PARIS (AFP) - France, the first destination worldwide, catch up on hotel
classification by having a label "5 stars" for its luxury establishments,
in a context of increased competition on the international market for
tourism .

The french state secretary in charge of Tourism, Herve Novelli, has
decided to end this "French exception" which limits the highest ranking
hotel in a "4-star luxury": it will make an announcement to that effect
at the National Tourism, held Wednesday and Thursday in Paris.

Main reason for the reform demanded by hoteliers: supply in France will
become easier for foreign tourists accustomed to the luxury, down 5 stars
in Tokyo, New York or Sidney to find itself in a "simple" four stars in
Paris.

France is facing competition from emerging countries such as Morocco and
Egypt who have seen a proliferation of hotels 4 or 5 stars, few conform
to Western standards. In Dubai, a popular destination, the hotel Burj Al
Arab has the same self "7 stars."

The influx of tourists in France Russian, Mexican, Brazilian or Chinese
is attracting "new requirements", says Novelli who took the helm of his
predecessor, Luc Chatel.

The creation of a fifth star "will allow the French hotel to be in line
with other European countries," Judge Andre Daguin, president of the
Union of trades and industries hotels (UMIH).

The hotel classification in force is outdated, dating back to 1986: the
stars (categories 4 to luxury O) are allocated by the prefects, on the
basis of quantitative standards (area, sanitation, telephone,
elevator ...), which do little regard to the quality of reception or
cleanliness.

The category 0 should disappear landscape french Hotel to merge with
Category 1 star, according to professionals.

Among the fifteen measures to be presented Thursday by Mr. Novelli
included the creation of an investment fund for the renovation of hotels.
He estimated the renovation effort necessary to 8 billion euros.

A quarter of the 18,000 classified hotels in France is outdated,
according to the Committee for the modernization of French hospitality.
Its chairman, Mark Watkins, laments that "the new classification does not
take into account the opinion of the consumer".

In Paris, major hotels are already engaged in a race to create ever more
luxury suites. To the extent that new players will soon broke into the
closed circle of palaces which are beyond any nomenclature, as the
Shangri-La and Mandarin Oriental (Hong Kong).

"We must be ready before others do," Michel Jauslin, CEO of the Park
Hyatt hotel, place Vendome. By March 2009, the hotel will open ten new
suites, at a cost of 10 million euros. The imperial suite is rented
11,000 euros per night.

Next year, his neighbor, the Ritz, also offer a face-lift. The Royal
Monceau reopen at the end of 2009 with a new decor designed by the
designer Philippe Starck, after the auction of its furniture. The
renovation will cost 100 million euros.

Another candidate for the appellation "5 stars", the hotel Scribe, "4-
star luxury" brand Sofitel (Accor), has a spa of 200 m2, after
renovations at a cost of 16 million euros. According to its director,
Arnaud Vincent, "the luxury resists the crisis."


2008.07.28