Kátay, Á. (2014). Particularities of hotel classification in the European Union. Modern Geográfia, 9(3), 37–54.
One of the known qualities of services is intangibility. One element of the touristic superstructure, the hotel offers a product which is pure service, since nothing comes into the possession of the customer apart from the experience. The demand for hotel service generally precedes its use. Therefore it is important for the customer to get a trustworthy preliminary view of the services from which he or she expects the comfort of a temporary home and the fulfillment of needs related to his or her motivations. All around Europe, Hotels use stars as communications tools to show the variety and quality of their services. Since the symbol is the same, the question whether the related services are the same in both quantity and quality also becomes important for customers. This research takes a look at the hotel, qualification requirements in use in the European Union, comparing them to customer expectations towards hotels and hotel rooms. The symbols indicating quality also suggest the hotel’s price range, but the study of price ranges is not the topic of this research.
Keywords: hotel, quality, star-rating