Not all are participating, but many Norwegian hotels may soon adopt the international ranking system that uses stars to describe a hotel’s standard. It remains to be seen whether any of Norway’s hotel will be classified as top, five-star properties.
There’s a big difference between the five-star hotels found in Asia, for example, and the top hotels Oslo. Scandinavian properties are not known for being luxurious and the vast majority probably fall into the three-star category — clean and functional, but often with minimum amenities (few towels and no washclothes, for example) and no room service or mini-bars.
The employers’ organization for the travel industry, NHO Reiseliv, handed over a proposal for how a Norwegian system can work to the government minister in charge of business and trade, Trond Giske. He thinks the time has come for Norwegian hotels to join an embellished international system, in which guests’ evaluations will also be taken into consideration when stars are awarded.
At least one hotel chain in Norway, Choice, won’t be participating. Its managing director Torgeir Silseth told newspaper Aftenposten that he thinks the system will make rooms more expensive and is unnecessary, because of all the Internet-based hotel evaluation systems available.
“I don’t think many will join this system, and therefore I hope a Norwegian star system won’t see the light of day,” Silseth said.
Views and News staff
