World Class Standards, By Industry for Industry
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Now it's time to let you know where we've got to.
Undoubtedly the biggest piece of work has been in the hotel sector, where together with the Hotel Council, its members and other representatives of the sector, we've been combing through criteria last changed back in 2002. The update was clearly needed given the pace of change in the industry in the last eight years, but was also driven by feedback from licence holders and, pleasingly, the growth in the sector.
Customer research has pointed to various attributes of the hotel "experience" which should count most towards a star rating. You won't be surprised to hear that these are in-room/unit facilities, cleanliness and staff responsiveness. We learnt that guests are not as concerned about what a room has to offer as we had thought.
So while a number of the criteria have had simple updates, for example around the ability to make reservations online, others have been redeveloped or deleted entirely. Given the customer research, new customer service and restaurant service sections have been added. Correspondingly, the weighting given to bedrooms has been reduced. Also suggested by the industry was the strengthening of the minimum requirements for 5 star properties along with the introduction of a Mystery Shopper component to their ratings.
Assessors have already piloted and trialled some of the changes. These updated criteria will maintain the calibre of the industry as a whole, and are what hoteliers want to maintain their reputation for quality.
The holiday park criteria have also been completed and thanks to HAPNZ, the criteria are now easier to follow and more relevant for operators. The customer service areas have been strengthened and there are additions to the minimum requirement section.
Assessors have been using the new criteria from 31 August, but operators will have 12 months from the date of their next assessment or until November 2011, whichever comes later, to take on the recommendations in their report. That gives operators some breathing space with the advent of the Rugby World Cup.
I want to warmly thank everyone for their involvement in the hotel and holiday park criteria updates.
The processes have been rigorous, involving extensive industry engagement and piloting. As a result, industry leaders have developed world class standards, which Qualmark will work hard to maintain on their behalf.
I would like to welcome Paula McCallum as the new General Manager of Qualmark. Paula has significant experience in sales, marketing, business and change management from a wide variety of industries and we're delighted she's joined the team.
Finally, I also want to welcome Tim Hunter to the position of Chair of Qualmark. Tim is Tourism New Zealand's General Manager New Zealand Operations. Tim is also Executive Manager of i-SITE New Zealand.
David Wilks started his new position as Director of the Commercial Business Unit at the Department of Conservation in early September.
David Wilks
Qualmark
