The Qatar Tourism Authority is ... - Accessible Qatar

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HOTEL CLASSIFICATION MANUAL

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Version No.: 1.1 Date: 01/05/2017

Table of Contents

Introduction

5

System focus areas

5

System Criteria

6

System Elements

6

Classification process

11

Classification procedure

12

Waiver Policy

13

Implementation & Industry Support

16

1. Minimum Mandatory Criteria

17

1.1 General Standards

17

1.2 Public Areas

19

1.3 Guest Rooms

25

1.4 Guest Bathrooms

29

1.5 Services and Amenities

32

1.6 Food & Beverage

35

1.7 Staff Development

36

1.8 Service Quality

36

1.9 Environmental Sustainability

37

2. Rating Criteria

38

2.2 Public Areas

39

2.2.1 Appearance of Building

39

2.2.2 Outdoor Areas and Landscaping

40

2.2.3 Housekeeping of Public Areas

41

2.2.4 Public Areas ? Decor, Walls, Ceilings and Curtains

42

2.2.5 Public Areas ? Furnishings & Fittings

43

2.2.6 Public Areas ? Flooring

44

2.2.7 Public Areas ? Ventilation & Temperature

45

2.2.8 Public Areas ? Lighting

46

2.2.9 Public Toilets

47

2.2.10 Quality of Elevators

48

2.3 Guest Bedrooms

49

2.3.1 Housekeeping of Guest Bedrooms

49

2.3.2 Quality of Decor, Walls, and Ceiling of Guest Bedrooms

50

2.3.3 Flooring of Guest Bedrooms

51

2.3.4 Curtains of Guest Bedrooms

52

2.3.5 Guestroom Furniture: Guestroom Dresser, Wardrobe, Tables, Desks and Chairs 53

2.3.6 Soft Furniture, Cushions, Mirrors, and Artwork

54

2.3.7 Guestroom Beds & Bedding

55

2.3.8 Guestroom Ventilation & Temperature

56

2.3.9 Guestroom Lighting

57

2.3.10 Spaciousness of Guest Bedrooms

58

2.3.11 Soundproofing of Guest Bedrooms

59

2.4 Guest Bathrooms

60

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2.4.1 Housekeeping of Bathrooms

60

2.4.2 Ventilation of Bathrooms

61

2.4.3 Guest Bathrooms Walls, Flooring and Ceiling

62

2.4.4 Guest Bathroom Fixtures

62

2.4.5 Bathroom Linens

63

2.4.6 Bathroom Amenities

63

2.6 Food & Beverage Outlets

64

2. 6.1 Spaciousness and Ambiance of Food & Beverage Outlets

64

2.6.2 Furniture and Linen of Food & Beverage Outlets

64

2.6.3 Housekeeping of Food & Beverage Areas

65

3. Scoring Criteria

66

3.2 Public Areas

67

3.2.1 Music in Public Areas

67

3.2.2 Prayer Room

67

3.3 Guest Rooms

67

3.3.1 WIFI

67

3.3.2 In- room Technology & Entertainment

67

3.3.3 Room Services and Accessories

68

3.4 Guest Bathroom

68

3.4.1 Bathroom Facilities

68

3.5 Guest Services

69

3.5.1 Services for Children

69

3.5.2 Tourism Information, Destination Marketing and Promotion of Local Heritage 69

3.5.3 Guest Transport Services

69

3.5.4 Front Desk Services

69

3.5.5 Universal Accessibility

70

3.5.6 Health Club

70

3.5.7 Swimming Pool

71

3.5.8 Spa Services

71

3.5.9 Business Facilities & Services

71

3.6 Food & Beverage

72

3.6.1 Restaurants

72

3.6.2 HACCP Certification

72

3.7 Staff Development

72

3.7.1 Staff Training

72

3.7.2 Qatarisation and inclusion of gcc nationals

72

3.8 Environmental Sustainability

72

3.8.1 Environmental Certification

72

3.8.2 Energy saving practices

73

3.8.3 Procurement and general practices

73

4. Guest Experience Index (GEI)

74

5. Product Designators

75

5.1 Airport Hotel Designator

76

5.2 Beach Hotel Designator

78

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5.3 Boutique Hotel Designator

80

5.4 Business Hotel Designator

82

5.5 City Hotel designator

83

5.6 Convention Hotel Designator

84

5.7 Family Hotel Designator

86

5.8 Resort Hotel Designator

88

5.9 Hotel Apartment Designator

89

5.10 Heritage Hotel Designator

92

5.11 Wellness Hotel Designator

93

5.12 Sport Hotel Designator

95

5.13 Ultra Luxury Hotel Designator

97

5.14 FIFA 2022 World cup designator

99

Appendix 1 Accessibility Standards

101

Appendix 2 Old QTA minimum building requirements criteria

102

Appendix 3 WAIVER LIST FOR HOTELS THAT RECEIVED BUILDING PERMIT BEFORE 01/01/2016 103

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INTRODUCTION

The Qatar Tourism Authority is responsible for licensing, classification and grading of all hotels and accommodation providers in Qatar.

Under Law No. 6 of 2012 QTA is mandated to ensure that hotels holding or requesting a license meet clear criteria of facilities, services and responsible management practices, and are employing suitably experienced and qualified staff. Hotels are classified according to a published "Grading and Classification Manual", which is updated and published from time to time. Currently hotels are divided into the following categories:

Hotels: 1 Star

2 Star

3 Star

4 Star

5 Star

This manual presents the structure and criteria of the enhanced hotel classification system for the State of Qatar. The hotel classification system plays a central role in the continued drive of establishing Qatar as a leading destination in terms of quality and hospitality. It will challenge and drive hoteliers to go the extra mile in providing each visitor to Qatar an unforgettable experience in an enchanting environment characterised by superb standards throughout.

To accomplish this, a holistic and future oriented approach has been applied that ensures that:

a) All areas creating the hotel experience are given attention; b) All standards that are important for the guest as given attention through different system elements; c) Rigidity is applied where a minimum expectation must be met. Flexibility where value is created

through unique service concepts; and d) The voice of the guest, through the latest online reputation tools, is analysed and incorporated to

the system as a standard.

The Authority is confident that these aims are instrumental in achieving the objectives of the State of Qatar and will benefit the industry to continue to thrive and prosper.

SYSTEM FOCUS AREAS

The previous system represented 11 focus areas. These have been reduced to 8 areas in order to keep the system clear as most focus areas are touched on in the different system elements. Further, this aligns with the focus areas of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the Kingdom of Bahrain, enhancing regional alignment. However, as the tourism agenda of the State of Qatar includes a strong focus on Environmental Sustainability, a dedicated ninth focus area was added for this purpose.

Each system element is broken down into an area of focus in the hotel though not all focus areas are represented in all system elements. Table 1 outlines the eight different focus areas of the system, their description and how they relate to the system.

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