…and a bit of trumpet blowing for Mandolay!
AA Star ratings are unquestionably the most highly coveted, and instantly recognisable indications of excellence in the hospitality industry.
For more than 100 years, the Automobile Association has been rating, and classifying hotels, inns, and restaurants establishing themselves firmly at the forefront of hospitality standards. Indeed, it is the consistent, and completely independent nature of their assessments that makes them such a trusted guarantee of quality.
But, how much do you really know about the rating system?
The idea of awarding stars came from the rating system used to assess the quality of brandy, and it was then AA Secretary, Mr. Stenson Cooke, that expanded this to hotels, and accommodation providers, in 1912. (We Googled that bit!)
Assessments are made by hugely experienced hospitality professionals, and the role of an AA Inspector is a highly coveted position. These assessments follow a strict set of guidelines, every property must meet all relevant guidelines, the overall percentage score must reach the appropriate rating band, and the quality ion 6 key areas must be of an appropriate standard.
Hospitality. Service. Bedrooms. Bathrooms. Cleanliness. Food.
The percentage is everything, it dictates which band, or Star rating that the hotel achieves, a ‘score’ between 47-54% will be sufficient to gain 2 Star recognition, while for 4 Star, a score of 74-85% is required.
Here comes the trumpet blowing bit.
Following our recent inspection, Mandolay achieved a score of exactly 84%, as high a rating as possible for a hotel of our size and type, and while we were single point away from 5 Stars, we rated as 5 Star in three of the six categories mentioned above, and high 4 Star in the other three.
We also retained our AA Rosette for Culinary Excellence (just saying).
Mandolay is a 4 Silver Star property, described as ‘Highly Recommended Silver Stars are awarded to hotels that provide superior levels of quality, high standards of hotel keeping in particular hospitality, service and cleanliness and hold an AA Rosette award for the quality of their food.’
So, there you have it, a little bit of information about AA ratings, and a solid boast from me, all in one go.
Matthew Milliken, Managing Director