Many Shenzhen hotels are to be reclassified.

A new policy of the National Tourism Administration states that once its classification is approved, a hotel has the right to use the classification for five years.

"Many of Shenzhen's five-star hotels have been there for a long time. So they will be reclassified this year," said a source of the Shenzhen Municipal Tourism Bureau surnamed Zhu.

So far Shenzhen has 165 hotels classified from one star to five stars. Of these, 68 that were classified before 1999 will be reclassified this year. Six are five stars, four with four stars, 30 with three stars, 27 with two stars and one with one star.

She also said that the reclassification would be challenging for many older five-star hotels, citing Nanhai Hotel which opened 18 years ago, Sunshine Hotel which opened 13 years ago and Shangri-La Hotel which has been operating for 10 years.

Reassessment of hotel service and facilities will score a maximum of 610 points. A hotel scoring 420 points will be eligible for five-star classification.

Susan Song with the five-star Landmark Hotel said her hotel had risen to the occasion by remodeling 81 rooms. "The remodeled rooms are more than 40sqm each, doubling the size of the old rooms," Song said.

Another hotel source said other hotel rooms would also be expanded to 24sqm.

The policy has created a platinum five-star classification. Jiang Chengli, head of the Overseas Chinese Town Hotel Group, said the group would try to have the new Shenzhen Bay Hotel meet platinum five-star standards.
 
(Shenzhen Daily July 7, 2004)