Star Rating Vs. Accreditation For Short Term Rentals

Star Rating Vs. Accreditation

When it comes to letting out your short-term rental, one of the first things that come to the mind of a corporate is reputation. Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, businesses must comply with stricter rules and regulations for their employees. This means they have a more significant duty of care to provide safe and comfortable corporate accommodation.

When booking accommodation for their employees like hotels and short-term lets, one of the major things they look for is trust and reassurance. But, while any company can secure a good rating from an organisation, it's an accreditation that really sets you apart from the rest.

Keep reading to know why accreditations are more valuable for corporate bookings. 

What is accreditation? 

Accreditation is a form of certification granted by an external organisation for property owners to showcase they've met specific standards. In corporate travel, certain accreditation schemes show that businesses have complied with the minimum standard for short-term rental. For this to happen, a third party must conduct inspections and audits to show the property meets its standards. These standards act as a stamp of approval for cleanliness, hygiene, health, and safety.

Why accreditation?

If your short-term rental has accreditation, it shows you meet the existing standards and helps you differentiate from peer-to-peer rentals. Accreditation also helps you benefit from the following:

Marketing

Accreditation is great for property owners as it can be an additional form of marketing. Once accredited, it acts as collateral to show you've complied with certain standards and rules. Often accreditation partners will give you seals, logos and signs to display on your property on your brochures, websites and social media pages.

Seal of approval

As third parties run the audits and provide certification, your property can be trusted to book. It shows transparency and that you meet the industry standards.

Liability

If your short term let contains specific certifications, it shows you've completed the necessary health and safety checks. Because of this, it provides corporates with reassurance knowing they're protected if any legal issues or insurance claims arise. It also helps level the playing field for corporates and hotels to book you.

Sustainability 

There are also property accreditations, allowing them to showcase their sustainable practices. For instance, REST, an accreditation awarded by Quality in Tourism, helps with this. Showing you’re sustainable to Travel Management companies and corporates can allow you to gain more bookings for business travel, as some wish to reduce their carbon footprint for their employees. 

Who provides accreditation:

Your property can only receive accreditation from a third party. This is because a third party is unbiased and has its own standards and criteria, which you must comply with. In the short term rental sector, there are many different accreditations you can get, such as:

● Quality in Tourism: This accreditation consists of a grading scheme, which looks at the cleanliness, service and standards of accommodation for short-term rentals, serviced apartments as well as other businesses within the hospitality, tourism and leisure sectors.

● ISAAP: Auditors come to conduct a comprehensive inspection to see if your property is safe from injury, death and litigation.

● Visit England, Scotland, and Wales: Looks at registering and licensing short-term rentals in England, Scotland and Wales.

How to get accredited

To get accredited as a short term rental, you must do the following:

1 - Apply for accreditation

Once you've decided on the accreditation you'd like your property to have; you must visit their website and apply for it. Usually, they will ask you to fill in a specific form about your property details for their information.

2 - Properties are inspected

Following this, accreditation bodies will ask you to pay for an inspection or carry one out voluntary. Then they will send an auditor out to inspect them.

3 - Pass or Fail (no levels involved)

After the accreditation has taken place, you will receive a pass or fail. If you've passed, you will receive a certificate and often additional collateral to showcase this. However, if you've failed, they will provide you with a report of criteria to implement for you to gain accreditation.

What are star ratings?

A Star rating is a specific type of rating that highlights how luxurious your accommodation is and the level of facilities and services you provide. The hotel industry and some B&Bs mainly use this type of rating.

What is being assessed?

Star ratings are usually decided based on the following criteria:

● Levels of service: Stars are given based on how catered the service is. For instance, they look at how personalised and attentive it is. They look at things like a butler, room service, luggage assistance and more.

● Facilities on offer: They're also decided based on the services and quality of goods provided. For instance, they look at the equipment, TV, shower functionality and interior, i.e. cotton sheets, pillows, room facilities and more.

● Alternative star ratings: Some ratings also look at how eco-friendly or sustainable the business is.

One major downside of star ratings for any company is that they don't always look at or cover the safety regulations or cleanliness, which is an important factor for corporates.

Why do properties use star ratings?

There are many reasons hotels and B&B use star ratings; they are:

● Marketing: Travellers often look at star ratings like they look at reviews. They often perceive it as a measure of how luxurious their stay can be. People also search for properties to stay in based on ranking.

● Value for money: Often for properties, they look at value for money for the services based on the rating.

● Filtering for luxury: People also search for properties to stay in based on ranking. The more stars, the more luxurious they perceive it to be.

Who provides star ratings?

Unlike accreditation, star ratings can be decided by multiple outlets such as the AA and Visit Britain, which are the recognised star ratings for the UK. In addition, there are many more rating systems within the UK and internationally. These systems have different criteria for stars to be gained or lost.

They're often not standardised, making them difficult to trust and interpret. While most rankings tend to range from 1-5 stars, a lack of standardised regulations has caused some properties to have 6-7 stars, branding themselves as super luxurious.

How accommodation is assessed and given a star rating

For an accommodation to be provided with a star rating, they usually undergo an inspection set by a third party. Not all the inspections are the same for the star rating; it depends on their criteria and standards. Then based on the inspection, a star rating is given for that certain property.

In Conclusion

Overall, accreditation and star ratings are something both short-term rental properties and hotels use to market themselves. While both might seem attractive, it's an accreditation that is more trustworthy and better to attract corporations for your reputation.

Being accredited allows you to show you've complied with a specific standardised set by recognised criteria set by a third party. Accreditation is also a great tool that helps market your business, providing you with collateral for your brochures, websites and more.

Whereas star ratings are not standardised, many external bodies provide them. Accreditation is more for a seal of approval. While we don't carry out inspections for accreditations, we have close partnerships with those who do like Quality in Tourism, who will conduct an assessment to help you be accredited in a timely manner.