Performance and Product Evaluation in Hospitality

In performance and product evaluation, hotel operations need to measure staff performance and evaluate the product against a defined standard so that the guest experience stays consistent across properties.

At its fourth meeting in Madrid, the WTO Quality Support Committee adopted the following positions on the shifting regulatory landscape of tourism, the reduction of government authority over the sector, and the growing collection of voluntary quality standards and hotel classification systems used in the lodging industry.

• Some parts of the industry argue that, in countries where classification systems are built and audited by the state, the arrangement distorts competition and gives the state an unfair hand in the market.
• Classification systems continue to play their traditional role as a guide for consumers.
• At the same time, the absence of international consistency and clear accountability confuses consumers across borders.
• Several developing countries, especially those with many small hotel operators, call for classification as a regulatory measure to support alignment with source markets.

The WTO asked its secretariat to run a global study of existing classification systems. The study focuses on the following points.

• Defining the common traits found across similar classifications.
• Establishing a minimum set of international criteria that can serve as a reference point for parties interested in the grading of hotel and similar lodging operations.
• Defining the recommended methods and rules for classification, setting out the WTO position on the different classification models in use, and ensuring that hotel services can be marketed freely without being restricted by classification as a barrier to fair competition.