QualSTAR, COVID Compliance Certification agency in India, helps hotels ensure safest stays for their patrons.
Lipla Negi
Putting the pandemic behind them, an increasing number of Indian travellers are eyeing to travel to domestic tourist destinations. Driven by a desire to explore and be outdoors after consecutive lockdowns, their passion for travel is also being fanned by emerging travel trends such as revenge travel, staycations, and digital detox and the like. This presents hotels and resorts in the country with an opportunity to capitalise on the growing craze for domestic destinations.
But it is not the same for travellers anymore. Domestic travellers’ expectations of hotel stays and services have changed, especially when it comes to cleanliness and hygiene. They are increasingly opting for hotels that offer the assurance of quality in every sense. Of late, safety and hygiene have pipped pricing to become the concerns of domestic travellers. And this puts into focus the significance and value of standardisation and quality certification for a hotel.
Armed with understanding of guest experiences in the industry, gathered after research conducted with the help of the most renowned and celebrated organisations in the world, QualSTAR helps existing as well as new hotels ensure the highest safety and service standards for an unmistakable guest experience. Addressing the need of the hour, QualSTAR COVID Safety Compliance scheme is a certification that assists hotel in strict adherence of COVID-19 safety guidelines. It has been accredited by National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB) that falls under the umbrella of Quality Council of India (QCI), an undertaking of Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India. It aims to provide an objective assessment of the preventive measures adopted by hotels to mitigate COVID-19-related risks and health hazards.
QualSTAR is the first and only COVID Compliance Certification Agency, accredited by NABCB (a member of International Accreditation Forum in line with international standards for the accommodation sector. The QualSTAR COVID Safety Compliance scheme is based on guidelines by the World Health Organization (WHO), MOT, Union Ministry of Tourism, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and other government organisations.
Par excellence
To ensure safety and hygiene in the industry, the government launched a COVID-19 compliance scheme called SAATHI, where a hotel can do self-assessment and take a print out of the certificate. Although this self-assessment scheme is available free of cost, the absence of a third-party audit and assurance often fails to win the confidence and trust of frequent travellers. Unwilling to compromise on safety and hygiene standards, travellers today don’t mind going an extra mile to hunt down hotels that have gone through the grilling process of standardisation and exhibit their ‘stars’ proudly and stamped by a trusted authority.
QualSTAR is India’s only hotel classification and COVID-19 compliance certification body which is approved by the Ministry of Commerce through the Quality Council of India (QCI) and the National Accredited Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB). This certification has come after almost five years of research on Indian and international standards, developing a scheme that was approved by the NABCB. The hotel classification is highly trusted and widely recognised in the industry, which directly translates into meeting guest service standards, amplifying the visibility of your property and expanding your reach to a wider range of discerning domestic as well as global tourists.
Hygiene in focus
Unlike traditional classification inspections, QualSTAR undertakes an in-depth audit covering 360 degrees of hotel products, services, compliance, business practices, and business continuity. The certification begins with the application and review of statutory compliance. Before the audit, a deep dive into the hotel, the facilities it offers are reviewed on the website and physically verified during mystery audits.
The mystery audit of hotel products and services is followed by an announced audit of the heart of the house areas that support the guest services. This is followed by the verification of statutory compliance, the business processes, and guest complaints and their resolution process. The entire audit takes almost two days and two nights and could also be extended by a day, depending on the size of the hotel and the facilities it offers. The auditing mechanism is only to improve the hotel and its performance when it comes to guest services and products.
World-class auditors
It typically takes two days and two nights for two auditors to physically audit a five-star hotel. The QualSTAR auditors are appointed after going through a rigorous assessment process. The audit team is experienced and well versed in the international standards and protocols to be followed while auditing a facility. All the auditors come with over 10 years of experience in the hospitality industry. They have been trained on ISO 17065 requirements, auditing techniques as per ISO 19011, and as per World Health Organisation (WHO) standards. The audit team goes the extra mile to conduct objective and customised analysis of the results. This enables your standards to be on par with internationally relevant guest expectations. And more importantly, the standards become enablers of ultimate guest satisfaction. Taking along the in-house team, the auditors dive deep into the analysis of scores across QualSTAR parameters to get an extensive understanding of your hotel’s performance and market standing.
Covering all dimensions
Like any other industry, third-party inspections are unarguably important for hotels to be on a path of continual improvement. At the same time, for the guests, it is important to have quality assurance from a third-party certification. The QualSTAR audit covers Dimension 0 to Dimension 8 – from statutory compliance to business risks, energy reduction goals to sustainability with all stakeholders. Today, hygiene and guest satisfaction are inextricably linked and this new found relationship between the two holds an even greater impact brand image. The hotel guests want to travel to places that offer privacy, seclusion, and stay at hotels that follow all COVID-19 protocols and promise a safe and hygienic environment.
