A national policy on improving the offer’s quality

In the face of an ever more demanding clientele and given the importance of the star system as a universal benchmark, service and reception quality is a key factor in the tourism economy’s success.

The French State therefore decided to better guarantee the quality of its tourism offer – hotels, campsites, furnished accommodation, and so on – by improving the official classification system, adapting it more closely to its clientele’s expectations and international practices (Act of 22 July 2009).

Accommodation Classification:

• Qualitative classification criteria
• Modern classification criteria
• Classification allocated for 5 years
• A single classification range from 1* to 5*

The advantages of furnished tourist accommodation classification:

> Taxation: advantageous regime for classified furnished tourist accommodation, which benefits from a 71% tax allowance (as against 50% for non-classified furnished accommodation). The annual income threshold is also higher for classified furnished tourist accommodation.

> Payments: free affiliation to the National Holiday Voucher Agency (ANCV). Classified furnished tourist accommodation can be paid for by holiday vouchers. Accredited professionals are disseminated on the www.ancv.com website and listed in the National Guide.

> Promotion of heritage: qualifying your accommodation means assigning it a level of quality of comfort, services and equipment. Classification in stars is a guarantee of quality for your clientele; it enables them to quickly identify the level of service on offer.

> Reassure your clientele: Classification guarantees strict compliance with a homogeneous national standard of comfort and habitability, symbolised by a number of stars enabling proprietors to reassure rental candidates.

> Stand out from the competition and consolidate your marketing positioning: thanks to classification in stars, proprietors’ accommodation offers enjoy better visibility. Requesting classification enables proprietors to take stock of their marketing positioning depending on their specificities, geographical area and strategic orientation.

> Promote your accommodation better: classified furnished tourist accommodation benefits from free referencing on the départemental website www.touraineloirevalley.com. Only qualified accommodation (classification or label) is included on the département’s tourism platform.

In a number of Tourist Offices, promotion or differentiated highlighting of accommodation is conditional upon obtainment of a classification or label. Free referencing on www.valdeloire-france.com, the Centre-Val de Loire’s Regional Tourism Committee.