“…4-star superior…” was the good news that a visibly relieved Anja Fenneberg told us at the end of our trainee training in early February.
We trainees had the opportunity to look over the shoulder of Mr. Höltmann, a representative of DEHOKLA NRW GmbH (a department of DEHOGA and responsible for hotel classification), at work.
How does a hotel get its stars?
Of course, a hotel business has to make some upfront investments before it can present something. This is what happened at the Kaiserhof, once a two-star bed-and-breakfast hotel, which, until it was taken over by Peter Cremer, was gradually polished like a diamond and is now a top player in the hotel world. However, around 16 million euros have been invested in the building. In the basement there is now an attractive spa area and a fitness room. The 100 rooms and suites were designed with great attention to detail and are continually maintained. The last major renovation was the addition of a section to the hotel, which now serves as a restaurant and event hall.
Every three years a hotel can decide whether or not it wants to be officially classified by DEHOGA.
At the Kaiserhof, there was also considerable discussion about whether such a classification is still appropriate. What it means to implement such a star classification, and what advantages and disadvantages it entails, can be found in the blog article on star classification.
Completely digitalized
One might imagine such a hotel critic like this:
an experienced man or woman, wearing glasses and holding a clipboard with a very long checklist. Our guest had plenty of experience by the afternoon; as he himself reported, he even enjoys visiting hotels in his free time, just to check them out.
The glasses are a must, of course, to emphasize his critical gaze, even into the darkest corners of a room. But also, of course, to go through all the criteria one by one on his tablet and check them off, simultaneously sending them to a central computer, which is then handed out in a fixed form in the form of a plaque for the building wall just 30 minutes after the review is completed. Of course, we didn’t notice any of this at first, as the critic bombarded the hotel management with all his questions.
In fact, the stars that hang on the exterior walls of approximately 8,000 German hotels do not come directly from DEHOGA, but from the Hotel Stars Union, an international association of hospitality associations from seventeen countries. They aim to improve comparability through uniform evaluation criteria, thus presenting hotels transparently for the guest.
There is always something to complain about
Ultimately, we met approximately 251 criteria, earning us 608 points, allowing us to continue to use the 4-Star Superior rating for the next three years. For the First Class rating, i.e. **** (4 stars), you need at least 400 points, and ***** (5 stars) is awarded starting at 600 points. So, we’re top!
Not only were the room furnishings assessed, with seemingly banal things like a rug in front of the bed on which one could place one’s shoes, a hairdryer, or a sewing kit, but the friendliness and competence of the staff were also extensively tested by an inspector disguised as a guest who had not announced his arrival in advance.
Mr. Höltmann clearly demonstrated to us the important role we play as hotel staff and what it takes to make guests feel comfortable. After all, it’s the people in a hotel who bring it to life.
To ensure our guests leave the hotel alive, we naturally want to keep the risk of injury as low as possible. Our inspector’s alarm bells immediately rang when he noticed a broken, sharp-edged corner on a hairdryer holder. The hairdryer was, of course, replaced promptly by the building’s maintenance department. But the problem didn’t stop with the hairdryer; a quick swipe of his index finger along the edge of the mirror revealed another point of criticism: tiny residues from hairspray, deodorant, and other substances had left a rough surface. “That’s complaining at a high level,” he said, “…but that too deserves attention.” Nothing escapes his critical eye. Our in-house cleaning staff were informed of the issue and were able to resolve it. This is also how we handle complaints from guests: Everything is immediately checked and promptly improved.
Once all the questions had been asked, the rooms inspected, and the overall impression of the hotel and restaurant area recorded, the exciting trip ended for us trainees in our own hotel. Ms. Fenneberg and Mr. Höltmann discussed the final details, and then the result was finally finalized.
In conclusion, we can say that our efforts at the Kaiserhof were rewarded with another award. We were all able to go home satisfied with the experience of having witnessed a hotel star rating; with the knowledge that we, the trainees, had done a good job, and with the certainty that more excursions will be planned for us later in the year.
With kind regards from the Kaiserhof
Jasper Quarré
Trainee hotel management in the 1st year of training