Certifying success
In collaboration with the German IHA hotel association, various industry associations have developed criteria that a conference hotel should meet to qualify for the Certified Conference Hotel quality label.
Establishing industry standards in the conference sector is the declared aim of a new certificate for conference hotels, that of "Certified Conference Hotel". This seal of approval is based on the "Association Criteria for Conference Hotels" developed together with the German IHA hotel association as the hallmarks of a professional conference hotel. "When we began addressing this issue not quite three years ago it soon emerged that we were embarking on a wide-ranging area," Michael Kirnberger, president of The Business Travel Association of Germany (VDR) explains. "So we looked to get in touch with institutions already active on the meetings market which, like the VDR, were also extremely interested in applying quality standards as a means of introducing transparency into a market that customers often find very opaque." The association criteria forming the basis of the certificate consist of seven categories, to which a host of compulsory criteria are assigned. The catalogue comprises not only the requirements of an hotel in architectural terms, but also of the entire process of event handling - from the request for a proposal through to settlement.
Haakon Herbst, certification project leader: With the Certified Conference Hotel label we define quality above all in relation to the services and processes a conference hotel must provide. The certificate and the relevant criteria revolve around customer care services. This begins with the request for a proposal. It continues through a central contact available before, during and after the meeting to attend to the clients wishes, and extends through to settlement, which must be presented within a fortnight of the function at the latest." In many cases, Herbst says, it is the little things that make life so much easier for both the client and the officer responsible at the hotel. Of course the Certificate examines the entire hotel, appraising the conference section in terms of room measurements, ceiling heights and appointments, the catering by service flexibility and the accommodation according to criteria of relevance during a business trip. Event experts, additionally trained by the VDR Academy, closely scrutinise the hotels for their special suitability as conference properties.
m+a report Nr.6 / 2005 vom 23.09.2005
m+a report vom 23. September 2005