Quality Assurance

In Scotland you will find a great variety of all sorts of accommodation. There are Hotels, B&Bs, Guesthouses, Hostels, Group-Accommodation, Campsites and Caravanparks, Lodges, Chalets, Bothies and much more.

The Scottish Tourisboard is monitoring these accommodation and has a rating system.

Quality Assurance

The most known picture for a rating criteria is a star.

But one really needs to take a closer look to see WHO did the rating. We are following the rating of VisitScotland , the Scottish Tourist Board.

Their rating system is quite self-explanatory. You will always see the number of stars and the category.

bunbsterne hostel1-2 hotelsterne hpark4

The highest rating are five stars. Some of the criterias are hospitality, facilities, decor and cleanliness.

1 Star - acceptable

2 Stars - good

3 Stars - very good

4 Stars - excellent

5 Stars - outrageous

Below you will find some of the criteria of the rating system for accommodation:

B&B and guesthouses etc.

Minimum for one star:

a traditional "cooked" breakfast or alternatively a continental breakfast
owner or staff to be present at arrival, departure and meals
once checked in the guest may enter the house at all times, if not arranged otherwise
all public areas meet the minimum criteria of cleanliness, functionality and hospitality as well as the services
there has to be a dining room/area or meals are served in the rooms
the accommodation has to have the necessarily safety measures and insurances

There are much more criteria, too much to mention. You will find them at Visit Scotland

Caravanparks & Campsites

The different caravan and camping-parks have to face several criterias to get their grading stars.

For example:

type of park, size and location
cleanliness
maintanance and equipment
toilet/washing facilities
care of the environment

The scoring system is working with points for each section

Holiday homes have extra criterias like e.g. regarding the interior.

Hostels etc.

Hostels include Hostel, Backpackers , Group Accommodation, Activity Accommodation, Camping Barn, Bod or Bothy and Bunkhouse Accommodation.

They also have to undergo the quality assurance scheme.

For example:

exterior (appearance of buildings, grounds, garden and parking)
hospitality and service (including security)
cleanliness (bedrooms, bathrooms, public rooms, dining rooms, kitchen)
Food quality and service
bedroom interior
bathrooms and toilets (interior)
public rooms, dining rooms, kitchen (interior)

To say it simple: one star means very often, it does its job but you won't find any comfort.