PHNOM PENH, 11 June 2019: Global online travel agencies have been told to stop star rating hotels in Cambodia according to a report in the Phnom Penh Post.
It is not clear how the Ministry of Tourism will enforce its latest ruling, but according to the daily newspaper, the ministry identified TripAdvisor (uses bubble symbols, not stars) Agoda, Booking.com and Expedia as the star offenders.
The Ministry of Tourism says it has warned global online travel agencies that they cannot rate Cambodia’s hotels on their websites without the ministry’s recognition and approval.
However, there appears to be no evidence that the ministry has issued a warning directly to foreign websites although it made a reference to “fake star ratings” on its Facebook page 7 June.
The ministry warned that it was illegal for hotels to stipulate a star rating that differed from the one awarded by the ministry. It also identifies tour companies based in the country that cite a star rating for a hotel in Cambodia that is contrary to the ministry’s rating.
Ministry spokesman, Top Sopheak, said the Ministry of Tourism’s expert committees at both the national and sub-national levels authorise star rating awards.
However, there is no mention whether jurisdiction could be extended to companies not registered in Cambodia.
Hotels in Cambodia creating their own star ratings face fines and may have their licences revoked,” Sopheak told the Phnom Penh Post. Violators could face fines of between USD250 and USD1,250,
Like many national star rating schemes across Southeast Asia, international hotel companies often ignore government rating systems, while online travel agencies have their own set of rules that define how they categorise hotels on their sites.
It is difficult to envisage how the ministry could enforce its threat against international travel sites. They will argue the stars, or other symbols, are data-driven determined by responses from customers or reviewers therefore not the same as the Ministry’s evaluation, which is based on a board of experts and official manual guidelines.
A study by Bonna Realty Group identified 317 hotels with 15,000 rooms in Phnom Penh, and 417 hotels with 17,000 rooms in Siem Reap.
The report also revealed that there are 133 hotels with 4,000 rooms in Sihanoukville, while Battambang province has 45 hotels with 1,600 rooms.
A Ministry of Tourism report quoted by the Phnom Penh Post states the country has 152 hotels with 17,450 rooms. Of those, 36 are five-star hotels, 41 four-star and 32 three-star.
Since 2016, hotel owners can apply for a star rating online through an internet-based hotel-rating application platform. The traditional paper-based procedure has since been discounted.
The application form contains questions on a hotel’s location, architecture, room capacity, food and beverage services, facilities and available parking space.
A review and site inspection takes place by Tourism Ministry officials before a star rating ranging from one to five is approved.
(Source: Phnom Penh Post)
