Subic Bay’s
first Guest rated Hotel and Resort ranking system.
What would you expect from a 5 star hotel? How
about a 3
star? With no “official” rating system
in the Philippines,
hotels and marketing agencies just set their own. One town in an
outlaying area
set its own rating system. It awarded “5 STARS” to its best hotel, it
is
equipped with” luxury” items such as a bathroom en suite including a
shower with
hot water (4 hours a day) and electricity 4 hours a day. Seahorse
Tours
has developed a 2 part rating system (quality and Value), using
International
standards and guest inputs to evaluate hotels and eliminate surprises.
“ We are
often asked how many “stars” a hotel or resort has” states Charles
Davis,
President of Seahorse Tours & Souvenirs He adds: “Some of the local
properties that claim 4 stars in their marketing material have become
run down
in the last number of years and do not still deserve such a rating. We
decided
that to properly inform our guest we need to develop our own system.”Many people, especially those from outside of
the country place too much reliance on the Department of Tourism (DOT)
accreditation programs. That program was never intended to be a full
rating
service. The DOT program deals with just the physical structure and
does not
truly reflect the quality of a hotel or resort.In addition some of the “requirements” are not always desirable
in a
beach front resort or in a boutique hotel. The
DOT program is voluntary and many fine
properties do not apply.
The
“Seahorse”
system takes elements from other ranking systems and creates a system
in which
local properties are rated against each other and an international
scale.The
ratings will appear on our hotel Page
The quality rating
uses a one to five sea horse rating.
·5 Seahorses - An excellent resort
with superior
first-class accommodations and guest service
·4 Seahorses - A first-class resort
hotel or
condo with a good selection of guest service.
·3
Seahorses
- A comfortable hotel or condo with simple accommodations and public
area
·2
Seahorses
- A modest hotel or condo with limited choice of amenities and
·1
Seahorse - A basic budget hotel or condo with few public areas or
amenities.
The value system gives five possible rating also:
Two thumbs up- our
best rating an excellent value for the money spent
Kool-a good value for the money spent
Shrug - the I guess it was worth it rating
Frown- Over priced, not worth what was paid.
Cry-a
total rip off, they should of paid me to stay there
The evaluation is
based on a number of different factors. First is our staff input, we
created a
baseline for each hotel and resort. We included our ocular visits,
reports from
past guest, the flexibility of dealing with the property and similar
elements.
Our staff also drops into the different restaurants and lounges at the
properties to keep touch with what is going on. The
bulk of the rating is from our past guest.
We sent surveys to our past guest asking a number of questions about
how they
felt about the place they stayed at.
“Overall, we see this as part of our
responsibility in
marketing Subic Bay” says Charles,” We are the only tour operator and
travel
agent who solely focused on Subic Bay
and the
surrounding areas.Most of the travel
agents that sell Subic Bay have never
been
here, while this is where we live, work and play. If the area is to
continue to
grow, the public and travel agents need a clear view of what is being
offered,
We see this 2 part system as a step in that direction.”Seahorse Tours & Souvenirs is focused on
marketing Subic Bay as a travel
destination.We are also a (
http://www.subicbaydive.com
) dive specialist marketing dive packages to
Subic Bay
within the region
Two thumbs up- our
best rating an excellent value for the money spent
Kool- a good value for the money spent
Shrug - the I guess it was worth it rating
Frown- Over priced, not worth what was paid.
Cry- a
total rip off, they should of paid me to stay there