Grading Information

Grading Information

You will notice that some accommodation providers on this website have a star rating. Star grades in Wales are awarded by Visit Wales and the AA based on the quality of facilities on offer. 

All the national assessing bodies (Visit England, VisitScotland, Visit Wales, Northern Ireland Tourist Board and the AA) assess holiday accommodation to the same criteria and award one to five stars.

Please be aware that participation in these grading schemes is voluntary.

It’s all in the stars

Star grades mean that you can be sure of standards and choose in confidence the accommodation that’s just right for you.

The stars reflect the facilities and overall quality of the experience.

How are properties assessed?

A Visit Wales team of professional Advisers visit each property every other year, including properties handled by self-catering agencies. Visit Wales is the main assessing agency for accommodation in Wales.

What do the star ratings mean?

Businesses that are graded receive a rating between one and five stars based on the facilities available and overall quality of the experience.

There are three elements involved in the processing in arriving at a Star Rating for a business.

1. Quality of the Business

The Quality Advisers assess every aspect of the business and that score equates to a quality level description.  A scale of 1 to 5 is used – Excellent Quality scores 5 points, acceptable quality scores 1 point.

• Excellent Quality: 5 points
• Very Good Quality: 4 points
• Good Quality: 3 points
• Quite Good Quality: 2 points
• Acceptable Quality: 1 point

Once all aspects are assessed, scores are totalled and a quality score for the whole of the business is calculated.

2. Consistency in Key Areas of the Business

The Quality Adviser then checks for consistency in the key areas of the business.  The purpose of this approach is to ensure that one aspect of the business has not, by scoring high marks, driven up the overall percentage into the next Star rating level, giving a false impression to the guest of the overall quality.  It is vitally important that the quality of the key areas matches the overall grade of the business

3. Facility Requirements

The Quality Adviser will check to ensure that any additional facilities/services required at a particular level are present and available, as well as those at all preceding Star Levels.  Research has shown us that the higher the rating, the more facilities and services expected by the consumer.

Does a lower star rating equal less quality?

Many lower star rated accommodations may still offer high quality, but do not meet all of the facility and service expectations for the higher star ratings.

For example Visit Wales applies different and many more criteria requirements when assessing Hotels than they do to Guest Accommodation (e.g. B&B’s, Guest Houses).

This is based on consumer research where there is an expectation that hotels, by their very nature will provide more facilities than B&B’s and guest houses. The grading criteria reflects this so it is particularly important not to compare a 4-star guest accommodation rating with a 4-star hotel rating. Different criteria apply.

The advice - always check with the establishment before booking to check that they offer the services and facilities that meet your needs – they will be only too pleased to help.

What categories of accommodation are there?

Accommodation differs in style and therefore different rating schemes apply to different types and styles of business.  To help you make your choice, the new rating scheme includes a “designator” to describe the style of accommodation you can expect. For example:

• Hotels – the standard term used for most establishments of this type, but you may also see a range of alternative descriptions which relate to a particular style or size of hotel (see below
• Small Hotels refer to businesses which offer a range of hotel services and are differentiated by the number of rooms available – normally less than 20 – used at the discretion of the hotel owner
• Country House Hotels have ample grounds or gardens in a rural or semi-rural location, with emphasis on peace and quiet.
• Town House Hotels are in city/town centre locations offering high quality with a distinctive style. High degree of personal service
• Metro Hotels are found in city and town centres, offering full hotel services, but no dinner. They will be within easy walking distance of a range of places to eat
• Budget Hotels are always part of ‘branded’ hotel group offering clean and comfortable en suite facilities, 24 hour reservations and a consistent level of facilities
• Guest Accommodation encompasses anything from one-room bed and breakfasts to the larger places found in our coastal resorts, which may offer dinner and may be licensed
• Bed and Breakfasts usually accommodate no more than six people. It’s like staying as a special guest in someone’s home.
• Farmhouses also offer bed and breakfast and sometimes dinner, always on a farm
• Guest Houses tend to have more than three rooms and may offer dinner to their guests. Some may be licensed
• Restaurants with Rooms are just that. The restaurant is the main business and they will be licensed.
• Inns are pubs with rooms which serve food in the evenings, as well as breakfast
• Self Catering: cottages and apartments where you can experience home from home comforts
• Serviced Apartments: usually in purpose built blocks, offering home from accommodation with an extended range of services
• Holiday Village: comprises of a variety of accommodation types on a large complex.  A range of facilities are also available which may or may not be included in the tariff.
• Touring Park: welcomes touring caravans, trailer tents and motorhomes.
• Camping Park: welcomes visitors with tents.
• Holiday Park: where you can rent a caravan holiday home, timber lodge or chalet
• Campus Accommodation - the campus scheme covers the universities and colleges that are able to accommodate visitors during the vacation periods on a bed and breakfast or self-catering basis. Often the rooms are en suite and there will be plenty of single rooms, ideal for large groups
• Hostel Accommodation – accommodation is often in shared rooms with bunk beds. May be family rooms – could be restricted access – either catered or self-catering facilities
• Group Accommodation – predominately group bookings in shared bedrooms. May offer meals or self-catering facilities
• Activity Accommodation – usually but not exclusively group bookings associated with provision of accredited activities on site or nearby
• Backpacker Accommodation - similar in style to a hostel, but may be run on less formal lines. Often more appropriate for independent travellers – may not accept family groups
• Bunkhouse Accommodation - rural accommodation which can be booked by groups or individuals.  Services and facilities may be limited but will include a self-catering facility
• Camping Barns – not star rated – this is simple rural accommodation, often referred to as “stone tents”.  Roomy and dry – usually need to bring your own sleeping bags
• Glamping & Bygone Era Accommodation – not star rated and covers accommodation such as wigwams, tipis, yurts, single caravans and accommodation that cannot provide facilities or services associated with mainstream accommodation
• Listed - accommodation that has chosen not be star rated but has confirmed the availability and serviceable condition of essential facilities and services appropriate to the type of business.

For further detailed information on grading and awards go to Visit Wales on:

https://www.visitwales.com/en-us/grading-information

AA Grading Schemes

For AA grading and awards information: www.theaa.com

Feedback on Visit Wales Graded Products

Occasionally, the quality of the products may not meet your expectations. Visit Wales care about your views, further information can be found on the Customer Feedback page.

Please note: Accommodation listings on this website are for information purposes only. Conwy County Borough Council does not recommend any accommodation providers and we advise visitors to check facilities, quality ratings and reviews before booking accommodation.