Morocco Tourism has developed 14 types of tourist establishments, representing one or more categories of accommodation. Having these official categories and rankings, gives tourists the confidence of knowing the place they have chosen to stay at has met certain criteria.
Distribution of tourist establishments fall into one of the following 14 types and categories:
– 1 star, 2 stars, 3 stars, 4 stars, 5 stars, Luxury
– Motel: 2nd category, 1st category
– Vacation Rental: 3rd category, 2nd category, 1st category
– Real Residence Tourism Promotion: 3rd category, 2nd category, 1st category
– Hotel Club: 3rd category, 2nd category, 1st category
– Auberge: 2nd category, 1st category
– Guest house: 2nd category, 1st category, charming house
– Pension: 2nd category, 1st category
– Camping and caravanning: 2nd category, 1st category, international
– Relay: Single category
– Cottage: 2nd category, 1st category, refuge, farm houses
– Center or palace of congress: 1st category, luxury
– Bivouac Single category – Luxury tourist restaurant: 3 forks, 2 forks, 1 fork
Before an establishment can even obtain an operating ranking, which begins at the start of operating a tourist accommodation establishment, it must first obtain a Provisional Technical ranking for building permits to build or restore accommodations. This Provisional ranking aims to ensure the compliance of architectural plans of the tourist establishment to grading standards before starting work, and is pronounced before or simultaneously with authorization to construct, by the Wali of the region, on the advice of the Tourist Project Coordination Technical Committee.
Once an establishment is ready to open its doors to visitors, a manager or owner must file an operating classification request which aims to verify compliance for a grade after a visit by the Regional Commission Order. Beyond the award of an operating ranking, this visit also allows the establishment to benefit from recommendations that can improve the quality of services offered by the institution.
So what does all this mean to hotel guests and tourists?
That they can trust in and feel confident about Morocco’s classification system and its ability to rank establishment according to the star system, from one star up to 5 stars. It also allows tourist establishments to benefit from a range of competitive advantages, allowing them to enhance the quality of their services and their competitiveness at national and international levels. Now when these establishment are engaged in marketing, they have the benefit of gaining visibility and notoriety from the Moroccan National Tourist Office and Regional and Provincial Centers of Tourism with the opportunity to participate in a wide range of fairs and exhibitions in abroad and in Morocco, as well as in official country guides and standards of tourist facilities.
Post culled from eturbonews online.