Danish and Greek hotel associations join Hotelstars Union

BERN, BRUSSELS - Denmark is now the fourteenth and Greece the fifteenth member country of theHotelstars Union (HSU).
In Scandinavia, the Hotelstars Union (HSU) is now also turning into a success model. Sweden was one of the founding members of the HSU in 2009 and has been using the harmonised criteria catalogue since 2010. With Denmark joining the HSU as 14th member, another important tourist destination in Scandinavia is going to classify its hotels according to the HSU’s criteria.

After the entry of Malta in 2012, Greece is the second Mediterranean country to join the Hotelstars Union. This is yet another important step towards harmonisation with southern tourist destinations. The example of Denmark and Greece – two countries with such different climatic conditions – emphasises the flexibility of the European hotel classification system and is likely to encourage other countries to join the HSU. Presumably, Denmark and Greece are going to introduce the HSU’s system with a three-year transition period in 2015.
Harmonising the classification is believed to secure the hotel industry’s international competitiveness. This increases transparency, especially for the guests, and provides them with a means of comparison. According to Thomas Allemann, director of member services of hotelleriesuisse and this year’s general secretary of the HSU, Denmark’s and Greece’s membership is proof of the success and the increasing wish for a European harmonisation.
The Hotelstars Union was founded with the patronage of HOTREC in 2009. The founding countries are: Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Sweden, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Hungary. Since then – in addition to Denmark and Greece - Belgium, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg and Malta joined. Important tourist destinations like France, Spain, Italy and Norway are interested in the HSU and currently have the so-called observer status. The observer’s aim is to also become a member of the union in the following years. HOTREC is the European umbrella association for hotels, restaurants and cafes with 44 national member associations in 27 European countries.