What type of Bed and Breakfast are you?
What type of Bed and Breakfast are you?
Are you Hotel Bed and Breakfast, a Guest House Bed and Breakfast or a B&B Bed and Breakfast?
I'll explain: When the new classification and grading scheme was introduced through VisitBritain and Quality in Tourism the proposal was made that those establishments with the word 'Hotel' in their name would have to be classified and graded as a 'Hotel'. This proposal was eventually suspended (a lot of people thought it was actually removed but it never was) until January 2008 when if you are use the word 'Hotel' in your business name you will be classified as a 'Hotel' and graded accordingly.
When the Government looked at the remit for Tourism as an economic driver it believed it was necessary to drive up the standards of accommodation in the UK or more precisely England. As a consequence it commenced the Quality In Tourism initiative. Much amalgamation of grading schemes ensued and the Quality In Tourism Standard was born.
When the various schemes were amalgamated some common standards had to determined and applied. One proposal was that those businesses with the word 'Hotel' in their title could and would only graded as a 'Hotel' to avoid any doubt from prospective customers. This proposal caused some uproar. For Pubs in particular that had always had the word ' Hotel' in their name e.g. The Station Hotel and as a result the proposal was dropped (temporarily). It never actually went away and it is now back.
From January 1 2008 if you have the word 'Hotel' in your business name you will be classified and graded, assuming you are part of the Quality in Tourism scheme, as a hotel. So where does that leave smaller accommodation providers like B&B's? The same rule applies.
So if you are known as the Dunroamin Hotel with say just 2 or more rooms if you advertise your business through VisitBritain or Englandnet or your Local Authority Tourism Department or your Local Tourist Board, if is still exists, then you will be graded as a Hotel.
If you drop the name Hotel and become just 'Dunroamin' as I did with the Carlton Lodge Hotel some years ago, now just the Carlton Lodge, you will be classified and graded in whatever category you elected to be judged within; Guest Accommodation, B&B, Inn, etc.
If you wish to see how exactly VisitBritain are enforcing this requirement click here and you can see copy of a letter they are sending out to businesses who still have the word Hotel in their title.
Finally If you do take part in the classification and grading scheme operated by VisitBritain and are graded as something other that a Hotel BUT you retain the word in your published business name you will ultimately be suspended from the scheme and reported to your local Trading Standards Office.
Likewise if you have a link from any 'government' sponsored website or DMS and it reveals the word Hotel anywhere on your website your listing on their site will be deleted.
Very finally all of the above does NOT apply if you are not classified and graded by the Quality in Tourism scheme! If anyone out there knows a better reason for having some basic legislation on 'quality' factors in serviced accommodation I'd like to hear of it, I mean think of the foreign visitor trying to find his way through the maze of grading and classification.