AAA Tourism Invites Feedback on Star Rating Assessment Criteria

AccomNews Monday, June 11, 2012

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The revised official star rating program has come under scrutiny from some accommodation managers who believe elements of the new assessment criteria make it too hard to retain their current star rating.

Following on from the March meeting held in Noosa between some of the local accommodation managers and AAA Tourism CEO Peter Blackwell, a group of Noosa accommodation managers have been asking for a review of the new criteria.

The Noosa Managers Working Group hopes to encourage more accommodation managers from around the country to be part of the review process and provide AAA Tourism with feedback on the new scheme. “We know our concerns are not limited to Noosa,” says spokesperson Woody Dass.

A difference of opinion exists between AAA Tourism and some accommodation managers. The managers are seeking what they believe is a more fair and balanced assessment process. There may be scope for some modification to the program in the future once all of the AAA assessments have been completed nationwide and the associated feedback is digested by those running the star rating scheme.

On 4 June AAAT’s group general manager Chris Pattas and Woody Dass went over the following key discussion points with the aim of clearing the air, gaining an understanding of the different perspectives and finding a positive way forward.

Accommodation manager’s concerns	AAA perspective
Very few if any who attended the 4 March meeting in Noosa came away feeling better. Most who attended felt Peter Blackwell hadn’t listened to their concerns and had no intention of changing the star rating process.	AAAT felt the meeting lacked an agenda and broke down into a complaint session. They were unaware Mr Dass was in Europe and disappointed he failed to show up. They believed that with their CEO present it would send a strong signal of their desire to listen and record any issues.
Manager’s biggest gripe is over the star ratings being determined by the lowest scoring area of the assessment. “There doesn’t appear to be fairness or common sense in AAA ignoring the positives the property achieved. The new system is designed to find and punish flaws rather than reward successes.”	The new star rating scheme is based on two years’ consumer feedback and industry consultation with key accommodation customers and experts. As with most new schemes there is an education process as customers adjust. No system is perfect and can accommodate every wish so feedback from customers is vital and welcome. Above everything else the scheme must be fair, objective, transparent and reflect the latest consumer needs.
Some managers express inconsistency from AAAT is a concern: Some were told a shower over bath is unacceptable and others told that’s okay for second bathroom. Assessors indicated the need to “Replace 30 x 30 floor tiles with 60 x 60 and “floor to ceiling tiles in bathrooms” while there is actually nothing in the AAA written criteria that outlines such requirements.	Mr Pattas advises that all assessors follow a rigorous and documented process. They are continually trained on the new process. Human errors do sometimes occur where there is some level of judgement involved. Also some criteria can result in borderline outcomes. For this reason, all customers have access to a review process if they believe the assessment has been unfair or incorrect. There is a small cost for this review to cover extra costs and discourage frivolous claims. Mr Pattas indicated to his knowledge none of the Noosa managers have sought a review.
Several managers with quality older complexes across the Sunshine Coast and as far north as Port Douglas were told it is unlikely they will ever achieve a 4½ star rating again without doing a major refurb of the complex inside and out.	All assessments must be documented and any feedback by assessors would be qualified with specific reasons against criteria. If the criteria does not reflect modern consumer requirements then AAAT are pleased to see evidence of this. Above anything else, the new scheme must be consistent and fair in differentiating properties with different standards. This is the key reason the scheme is trusted.
Many managers see a benefit of staying with AAA is the leverage the assessments provide when trying to get unit owners to upgrade. However, if the new AAA criteria make it impossible to achieve or maintain the current rating, the owners and body corp committees will be de-motivated to spend/gamble money on their units. Example: A Noosa resort manager was told the complex would need to replace the terracotta tiles in all the common areas to meet 4½ star standards. Although there is nothing wrong with the tiles, terracotta is dated. The cost to replace at $200,000 is unrecoverable and unjustifiable leaving the resort in an impossible position.	It’s not possible to discuss individual concerns without knowing more about the particular situation. The resort should seek a review of the assessment if they believe the assessment was unfair against the criteria. The intent is always for AAAT to be transparent and fair and to educate where possible owners on the new scheme. One way we do address investment concerns is to provide a timeframe for these investments to occur. In some cases we have reviewed a rating where there has been a commitment made to improvements. The end result is always that in the eyes of the consumer the rating reflects modern needs and expectations.
Many managers believe a positive rating on TripAdvisor is more valuable than a star rating Should AAAT factor customer satisfaction into the assessment criteria?	Guest reviews are welcome and used in conjunction with the star rating by travellers to make decisions. They are, of course, not independent or consistent. There is also no way to prove the review is by someone who stayed at the property. They are also not statistically valid in some areas with low take up. In any case, they are useful as they measure customer experience and intangibles that consumers do value. Used with a star rating they provide a good measure of what to expect. We have a guest rating system in NZ called Been There that we expect to launch in Australia later this year using real bookings and archiving anything older than five years.
The Noosa Managers Working Group has been in contact with other managers throughout Queensland, the north and central coast of NSW and Victoria. More than 365 managers have expressed common concerns about the new assessment criteria and feel their concerns are not being listened to by AAA management.	Chris would love to hear specific feedback that is linked to either criteria not being relevant to modern consumer expectations or to weightings being unfair. In the end, the measure is consumer expectations because that is the promise of the star rating scheme. Chris welcomes an opportunity to review specific concerns. AAAT does intend to conduct a thorough review of all feedback once the majority of properties have been assessed later this year.

Manager’s suggestions for modifying the star rating assessment criteria

AAA’s response

Re-consider (dump) the way the star rating is now awarded based on the lowest common denominator. Use all three criteria to determine a fair and balanced evaluation of the property and appropriate star rating.

The new scheme is based on extensive consultation and is supported by the vast majority of star rating licensees. AAAT welcomes relevant and specific feedback about the scheme structure. AAAT also is able to review specific assessments.

Is there a contradiction in the way the current three criteria are weighted? If 94% surveyed by AAA rate cleanliness as the most important feature then cleanliness should hold a greater weight and importance than the other criteria?

The weighting determination was part of the consultation process. The survey percentage is an indication of level of support for inclusion rather than weighting against other factors.

Find a way to include customer satisfaction in the overall evaluation either as a fourth criteria or as ‘bonus points’ used to offset an aged but in good condition aspect. eg Where the bathrooms or kitchens haven’t been fully refurbished but are generally in good condition, the resort could still receive a 4½ star rating because the customer satisfaction level is high enough to indicate the customers aren’t concerned about the age of the resort.

Guest ratings will be considered as part of the review later this year

Allow for the differences between accommodations rather than defining prescriptive parameters such as floor to ceiling tiles in the bathrooms; size of tiles, expensive brand appliances; the assessments should not be rating style over functionality.

This is easy to say but the scheme must be transparent and the criteria not subject to interpretation otherwise the core promise of consistency is not achieved. The question that should be asked is whether something is an expectation by consumers today – that is the key driver of the criteria.

Appreciate that most managers would prefer to work with AAAT towards agreeing on an effective and practical set of clearly defined criteria that offer the opportunity and incentive to maintain the current star rating.

AAAT want to assist all their customers to keep up with modern consumer expectations and want to also achieve high customer satisfaction with the way we go about achieving a robust, objective, independent and trusted scheme.

The differences in the criteria between a whole and whole + ½ star seem arbitrary. Would AAA consider dropping the ½ star altogether ***, ****, or *****

There was no evidence in the consultation for the new scheme that there were too many levels. If the number of levels were reduced it would reduce the information available to the consumer. The consumer is the final arbitrator and 90% of auto club members told us in a recent survey that they used the star rating as part of their decision process.

AAAT group general manager Chris Pattas strongly encourages and invites feedback from all the accommodation managers who have been assessed to date. Whether feedback is positive or critical, receiving it is the only way to document the overall satisfaction and acceptance of the new program. If accommodation managers have concerns they should let AAAT know in writing. Chris Pattas has given his assurance that AAAT is committed to responding to every written concern. We may disagree on some outcomes but the intent is to have a robust and fair scheme that is relevant to consumers.

Woody Dass advises, “AAAT has provided this opportunity for accommodation managers to have their concerns heard and acted upon. If the large numbers of discontented accommodation managers that we are aware of don’t take the time to share their concerns directly with AAAT, then those of us who have will appear to be nothing more than a handful of disgruntled managers facing a possible downgrade. Even sending a brief message to express your view is better than saying nothing at all. If accommodation managers seriously expect AAAT to listen and, more importantly, modify the new assessment criteria, AAAT needs to see those concerns expressed from Port Douglas to Queenscliff.”

For anyone who wishes to share their feedback about the new star rating assessment criteria submissions can be sent directly to Chris Pattas at [email protected] and/or the Noosa Managers Working Group at [email protected]