It has been almost a decade since Taiwan launched its hotel star rating system. To improve the quality of hotels, the Tourism Bureau is thinking about revising relevant system to include a "5+" star rating.


The number of Chinese tourists has plummeted under the current administration, but over 10 million international tourists visited Taiwan last year. The number of hotels in Taiwan rose by 90 from the previous year, increasing the total number of rooms by almost 15,000. The Tourism Bureau is now thinking about adding a "5+" hotel star rating. Frequent travelers say it should be fine as long as Taiwan's rating system remains in line with other countries.

I think being in line with international standards is very important. Taiwan's standards keep changing and this does not help tourism improve.

Taiwan's current star rating system was implemented in 2009. As of the end of October, 464 of the 3,000-plus hotels in Taiwan have undergone rating evaluation. Sixty-six of these got a 5-star rating, which is the highest possible at present time. However, many hotels advertise themselves as having 6-star or higher services. The government has therefore decided to create the 5+ rating and hopes this will attract wealthier guests.

This will actually encourage more businesses to get creative and think of ways to surpass five stars or refine their services.

In addition, the Tourism Bureau is trying to attract Muslim tourists to Taiwan and has required all hotels with a 4-star rating or above to get "Muslim-friendly" certification, build prayer rooms, and comply with other Muslim-friendly measures. The bureau has asked National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism to draft new evaluation standards. The standards should be finalized early next year, but there is no timetable for implementation.