|
|
|
Cross and Church, Central Rothbury 1905
|
|
|
|
Try to view the web site of any given property. A good web
site is a useful guide for business or holiday accommodation
in Northumberland - images speak a thousand words.
How to find a property web site? A common starting point is
by area. Visit England and TripAdvisor both
offer search by area options and then rank according to grade
as described below.
|
|
What does a star rating mean?
|
|
Star ratings for accommodation providers are awarded by Quality
in Tourism (QIT), Visit-England's "official inspection body"
or by the AA. Participating businesses pay an annual fee in order
to take part in the scheme, which involves a yearly visit from
one of their professional inspectors who work objectively within
clear guidelines.
There are many different categories for inspection by QIT and
AA
(See www.qualityintourism.com
). Most members of Rothbury and Coquetdale Tourism Association
are inspected and come under either Guest Accommodation
for B&Bs and Hotels or Self Catering for holiday cottages.
Under "Guest accommodation", Guest Houses/B&Bs/Hotels
are star rated from 1-5 plus Gold + Silver Awards and Breakfast
Awards.
|
|
Limitations
|
- The given star rating and awards can only reflect the Inspector's
views and experiences on the day of his visit.
QIT's own website quotes:
"In theory the star rating does assure quality and we expect
quality not to change dramatically from one year to the next
but as the grading is a snapshot in time it is feasible for
quality to go both up and down". (See:http://www.qualityintourism.com/content/pdfs/Complaints%20Factsheet.pdf
):
- The inspection is "artificial". Proprietors may
make special efforts for that occasion.
In turn, the Inspector is business-like; he is in a working
situation. His formal requirements for a one night B&B stay
do not necessarily accord with those of visitors coming to enjoy
a relaxing holiday.
- Previously rated accommodation can continue to display an
outdated grading whilst having lapsed from the Inspection Scheme.
- Expensive to participate - many good B&Bs are not inspected
due to the high costs involved.
|
|
TripAdvisor - How does it work?
|
|
TripAdvisor is relatively recent and increasingly popular way
to choose holiday accommodation. Effectively, it provides a "daily
inspection" using the experiences of previous guests to rate
a property 1 - 5 and then give more detail of particular strengths
and weaknesses - in their view. Every new rating contributes to
the overall average attributed to the property.
At best, its reviews can be useful for both business and holiday
guests choosing accommodation as well as for owners seeking to
improve their product.
|
|
|
- TripAdvisor reviews can be falsified either way.
- Guest reviews are not professional and are subject to individual
outlook/preferences/circumstances and mood at the time.
|
Members of Rothbury and Coquetdale Tourism Association
are a group of people who run tourism related businesses. RACTA's
aim is to promote healthy tourism in Rothbury and Coquetdale by
providing information for tourists to the area.
RACTA does not carry out inspection of, nor is responsible for,
standards of any services, attractions or properties visible on
the web site.
RACTA recognises evaluation by QIT/AA as a valid method of ensuring
quality. RACTA also recognises the validity of review by past guests
and the application of the average overall rating visible on TripAdvisor. |
| |
