feedback@visitbritain.org
For AA ratings, visit www.theAA.com or telephone: 01256 844455 or email: customer.services@theAA.com
All the national assessing bodies (VisitBritain*, VisitScotland, Visit Wales and the AA) now assess hotels and guest accommodation (including B&Bs) to the same criteria and award one to five stars. The star ratings reflect the overall quality of the experience. When choosing your accommodation look for the Quality Rose, the official marque of the Enjoy England national tourist board rating scheme. The Enjoy England professional assessors visit every year, carrying out a routine day visit or an overnight stay in the case of serviced accommodation. On these occasions, they book in as you would, as a normal guest and test all the facilities and services. A quality score is awarded for every aspect of the experience including the comfort of the bed, the quality of the breakfast and dinner and, most importantly, the cleanliness. They also score the warmth of welcome.
Places that 'go the extra mile' to make your stay a special one, will be awarded a high star rating and hotels and guest accommodation may achieve a Gold or Silver award.
For self-catering accommodation, the layout and design of the accommodation and the range and quality of the kitchen equipment is assessed, as well as the quality and comfort of the bedrooms and bathrooms and most importantly, the cleanliness. Higher star-rated accommodation tends to have more spacious bedrooms and bathrooms, and in hotels a higher staff to guest ratio, so service should be very attentive. At five star, you can really expect to be pampered in luxurious surroundings!
For serviced accommodation, there are two separate schemes - one for hotels and one for guest accommodation.
Hotel Categories:
Hotels have a minimum of six bedrooms, but are more likely to have over 20 rooms.
Small Hotels have a maximum of 20 bedrooms and are likely to be more personally run.
Country House Hotels have ample grounds or gardens, in a rural or semi-rural location, with emphasis on peace and quiet.
Guest Accommodation is the category which encompassses anyone from one-room bed and breakfast to larger places which may also offer dinner.
Bed & Breakfasts accommodate no more than six people: it's like staying as a special guest in someone's home
Farmhouses offer bed and breakfast and sometimes dinner, always on a farm.
Guest Houses tend to have more than three rooms and may offer dinner to their guests. Some may be licensed.
Inns are pubs with rooms which serve food in the evenings, as well as breakfast.
Sometimes access to guest accommodation may be restricted during the day, but you will be advised on booking. Guest accommodation tends to be personally run by the owners.
Hostels provide safe, budget-priced accommodation for young people, families and larger groups and are star rated. Higher rated accommodation often provides en-suite rooms.
Guest Accommodation Diamonds and Stars
The diamond ratings that were previously awarded to guest accommodation (B&Bs, Guest Houses etc) are gradually being replaced by stars. You will find some entries in this guide with diamond ratings and some with star ratings. The new star ratings are designed to meet the greater expectations of consumers with regards to quality and facilities. Higher ratings are therefore more difficult to achieve than under the diamond scheme. In this guide you may find, for example guest accommodation that previously held a 4 diamond rating and has been reassessed under the new standards as 3 stars. It does not necessarily mean that their quality standards have dropped.
Complaints
If you have any issues that have not been resolved by the proprietor you can write to:
Quality in Tourism, Farncombe House, Broadway, Worcestershire WR12 7LJ
The AA, 15th Floor, Fanum House, Basing View, Basingstoke RG21 4EA