The South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) recently published a new national standard that sets out the vocabulary for classifying hotels and other types of tourism accommodation.

SANS 18513 has been adopted from the International Organization for Standardization, and provides the definitions to create a common understanding of the various accommodation types and facilities.

Sadhvir Bissoon, Acting CEO of the SABS, said that as the tourism sector evolved regularly, with new experiences and types of facilities emerging, there was a need to establish a globally accepted and common vocabulary.

“A common set of terms, especially identifying types of accommodation and their facilities, will improve the tourist experience as consumers can adequately find the right accommodation to meet their needs and allow service providers to correctly advertise their offerings,” said Bissoon.

The national standard includes definitions for half board, suites, junior suites, early check-in, mini-bar service, accessible rooms, air-conditioning, gyms and a range of other commonly found amenities that apply to the tourism sector. SANS 18513 can be purchased from the SABS webstore.