LateRooms.com standardises hotel star ratings

Online accommodation site LateRooms.com has tied up with VisitBritain to bring its star ratings system in line with Britain’s national tourism agency.

The late availability hotel specialist is the first online site to use the official national classification system to rate its hotels, bed and breakfasts and guest houses.

The initiative will ensure customers know the standards of quality they can expect when making a reservation and will cut down on confusion over the type of accommodation being booked.

Information about accommodation for leisure and business visitors – checked by VisitBritain’s independent assessors and awarded between one and five stars – will be fed into LateRooms’ own hotels database, ensuring that the information appearing on its site is consistent and regularly updated.

“The quality of your accommodation can make or break your time away,” said Jeremy Brinkworth, General Manager – Quality, VisitBritain. “Holidaymakers need to know what type of accommodation they are booking and therefore what they can expect when they arrive, regardless of how they book. LateRooms is leading the online travel industry by working with us on this project.”

Initially, over 2,500 LateRooms hotels have been rated according to VisitBritain’s classification system.

Hotels not currently assessed by VisitBritain will remain on LateRooms’ site but will be rated as self-classified. Customers interested in this type of accommodation will be able to make use of LateRoom’s extensive customer review information to see how other guests assessed the property.