Hotels in Armenia will soon have the opportunity to receive ratings based on international standards following recent regulatory changes.

Until now, hotel ratings in Armenia were conducted by local agencies on a voluntary basis. The new system will remain voluntary.

“And since the rating system is voluntary, most hotels haven’t even applied for it,” said Anahit Mkrtchyan, Head of the Tourism Policy Department at the Tourism Committee.

“Currently, we have just one rated hotel. In most cases, the stars you see displayed by hotels haven’t been issued by an authorized rating agency. This is highly problematic and creates unequal conditions,” she added.

Additionally, the lack of standardized ratings affects the international promotion of Armenian hotels. Tourists cannot be certain that, for example, a four-star hotel in Armenia meets the same criteria as a four-star hotel in Europe, she said.

“In practice, we have many hotels that meet the criteria for three-, four-, or five-star ratings. However, because they lack official certification aligned with international standards, they face significant visibility challenges in the global market,” Mkrtchyan explained.

The changes have been proposed by the government, and an international agency will be selected to collaborate with Armenian hotels on the rating process.

Armenia currently has over 1,000 hotels.

Published by Armenpress, original at https://armenpress.am/en/article/1231407