The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) said it has certified 13 hotels in Maharashtra under new norms that are more contemporary and global in standards compared to existing ratings.

THE HOTEL and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) said it has certified 13 hotels in Maharashtra under new norms that are more contemporary and global in standards compared to existing ratings.

"The objective behind developing the Indian Hospitality Quality Standards (IHQS) is to educate our members on modern quality standards and reduce the burden of the Ministry of Tourism (MoT).

"Presently the MoT is responsible for conducting audits and rating hotels," said HRAWI President Dilip Datwani.

The objective behind this initiative is to bring in standards of evaluation and parity that are in line with international standards, as well as making redundant some criteria in star ratings that have become irrelevant today, he added.

It’s a first of its kind independent classification system in India and will follow the global practice of trade bodies rating hotels and ensuring adherence to best practices and standards, HRAWI said.

As per the new norms, hotel properties will be classified, rated or graded under six categories listed as Budget, Classic, Premium, Luxury, Deluxe Luxury and Primo Luxury, and will be uniform for both domestic and foreign tourists.

HRAWI has engaged an external agency for the purpose of auditing hotels, which will independently verify and award each hotel a fair classification based on product and service standards experienced.

Along with the awarded certificate, the agency will transparently share a detailed scorecard that will allow the hotel to make improvements if and where required.

"Over the past years, standards have suffered a dilution. Also in the interim, several hotel service companies like Online Travel Agencies and many self-appointed quality monitoring and review sites have mushroomed, creating their own standards. But with HRAWI overlooking the process of classification, hotels can now be assured," former president of HRAWI Kamlesh Barot said.