MoT accredits five-star hotels and restaurants

Pubs and cafés could be rated next

The Holiday Inn Beirut-Dunes was officially declared a five-star hotel, the hotel’s management recently announced. The certification, issued by the Ministry of Tourism (MoT) and Bureau Veritas, adheres to the accreditation scheme launched by the MoT two years ago.

The program intends to classify and certify hotels, restaurants, and tourist residences, said Nada Sardouk, Director General of the MoT. A decision issued by the MoT in July 2010, assigned Bureau Veritas Lebanon to perform the classification of tourism establishments. The deal required the company to undertake a re-evaluation study for all tourism and hotel businesses within five years.

Certifications were granted based on the results of inspections performed by the company. “At first, the system was confronted with much aggressiveness, but later on it started running smoothly. Now we are receiving many requests for accreditation,” Sardouk said.

According to the MoT progress report, 60 hotels have received certifications so far, with another 37 being submitted to re-inspections. Out of the accredited hotels, 20 are classified as five-star venues.

Around 80 restaurants have earned certifications, of which 14 are five-star venues. Most of the diners were classified in the two-star and three-star categories. Certifications were also granted to 13 tourist residences, with another two currently being re-inspected.

Sardouk said the MoT is considering applying the accreditation scheme to pubs and coffee shops.

Accreditations provided by Bureau Veritas are acknowledged worldwide. “These certifications provide assurances to tourists that they are staying in accredited venues.” Certifications are renewable on a yearly basis.