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For businesses

• The business is assessed every year which can place pressure on management and staff at busy times
• There is a cost for the assessment depending on the rating which adds to running costs
• Smaller hotels may find it difficult to meet the requirements for the higher rating because of the cost of upgrading the building/facilities/services to the required standard

For customers

• Customers may not be aware of the standards required for each of the star ratings and may be disappointed in the quality on offer
• Customers may think a higher star rating only refers to quality and may be paying for additional facilities they do not require e.g. spa or leisure facilities
• There may be variations in standards outside the UK and Ireland
• With more people using social media they may become confused between official star ratings and ratings given on sites like Trip Advisor