Hotels go platinum

[photopress:platinum_Portman_Ritz_Carlton.jpg,full,alignright]China World Hotel Beijing, Garden Hotel GuangZhou, and Portman Ritz Carlton Shanghai (our illustration is of its platinum swimming pool) were recently approved as China's first batch of 'platinum five-star hotels'.

Shao Qiwei, head of the State Tourism Administration, awarded certificates and plates to the three hotels at a ceremony held in Beijing.

Hotels can apply for the title in future, but only a limited number of them would get approved.

The question is whether there is any value to these grading systems apart from publicity. In some countries the situation has approached the levels of farce with some hotels claiming they are seven star hotels — whatever that might mean. For the record this is a seven star site — which means absolutely nothing at all.

This escalation in classifications means that, eventually, the classifications beginning to lose their validity. What point is there in being a five star hotel if someone can claim they are a five star platinum hotel. And where do you go from there? Escalate the number of stars or look for a more precious substance.

There are many people who would not want to stay in a hotel graded in that way. For many tourists it is off-putting.
Source: People's Daily Online