Common Standards for Accommodation

Establishments offering accommodation are graded under a set of common quality standards agreed by the AA and VisitBritain. The aim of the common standards is to make accommodation standards easy to understand and to give you confidence that establishments meet the standards you expect.

Not all establishments featured on staysouthwest.com are assessed, but those that are have the appropriate assessment featured on their listing.

Star Rating | Camping & Caravans | Holiday Centres | Restaurants

Types of accommodation

Under the new common standards accommodation is assessed under three broad categories:

  • Hotel
  • Guest Accommodation
  • Budget Hotel

Hotel and Guest Accommodation is divided into sub-categories or designators which provide more information about the type of establishment.

Hotel categories

  • Hotel formal accommodation with a full service
  • Country House peace and quiet with ample grounds or gardens
  • Small Hotel limited service with a personal touch
  • Town House Hotel a high-quality distinctive service in a city-centre location
  • Metro Hotel a full service except dinner, close to town centre restaurants

Guest accommodation categories

Establishments in each of these categories should fulfil all Guest Accommodation minimum entry requirements.

  • B&B - Accommodation provided in a private house by the owner for up to six paying guests.
  • Guest House - Accommodation for more than six paying guests, with the owner and staff providing more services, e.g. dinner.
  • Farmhouse - B&B or guesthouse accommodation provided on a working farm.
  • Inn - Accommodation provided in a fully licensed establishment. The bar will be open to non-residents and provide food in the evenings.
  • Restaurant with Rooms - A restaurant offering overnight accommodation.
  • Guest Accommodation - Any establishment that meets the minimum entry requirements and chooses to use this general category description.

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Accommodation standards star grades

Star ratings, from one to five, are used to assess the standard of the quality you can expect for hotels and bed & breakfast accommodation. The following is a brief summary of standards expected from the establishment types within their ratings ».

Star RatingHotelB&B
Black StarStaff provide a prompt, polite and informal service. The majority of rooms are en suite and there is a designated eating area serving breakfast everyday and dinner most evenings.A clean establishment, offering a minimal service with a full cooked or substantial continental breakfast available.
Black StarBlack StarStaff are smartly presented and provide a well-informed service. Rooms are generously proportioned. Breakfast and dinner are available seven days a week.A courteous and helpful service. Breakfast is prepared with a good level of care and bedrooms are comfortable.
Black StarBlack StarBlack StarStaff are smartly presented and provide a well-informed service. Rooms are generously proportioned. Breakfast and dinner are available seven days a week.A courteous and helpful service. Breakfast is prepared with a good level of care and bedrooms are comfortable.
Black StarBlack StarBlack StarBlack StarAttentive staff provide a very good level of service. At least half of the rooms will have an en suite bath and a shower. At least one restaurant offering a good range of hot and cold skillfully prepared food.An attentive and welcoming service. Breakfast is prepared using fresh ingredients with a high degree of care. Rooms have comfortable beds and furnishings of high quality.
Black StarBlack StarBlack StarBlack StarBlack StarImpeccably dressed staff provide attentive and unobtrusive service. All bedrooms will have an en suite bathroom with a bath and thermostatically controlled shower. Meals are cooked and presented to an excellent standard using high quality ingredients.Guests are made to feel at home and extra services are offered. Breakfast is of an excellent quality, prepared using fresh, local and seasonal ingredients. Rooms have comfortable beds and furnishings of excellent quality.

Additional Classifications for AA Assessed Establishments

The AA also give an establishment a Merit % Score, in addition to the star classification. This indicates the level of quality achieved within each star rating and will help you to compare hotels with the same number of stars.

Red Star Red Stars

From large luxury hotels to snug country inns, the Top Hotels are our best hotels in the country. They are selected from each of the star-rating levels for their exceptional quality of accommodation and customer service.

Black Diamond Diamond Ratings

Bed & Breakfast accommodation assessed by the AA before January 2006 was graded using a Diamond rating. Establishments were awarded one diamond at the simplest level up to five diamonds at the luxury end, based on an assessment of cleanliness, service, bedroom comfort, bathroom facilities and the standard of food.

Red Diamond Red Diamonds

These recognise the very best establishments within the three, four and five Diamond rating levels.

You can expect to find the following minimum standards at all diamond levels:

  • Friendly, professional check in and check out, with a properly prepared bill.
  • Comfortable rooms equipped to modern standards.
  • Furniture and soft furnishings in good condition.
  • Bedding and towels changed for each new guest and at least weekly if the room is taken for a long stay.
  • Adequate storage, heating, lighting and a sufficient hot water supply.
  • Full, cooked breakfast, but if this is not provided, the fact must be advertised and a continental breakfast given instead.
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Black Pennant Pennant Ratings for campsites and caravan parks

The AA classifies parks on a 5-point scale according to their style and the range of facilities they offer. As the number of pennants increases, so the quality and variety of facilities is generally greater. There is also a separate category for Holiday Centres which provide full day and night holiday entertainment as well as offering complete touring facilities for campers and caravanners.

AA rated parks and Holiday Centres are awarded a percentage alongside their pennant rating or holiday centre status. This is a qualitative assessment of various factors including customer care and hospitality, toilet facilities and park landscaping. The percentage score runs from 50% to 100% and indicates the relative quality of parks with the same number of pennants. Holiday Centres also receive a percentage score between 50% and 100% to differentiate between quality levels within this grading. Like the pennant rating, the percentage is reassessed annually.

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Holiday Centres

In this category the AA distinguishes parks which cater for all holiday needs. Anyone staying on one of these parks will have no need to go elsewhere for meals or entertainment. They provide:

  • A wide range of on-site sports, leisure and recreational facilities
  • Supervision and security of a very high level
  • A choice of eating outlets
  • Touring facilities of equal importance to statics
  • A maximum density of 30 pitches per acre
  • Clubhouse with entertainment provided
  • Automatic laundry
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Restaurants

Rosette ratings for restaurants

Rosette Chefs should display a mastery of basic techniques and be able to produce dishes of sound quality and clarity of flavours, using good fresh ingredients.

RosetteRosette Innovation, greater technical skill and more consistency and judgement in combining and balancing ingredients are all needed at this level.

RosetteRosetteRosette This award takes a restaurant into the big league. Expectations of the kitchen are high: exact technique, flair and imagination must come through in every dish, and balance and depth of flavour are all-important.

RosetteRosetteRosetteRosette At this level, not only should all technical skills be exemplary, but there should also be daring ideas, and they must work. There is no room for disappointment. Flavours should be accurate and vibrant.

RosetteRosetteRosetteRosetteRosette The supreme accolade awarded only when the cooking is at the pinnacle of achievement. Flavours, combinations and textures show a faultless sense of balance, giving each dish an extra dimension.

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