Before the end of the summer, the hotels that are eligible will have their new star.  Already, government is considering a five-star premium.

The fifth star? The luxury hotels in France have been waiting for it a good ten years.  In most other major tourist countries, it already exists.  France was a separate group with its four-star luxury that was not always understandable for foreign tourists.

Finally created, the government took the opportunity to update the criteria for classifying hotels.  This was not simple: the hotel industry had a little trouble in agreeing all the terms.  Luc Chatel has accelerated the procedure when he was State Secretary of Tourism, in 2007.  His successor, Hervé Novelli, has maintained the pace.  At the end of last year, Directors from the hotel industry have come to agree on the 124 mandatory criteria to be met by an institution to get the fifth star.

A good selling point
For Eric Boonstoppel, director of Fouquet’s Barrière, four-star luxury today, it is a good marketing argument, but it is not an end in itself.  It was useful to develop a standard that had not been updated since 1986. The fifth star will clarify the characteristics of so-called luxury hotels. “The ten Sofitel Accor hotels in France are also waiting impatiently. “All our Sofitel have five stars around the world, except in France, while all of them meet the same standards,” said Dominique Colliat, general manager of Sofitel for Southeast Europe and the Maghreb.

A place, atmosphere, history
Thus, the French luxury?  “Generally, clients who stay in luxury hotels rarely choose their hotel based on the number of stars, says Christopher Norton, Regional Vice President and General Manager of the Four Seasons George V.  What makes the difference is the service.”

The star will appear before the end of the summer 2009, said Herve Novelli. According to the State Secretary of Tourism, about 200 hotels would qualify.  Hence the idea for “30 to 40 exception hotels”, typically the palaces, to consider a new category: the five-star premium.  In comparison, the Michelin Guide, in its edition of 2008, ranked 30 hotels five flags (red and black) which is a must; 224 have four flags (red and black).

In the coming weeks, Herve Novelli will establish a committee of professionals responsible for the listing of these hotels at the summit of luxury.  They will have to meet the criteria of the fifth star, as well as qualitative criteria (a place, a mood, a history marked by famous writers …). “A five star hotel premium sums Hervé Novelli, will be a five star hotel with an atmosphere.”