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What is the true meaning of the ‘2 star’ and ‘3 star’ ratings displayed by Paris hotels on their websites? Can you rely on them to select the right hotel?

In this article I will clear the mystery in an easily understandable way, so that you know what to expect when you select a hotel category on travel websites.

As I wrote earlier in another article re-published by various websites (a copy of which you can find at www.paris-eiffel-tower-news.com/editorials/paris-editorial-comparing-hotel-rating-systems.htm), the hotel rating system in France works on a specific set of criteria.

Hotels are categorized (their number of stars) based on their compliance with this set of criteria.

The French rating system differs widely from the many systems used by commercial travel websites to rate hotels. Comparing the French system with commercial star ratings amounts to comparing apples with cabbage.

Basic differences

There are three basic reasons why all these ratings are not comparable:

1. The French rating system acts as a single standard: all hotels across France are categorized on the basis of a single system. A 3-star in Paris will have to comply with almost the same criteria as a 3-star in the countryside. Comparability between hotels is 98% ensured. In other words, whether you travel to Paris or to the sunny city of Nice, 3-star hotels will show about the same basic characteristics here and there.
   
   
2. The French rating system was not born out of mercantile purposes but framed by French lawmakers. Because this system has no basis in money, no hotel can be ‘upgraded a star or two’ just because it pays a fatter booking commission to a website operator. A hotel qualifies under French law for a specific star category, not for the next one up. Period.
   
   
3. Lastly, and this is the most important factor, the French rating system does not measure quality but quantity. Quality is in part a matter of opinion. Quantity is measurable and verifiable.

The French hotel rating system uses a total set a 22 criteria and sub-criteria to measure the presence or absence of certain features in the hotel, and the square footage it devotes to various spaces.

Based on these objective measurements, the hotel is given its stars by the authorities.

The owners may of course remodel their hotel, and apply for a star upgrade. The review process will be based on the same criteria as before, and the re-rating will be decided on the basis of compliance with the same objective measurements.

The nitty gritty

I will compare the room requirements for a 2 star hotel, and those for a 3-star hotel. To make it more legible, I will proceed in the form of a Q&A:

Number of rooms

Q. How many rooms must a 2 star hotel have?

A. A minimum of 7. As long as a hotel features 7 rooms fulfilling the exact requirements of the 2-star category, it fulfills this condition. It may have more than 7 rooms of course.

Q. How many rooms must a 3 star hotel have?

A. A minimum of 10, but if the hotel can prove that its building may not technically house 10 rooms, the law provides that this number can go down to 7.

Surface area of the rooms

Q. What must be the minimum square footage of the rooms of a 2-star hotel?

A. It depends on the number of persons which can be bedded in the room considered. The following table summarizes the minimum room surface area requirements as a function of the number of persons bedded per room. Note: surface figures may not include the bathroom surface area.

Special conditions apply to 3 and 4 person rooms: if the beds for the 3 rd and 4th persons are fold-away beds or sofas, the minimum surface requirement of a room can be reduced by 1 square meter (10 sq.ft).

Q. What is the minimum square footage of the rooms of a 3-star hotel?

A. Just as for a 2-star, the minimum surface requirements for the rooms of a 3-star hotel depends on the number of persons a room can accommodate. Note: surface figures may not include the bathroom surface area.

Note: The same Special Conditions as for a 2-star hotel apply.

Q. The hotel we looked at on the web offers bunk beds. How is that possible?

A. The law provides that hotels with more than 1 star may not offer bunk beds to their guests, except if only open during the high season (this applies to resort hotels which open only a few months a year).

If the hotel you looked at is in Paris and offer bunk beds, it’s a 1-star or no-star hotel.

Q. I measured the square footage of my room, and it didn’t meet the requirements. Why?

A. Hotels which were in operation before the coming into effect of the law (Feb. 1986) may still qualify for their star category so long as their rooms’ size are not short more than 10% of the category standard room size if building new bathrooms in the rooms made it impossible for the hotel to satisfy the minimum surface requirements.

Insulation and soundproofing

Q. Does the law require my 2-star hotel to have shutters?

A. No, neither 2-star hotels, nor 3-star hotels are required to have shutters. If such hotels do not have shutters, they are however required to provide an in-room device to block the light (curtains).

Q. Does the law require that my hotel room be carpeted?

A. Not strictly in these terms. The law provides that room floor be covered with the proper material to “ensure adequate soundproofing”. If your hotel has hardwood floors but you do not hear your neighbors’ walking over your head, your hotel is in compliance with the law. The standard of “adequate floor soundproofing” applies to both 2-star and 3-star hotels.

Q. Does the law provide that rooms be soundproofed?

A. Yes. The law states that “All technical measures must be taken to ensure sufficient soundproofing pursuant to building codes”. In other words, if you hear your neighbor sneezing, the walls are probably not adequately soundproofed, and the hotel is at fault.

You may also find yourself in a situation where an obnoxious neighbor is talking too loud. In that case, soundproofing would not be defective but your neighbor’s behavior would. Consider knocking at his/her door to ask him/her to pipe down (politely).

Q. Our room overlooked a very busy street. The windows were not double-glazed the noise was very bothering us even with windows shut. Is this normal?

A. It depends on the local building codes. The law states: “All technical measures must be taken to ensure sufficient soundproofing pursuant to building codes”. If the building codes do not mandate that all windows be equipped with double-glazing, then the hotel may avoid the expense.

You have two options : either ask to be boarded in a room overlooking the courtyard, or change hotel.

Sanitary equipments

Q. What kind of sanitary equipment should my room have?

A. All hotels are required to equip their rooms with a sink with running hot and cold water. Since 2-star and 3-star hotels have different other requirements, the following table summarizes everything.

Q. Our bathroom was so small, it was almost impossible to move about in it. How come?

Always check the photos on the hotel’s website before booking, and email your questions to the hotel in case of doubt. If you are disappointed on arrival, ask to be switched to a different room, or change hotel.

Lighting system

Q. My room seemed dark. What is the minimum lighting standard?

A. The law provides that rooms in all 2-star and 3-star hotels be equipped with at least 1 main light, and 1 headboard light per guest. The lighting installation must be of a minimum power of 15 watts/sq.meter (15 watts per 10 sq.ft). In 3-star hotels, the table-desk must have its own lighting fixture. All 3-star hotels must also allow their guests to turn the main light source of the room on and off from at least one of the beds.

Q. What kind of electrical installation should a bathroom or private shower have?

A. The law provides that in all hotels, bathrooms must be lit by at least 1 lightbulb of 75 watts, and equipped with 1 razor electrical plug. The law mandates that no electrical equipment shall be installed in such a way as to allow a person sitting in a bathtub to reach an electrical switch or outlet.

Q. Out of my room, the corridor was very dark. Is it normal?

A. The electrical equipment of all common parts in any hotel must have a minimum power of 10 watts/sq. meter. This figure goes down to 5 watts/sq. meter in the corridors.

Telephone

Q. Should I be able to use the phone out of my room?

A. All 2-star and 3-star hotels must offer a public phone booth. The law states that this booth should be enclosed and soundproofed. The law adds however that in 2-star hotels, the hotel is allowed to install a public phone on a wall without enclosing it.

Q. The phone system in my room was out-of-order. Is it normal?

A. No, the hotel should have repaired it. The law states that all rooms in 2-star and 3-star hotels must feature a phone system allowing guests to call the switchboard and other rooms, as well as to dial a phone number on the telecom network. If the law mandates all rooms to be equipped this way, it obviously implies that this equipment should be in good working order.

Elevators

Q. Should my hotel be equipped with an elevator?

A. If it is a 2-star hotel and it has at least 5 floors (ground floor incl.), yes. If it is a 3-star hotel and it has a least 4 floors (ground floor incl.), yes

Note: the law also provides that in case of a duly proven technical impossibility, the hotel may be exempted from having to offer an elevator.

Q. The elevator was so small! Is it normal?

A. It is legal, as inconvenient as it might be. The law does not state the minimum size of the elevator floor. Remember that most buildings in Paris were built before elevators became common currency. In a very large percentage of cases, buildings with elevators had to be retrofitted, oftentimes by cutting into their staircases.

Heating, air-conditioning

Q. I was in Paris during summertime, and my hotel room had no air-conditioning. How can that be since it was a 3-star hotel?

A. The law provides that all 2-star and 3-star hotels have to be equipped with heating systems or air-conditioning systems. This is important: if your hotel was equipped with electric heaters or a central heating system, it is in compliance with the law, event though it didn’t have air-conditioning.

Remember that France is situated in a “temperate climate zone”. Air-conditioning is still relatively “new” in this country, though A/C installation services have been operating there since over 30 years. A/C is simply not part of the French culture. On the contrary, French people generally do not like A/C, and often catch a cold when they are in a cold A/C’ed environment. Traditionally, French households open their windows to let fresh air in their homes -- come summer or winter.

Heating is a different story: French homes and apartments have been equipped with central heating systems for some 80 years, and individual electrical heaters started to become a staple about 25 years ago. Here is a case where the law was modeled after a historical tradition.

Q. The website of the hotel advertises their rooms are air-conditioned. Yet, when we arrived in Paris, no rooms were air-conditioned.

A. If the website specifically advertises the rooms are air-conditioned, the hotel is at fault. But be sure to check one thing: the hotel’s website may mention that air-conditioning is part of their “Services”. This usually means that the rooms are not air-conditioned, but that the hotel makes portable air-conditioning units available to their guests.

Paris hotel owners are becoming a lot more aware of the needs and requirements of American tourists. Many of the hotels have bought individual A/C units in order to accommodate their guests’ preferences.

Service

Q. Should there be an English-speaking person at the front desk?

A. French law makes it mandatory for the front desk of a 2-star hotel to be attended by a person speaking at least 1 foreign language, but it does not state that this must be the English language. For a 3-star hotel, the law requires that at least 2 foreign languages be spoken at the front desk, and one of these foreign languages must be the English language.

Q. We selected a 2-star hotel, and we were wondering if room service will be offered. There is no mention of that on their website.

A. The law only requires 3-star hotels to offer their guests the possibility to be served their breakfast in their rooms. No such obligation is made to 2-star hotels. E-mail the hotel and ask them what is their policy in this regards.

Q. What does the law say in regards to serving breakfast in a Paris hotel?

A. All hotels are required to serve breakfast. In 2-star hotels, breakfast is served in a breakfast room. At the discretion of the hotel management, it can also be served in the rooms. In the 3-star category, all hotel must service breakfast in a breakfast room and in guests’ rooms.

Q. Is a Paris hotel required to serve lunch or dinner?

A. French law does not mandate 2-star and 3-star hotels to have catering facilities. Only 4-star and 4-star luxury must have such facilities.

Installations for the disabled

French law only requires that new buildings be equipped with proper entrances, elevators, and access facilities for disabled persons.

Most building in Paris are over 80 years old. At the time, the French society did not care adequately for its disabled folks.

A. number of Parisian hotels offer one or two rooms on the ground floor to accommodate the needs of their wheelchair-bound guests. Accessing other floors may be a problem when the size of the elevator is small. As I mentioned earlier, elevators were integrated in buildings long after the latter were erected, and the space in an elevator is often insufficient to allow for a wheelchair.

Hotel bathrooms are usually not equipped with handles, and I rarely observed raised toilet seats.

As a general rule, I found that hotel personnel are very aware that disabled persons sometimes need a helping hand, and they are ready to help with luggage, wheelchairs, and other requirements.

Codes and stars

These legal requirements only determine the star category of the hotel. They are complemented by the building codes, which are much more voluminous. Building codes do not determine the star category of a hotel.

A last reminder

When you look for a hotel, it is always advisable to find the hotel’s own website. You can start with a large travel site, but once you found a few hotels which seem to fit your criteria, copy their names and go to http://www.Google.com. Enter one name in the search box, and look for the hotel’s own website in the results.

The hotel’s website is the place where you will see the largest number of photos. It also offers you the possiblity to communicate with the hotel management, and ask them your questions.

Phil Chavanne Senior Editor,
Paris-Eiffel-Tower-News.com

PS - I will soon publish a full article on the subject of finding hotels’ websites directly, what to look for, how to look for it, and how you will often benefit from negotiating directly with the hotels.

This article will contain sensitive information some big guys won’t like, and frankly, I will only send it to those of you who require it specifically.

If you wish to be on my personal list of Paris insiders, please enter your information below, and check the appropriate boxes. This is the Editor’s private list, I won’t spam you.

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