Hotels association kick-starts new certification process

In a first of its kind initiative, the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) has certified 13 hotels in Maharashtra under new norms that are more contemporary and global in standards as compared to existing ratings.

Part of the national body of Federation of the Hotels and Restaurants Associations of India (FHRAI), HRAWI has been the voice of the industry in the Western region for the last 67 years.

The independent classification system will follow the global practice of trade bodies rating hotels and will ensure adherence to best practices and standards.

As per the new norms, hotel properties will be classified, rated or graded under six categories listed as Budget, Classic, Premium, Luxury, Deluxe Luxury and Primo Luxury, and will be uniform for both domestic and foreign tourists.

The Shalimar Hotel, The Fern Residency, Golden Swan Beach Resort, The Emerald, Peninsula Grand Hotel, Sun-N-Sand Hotel, Holiday Inn Mumbai International Airport, Waterstones Hotel, T24 Residency, Hotel Transit, Hotel Meluha, Renaissance Mumbai Hotel and Convention Centre and Hyatt Place are among the first hotels to have been audited as per the new classification standards and are officially certified as of October 25, 2017.

With this classification system, HRAWI hopes to remove any ambiguity for tourists checking into an Indian Hospitality Quality Standards (IHQS) Certified Hotel.

The objective is to bring in standards of evaluation and parity that are in line with international standards, as well as making redundant some criteria in star ratings that have become irrelevant today.

"The objective is to educate our members on modern quality standards as well as reduce the burden of the Ministry of Tourism (MoT). Presently the MoT is responsible for conducting audits and rating hotels. So, the government can focus on improving and promoting tourism, while we from the industry are doing our bit to support the initiative," says Dilip Datwani, president, HRAWI.

The HRAWI has engaged an external agency which will independently verify and award each hotel a fair classification based on product and service standards experienced.

Along with the awarded certificate, the agency will transparently share a detailed scorecard that will allow the hotel to make improvements if and where required.