Sestava 1 - Vysoká škola obchodní v Praze

have created the Hotelstars Union [4]. Their partnership is providing
a harmonised hotel classification with common criteria and procedures in
the participating countries. The Hotelstars Union enhances the reputation
and quality of the hotel industry in the participating countries by creating
transparency and security for the guests and thereby encouraging hotel
marketing. Members of the Hotelstars Union take a challenging step on
the road towards a European hotel classification, which started with
HOTREC’s seminar on hotel classification in Bergen 2004 and continued
with the adoption of the 15, now “21 HOTREC principles” for the settingup
and/or review of national/regional hotel classification systems in
Europe. This activity is supported by the European Commission and is
fully in line with the priorities of the European tourism industry [2].
The membership in the Hotelstars Union is open to other HOTREC
members. The joint hotel classification is a dynamic system. Its criteria
and procedures are checked regularly and developed further according to
the expectations of the guests.
This standard is accepted as a useful orientation by travel agencies.
End clients also prefer to be guided by classification in making their
preliminary choices, the same way they do in choosing air, train and bus
transport as well as other services and facilities which may use
classification (for example restaurants roads).
It, however, appears that classification, whether official or private, is
not sufficient to ensure and communicate quality.
b) Brands [1]
Brands and particularly trademarks can replace classification whereby
each brand may include a series of quality attributes. Eventually a brand
may be representative of a certain service idiom and level of quality.
Commercial brands are protected by intellectual property rights.
Nevertheless even branded companies and facilities are eager to
consolidate their quality idiom by recurring to additional means such as
certification.
The term “Brand” is also used within the Tourism Destination
Management [10]. Competition for tourists in a highly competitive
destination marketplace is increasingly being fought over minds and
emotions rather than physical features and price. The destination brand
communicates and signals competitive positioning. Since Destination
Management Organisations (DMOs) are mandated to manage the
destination´s image, effective branding could be an extremely valuable
and powerful tool in their hands. This brand could be defined as a unique
combination of product characteristics and added values, both tangible
and non-tangible. The characteristics have a relevance that is inextricably
linked to the destination and awareness of this may be conscious or
intuitive. The brand is not only a trademark (logo, strapline or icon), but
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