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| Hospitality Today | Spring 2017
VisitEngland awards star-
rating contract to the AA
Industry concerns about AA ‘monopoly’
VisitEngland announced on 10 April that the contract to run the VisitEngland Quality
Assessment Schemes under licence for the next three years has been awarded to the
AA (trading as VisitEngland Assessment Services). Some industry figures have raised
questions about this creating a “monopoly” on assessment services.
VisitEngland (VE) Chief Executive
Sally Balcombe (right) said: “I am delighted
to announce this contract which guarantees
the standards and expectations our scheme
participants have come to expect
whilst maintaining continuity of
service and also matching our
ambitions to develop the schemes
further and add value.”
The AA has more than 100
years’ experience inspecting
and rating hotels and guest
accommodation across the UK
and follows the same common standards
used by VisitEngland and the national
tourist boards in Scotland, Wales and
Northern Ireland.
VE said that the VisitEngland Quality
Assessment Schemes “will remain
separate to the AA’s existing assessment
schemes and participants will continue to
be able to choose between the VisitEngland
and AA accommodation schemes. All
current ratings, logos, marques and
accolades remain unchanged and
there will be no discernible change
for participants.”
The AA’s Head of Hotel Services,
Andrew Oxley (right) said:
“Being awarded the licence to run
the VisitEngland schemes is the
start of an exciting new chapter
in our history. For the last 20 years we
have worked together closely in developing
the common standards, and we now look
forward to supporting VisitEngland’s aims of
helping a wide range of tourism businesses
grow in quality and profitability.”