Grenada adopts accommodations licensing standard

By Linda Straker

The island nation of Grenada is to implement a standard in accommodations licensing.

ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada (eTN) - Grenada has adopted a mandatory standard for the licensing of all hotels, guest houses, apartments and other properties that offer services in the accommodation sector of the tourism industry.

Grenada Bureau of Standard director Simeon Collins said that the purpose of the standard is to ensure that visitor satisfaction in terms of safety of facility, food offered for sale and services provided are of a high standard.

“This is a great achievement for Grenada, and we absolutely endorse this standard,” said Grenada Board of Tourism director Joslyn Sylvester-Gairy. “It is not only a plus but something of value for the sector.”

The standard requires for all properties to be inspected annually by a team from the Bureau of Standard, the Board of Tourism, the hotel association and the Ministry of Tourism. Those who fail to meet the requirements can have their license revoke.

Collins said that the regulations of the standard will be enforced as of January 2008, but in the interim all properties will be sent a checklist. “So that by the time we begin inspection, compliance will not be a problem. However, all new properties will have to comply with the standard before a license is issued,” he said.

For the purpose of the inspection, the requirements in the standard have been divided into six areas--general requirements; building safety, food safety and sanitation, fire safety, furnishing and finishing; and swimming pools and other recreational waters.

Collins said that general requirements involve being audited by a team comprising representatives from the Board of Tourism, the Ministry of Tourism and the Bureau of Standards. “The team will review the availability of printed information on the rate racks, written information in regard to hotel policies relating to credit, payment by cheque, foreign exchange rate, cancellation of bookings, check out and guest registrations records.”

Speaking on the requirements Collins explained that a number of government departments or ministries will be part of the team inspecting the properties. “The Fire Department in the Police Force will be responsible for fire safety, the Physically Planning Unit for building safety and the Ministry of Health for food safety and sanitation.”

Properties failing the inspection will be given no more than six months to rectify problems while those with critical problems can be banned from conducting business until the problem is solve.

Printable Version | published Nov 28, 2007

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