Flawed rating system
The minimal obligations of hoteliers toward clients is one of the gray areas in Greek tourism. The rather subjective allocation of stars is another. Customers do not seem to have adequate protection from the illegal behavior of some bad professionals. «There has been a request for every hotel owner to determine what category their hotel belongs to on the basic of specific criteria,» Yiannis Evangelou, president of the Association of Travel and Tourist Agencies (HATTA), told Kathimerini. «The procedure was not followed correctly. Though the GNTO, the monitoring body, intended to check the classifications and correct any mistakes, it did not do so as it has a number of chronic organizational problems,» Evangelou explained. «As a result, many hotels were awarded stars they didn’t deserve, and we are also awaiting new legislation that will give the green light for an objective monitoring system.» The law imposes more obligations on travel agents. «We have clear guidelines for customers when a travel agency does not provide the agreed services or when those services are not at the level they should be,» said Evangelou, referring to package trips that include the fare and accommodation.
