The following article below was posted on Maison de La France website recently. For anyone who does not know, France has always had a 4 star hotel rating system. We have always had trouble to explain to people seeking 5 star, that in fact nothing is better than 4 starL as stated below.
Could this change the price of a stay? Possibly, but it can cut both ways. In fact, it seems that hotel owners will have a new set of standards to work toward. what is currently a 3 star hotel might become a 4 star hotel automatically given the amenities currently on site and as such an owner may decide to raise rates as a higher rated hotel. On the other hand, it may allow an owner to stay as a 3 star and drop rates to be competitive with others in that category.
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To stay competitive, increase tourism revenues and to remain the world’s number one travel destination, Hervé Novelli, Secretary of State of Commerce, Business and Tourism, recently presented his modernization plan for the French hotel infrastructure, that makes quality the number one priority.
After the introduction of a new France logo and tagline late last year, the initiative represents the second step in the larger strategic plan, “Destination France 2020,” introduced last year by Christine Lagarde, Minister of Economy, Industry and Employment to support the renewal of the French tourism industry.
The 3-year hotel modernization plan features a new voluntary hotel classification system. It introduces a more internationally recognized 5-star category (previously French luxury hotels were identified as 4****L) and stricter standards for all categories from the one to five-star hotel. To encourage hotel owners and chains to apply for the category of their choice and bring their properties up to standards, the French Government, through the public banking institutions Caisse des depots and Oséo will make available special loans. The loans will be at preferential rates and intended for small hotel owners in particular to facilitate renovations and upgrades to their establishments. Similar loans will be available for the improvement of hotels of all categories. There are over 17,000 hotels in France most of which are family-owned and operated hotels.
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