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The world's oldest hotel according to Guinness Book of World Records is Hoshi Ryokan in the village of Awazu, Japan.

Classifying a hotel in India is no easy feat, especially in today’s world where the difference between four and five star hotels is a little opaque. A quick example of this opacity can be tested with a basic bath tub - most hotels, four stars upwards, have one, despite it being only a ‘desirable’ requirement and not a ‘necessary’ one. Hotel chains are constantly pushing the envelope and looking to upgrade their facilities in order to attract, retain and sometimes even steal guests to increase their own businesses.HotelierIndia.com talks to industry veterans to gain an insight into important issues including why you should classify your hotel, how to do it and why six and seven star hotels are only as real as Peter Pan.

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When one thinks of how hotels are classified, more often than not, ideas of a fashionably posh gentleman come to mind.

A gentleman who is wined and dined and outrageously fussed over by innumerable hotel staff; exotic foods are served, champagne becomes the order of the day and waiters dive to grab the napkin that has fallen from his lap. He is a member of the hotel star-rating committee. He is king.

But any hotel classification committee member will quell this notion for you in a matter of seconds. In truth, it couldn’t be more different. The Indian classification system is considered by many in the hotel industry to be among the best in the world.

The Indian Ministry of Tourism, a government body, is in charge of classifying hotels across the country. Everyone swears by it including several hotel general managers, hotel chain board members and hotel association members.

What is a hotel rating system?
Hotel ratings or classifications are systems that rank hotels, mostly, according to quality (the French system is the only one in the world that ranks them on quantity).

The idea behind hotel classifications is to assist guests in choosing the kind of hotel and budget they would like to stay in while making it amply clear what sorts of facilities and services they can expect during their stay.

Backing this reason is The Oberoi Group president Liam Lambert, who quantifies it in a rather creative manner.

He says, “Classification is actually in the mind of the consumer. They’re the ones who need to know what they can expect. But, what’s interesting is, if it’s a consumer need, why is there no government body that classifies a car for example into a category A or B or C? Why is it only hotels and restaurants?”

While we can only wait for a government rating system for all sorts of goods and services to come into existence in the near future, what we can witness happening this year is a trial run of the first World Hotel Rating System.