Get London Graded

Ensuring quality for our visitors

What is ‘Get London Graded’?
Get London Graded is the new London-wide drive to improve standards in the capital’s accommodation by helping ungraded hotels, B&Bs and self catering properties become star rated in the national grading scheme run by the AA and VisitBritain.

Why get graded?
Star rating has many benefits. You will receive:

• A nationally recognised star rating, providing reassurance to customers
  
• Business advice from an inspector, giving you a competitive edge
  
• Free listing in the relevant publications
  
• Free listing on the AA and VisitBritain websites
  
• Exclusive training and marketing opportunities
  
• Subsidised fees of £400 over 3 years

Read what some hotels, guest accommodation and B&Bs say about becoming graded.

Special offer

In addition to the subsidy of £400, both the AA and VisitBritain are offering London hotels and guest houses an additional incentive to become graded. If you pay your annual assessment fee now at today's rates, there will be no more to pay until the next assessment in 2010 (effectively offering you 18 months for one year of fees).

How does it work?
A team of advisors is now working with ungraded properties to help them through the assessment process and to become star rated. There are four stages:

1. Visit from an LDA quality advisor – an ungraded property can request a 3 to 4 hour initial visit from an advisor to help prepare for the grading assessment process
2. Follow up one to one business advice – this advice is tailored to individual business needs and may include business development, marketing or whatever is required
3. Workshops – a free workshop on quality development
4. Subsidised assessment fees – properties that choose to become graded can receive a subsidy worth £400 over three years

Get London Graded is supported by Visit London, the AA, VisitBritain and many other business networks and trade associations.

What is the difference between the AA and VisitBritain?

The grading standards and assessment employed by the AA and VisitBritain are identical. However the benefits offered by each vary, as do the costs of joining. 

Follow the link for more information on the benefits and costs (including the LDA subsidy) of joining the AA hotel or guest accommodation scheme or the VisitBritain hotel, guest accommodation, self catering, campus accommodation or hostels scheme, along with details of special offers and answers to Frequently Asked Questions.
 
If you would like help in becoming graded then register your interest here and we will be in touch.

Please note that eligibility is restricted by State Aid rules and the programme is not available to major international hotel chains.

Click here to download a flyer in pdf format about Get London Graded.

Other accommodation quality projects from the LDA

Capital Stay. This toolkit has been written for everyone who runs an accommodation business in London and is designed to help you improve the quality of your operation.  Available in pdf and word formats, it contains practical business ideas, interviews with successful London businesses and quick reference 60-second fact sheets on key business topics.
More information.

Research project on the link between profit and quality standards. We are looking for hotels and guest houses to participate. Using the Best Practice Forum benchmarking system, specifically designed for hospitality, leisure and tourism businesses, we wish to compare key performance indicators such as average room rate and turnover over a period of 18 months to establish whether those in the grading scheme have higher levels of profitability than those not in the scheme.

Please participate in our research. Participation is completely confidential and benefits include receiving three free business improvement reports worth over £95 each, a free template for implementing/improving your customer satisfaction feedback system, and access to Best Practice Forum business coaches at a reduced rate. There are other benefits too. For more information please click here.

To find out how to take part and to receive your free reports please contact Lucy Dudman or Judith Clarke of  Hospitality and Leisure Manpower (Managers for the Best Practice Forum). Telephone: 020 8977 4419 or e mail: jc@halm.co.uk or ld@halm.co.uk