Two hundred more hotels to receive star ratings

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MoCT) is getting ready to assign star ratings to 200 hotels. This will be the second grading after one was carried out with other hotels three years ago.
Local examiners are currently being trained to grade the hotels, which is expected to be carried out during this coming Ethiopian year.
According to MoCT hotels with at least 11 rooms are eligible for grading.  The hotels also must pass checks for health, safety and security, fire, environmental services requirements for waste management and have certified documentary evidence of compliance.
The ratings are determined by 12 evaluation categories which look at things like the exterior building, parking, gardening, safety and security, housekeeping and maintenance and the kitchen. Criteria such as decoration, lighting, electronic appliances, flooring, escalators, and ceiling, space factor into the decision.
The evaluations add up to a total score. Hotels with over 80 points are given five stars, 70 four stars, 60 three stars, 50 two and  30 one, according to the document.
The five stars convey exceptional standards while four conveys excellent, three, two and one convey very good, good and acceptable standard respectively.
Tibebe Sahle, Tourist  Services  Classification expert at MoCT told Capital that 44 trainers are completing their training and the grading will be carried out by local people.
“During the last grading people from the  United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) helped do  the grading but now we are planning to undertake the second round of grading with local staff,” she said.
In the August 2015 evaluation the Ministry  awarded four stars to Intercontinental-Addis, Harmony, Dreamliner, Jupiter (Kazanchis), Saro-Maria, Debredamo, Nathera, Friendship, Nexus, Washington, Sarem International, Jupiter (Bole) and Tegen Guest Accommodation hotels.
Three stars were also awarded to 25 hotels and 19 hotels got two star ratings. Seven hotels received a one star rating. Twenty seven of the tested hotels were deemed unfit to receive a star rating.
Getfam, Sheraton Addis, Elilly International and Capital Hotel & Spa and Radison Blue  and  Golden Tulip  Addis Ababa were labeled as five star hotels during  the previous rating
In the past five years on average one hotel has  been constructed in Addis Ababa. Twenty years ago there were less than 10 standard hotels  now there are over 160.
Across Ethiopia  more than 600 hotels are available but most  of them are concentrated  in Addis Ababa, Hwasssa, Bahir Dar, Adama and Mekele.