Visit Britain Star Ratings System

Northumberland Cottages Ltd encourages its cottages owners to have their properties assessed by Visit Britain each year for a star rating. The Quality in Tourism Rose logo is a recognised symbol throughout the holiday industry and enables holidaymakers to compare accommodation standards. Many of our owners do take part in the scheme and Visit Britain star ratings are displayed in the descriptions of participating cottages. There are minimum entry requirements for the scheme and then each additional star requires increasingly higher standards.

Self-catering cottages are assessed on 7 different areas: the exterior, cleanliness, bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, pubic areas (eg sitting/dining rooms) and the management efficiency of the accommodation and the star ratings can be summarised as follows:

	simple style, clean, safe environment;
	reasonable quality décor and furnishings
	good quality of decor and furnishings, greater space and comfort, good heating/lighting and good range of kitchen appliances.
	high standard of accommodation, very spacious, better quality of fixtures and fittings, extensive range of quality appliances
	excellent quality of accommodation with high specification of fixtures, fittings, furnishings and attention to detail. Full range of appliances throughout. Management organisation and level of guest care exemplary.

Cottages that do not participate in the Visit Britain Assessment Scheme are still inspected by Northumberland Cottages Ltd on an annual basis to ensure we offer quality accommodation at fair prices.

Further information can be obtained from the Visit Britain Ratings Scheme site.