Eight hotels in Taiwan have been awarded five stars under a new hotel rating system, the Tourism Bureau under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said Nov. 16.
The eight were among the first 24 participating hotels evaluated on their hardware and quality of service by experts in the tourism sector disguised as tourists. Many well-known hotels have yet to be rated.
The hotels receiving five-star ratings are the Ambassador Hotel Kaohsiung, Caesar Park Hotel Kenting, Evergreen Laurel Hotel Taichung, Evergreen Laurel Hotel Taipei, Evergreen Plaza Hotel Tainan, The Landis Taipei Hotel, Shangri-La’s Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Taipei and Sheraton Taipei Hotel.
“Implementation of the new system is meant to help international visitors find accommodations conforming to international standards and promote services provided by hotels in Taiwan,” said Yang Yung-sheng, director of the bureau’s Hotel Inspection and Supervision Center.
According to the Tourism Bureau, the new system was developed with reference to the American Automobile Association’s system. In addition to the eight five-star hotels, one was rated as four-star, three as three-star, six as two-star and another six as one-star.
Officials said in the past, plum blossoms were used to indicate evaluations of hotel service. However, foreigners often did not understand how the rating system worked.
The Tourism Bureau said that through this new rating system, consumers will be able to find lodgings that match their needs. Establishments falsely claiming to be five-star hotels will be fined NT$50,000 (US$1,650) to NT$25 million, the bureau added. (THN)
Write to Grace Kuo at morningk@mail.gio.gov.tw