Ratings, symbols & awards

Quality Grading

All accommodation listed on this website is graded by the officially bodies. There are two official quality grading bodies for guest accommodation in England; Visit England (using Quality in Tourism) and AA. They both assess hotels, guest and self catering accommodation to the same national standard and award from 1 to 5 stars. The star rating reflects the overall quality of the experience.
                                                                                                     

Properties featuring either the Quality Rose mark (Visit England) or the AA symbol have been quality assessed, or have applied for a rating and are awaiting assessment.  The Visit England and AA schemes provide visitors with the reassurance of a national quality scheme, where accommodation standards are monitored on an annual basis by professional assessors.  Should anything go wrong, the schemes also serve as a recognised body to which visitors can report any complaints.  Please note that ratings may change through the year. 

With Quality in Tourism, Hotels and Guest Houses that go the extra mile to make your stay special may achieve a Gold or Silver Award.  Silver Awards recognise exceptional quality at all levels and Gold Awards are given to the very ‘best of the best’.With the AA, Hotels and Guest Houses that are in the top 10% of their quality standard are recognised by receiving Red Stars meaning that they are highly commended.

Quality in Tourism also offer a series of Welcome Schemes to highlight accommodation that provides facilities or services to welcome certain groups. These include:

Both the AA and Quality in Tourism also offer a breakfast award which recognises hotels and B&Bs that offer their guests a quality breakfast with choice, service and hospitality that exceeds what would be expected of their star rating. The AA also has a similar award for quality dinners. These are the logo's to look out for;

Clean, Safe & Legal Accreditaion

Properties with this accreditation have been checked for cleanliness, safety and to ensure they meet legal requirements for operating as an accommodation business. This accreditation is not a recognition of quality, unlike the star rating system which gives a grade to reflect the standard of the accommodation.

There is also a National Accessible Scheme so if you have particular mobility, visual or hearing needs, you can look out for the numerous National Accessible Scheme logos to give you peace of mind when booking accommodation. To view a list and description of these logos click here.

For further information on Quality in Tourism visit www.qualityintourism.com and for information on the AA scheme visit www.theaa.com/travel

Different types of accommodation are assessed by different criteria to achieve their rating, this can be seen on the above websites