Poland plans changes to hotel classification rules
Poland’s Ministry of Sport and Tourism has presented amendments to regulations governing hotel classification. The draft regulation, signed by Minister Ireneusz Raś, simplifies several requirements for hotels, motels and campsites and removes rules considered outdated. The proposals were presented during a press conference with representatives of the hotel industry.
The initiative forms part of the ministry’s “tourism decalog” – a list of ten priority actions planned for the coming years.
What will change for hotels
The amendments focus mainly on Annexes 1 and 3 of the regulation that defines standards for hotel establishments. The ministry plans to simplify parts of the rules and remove requirements that no longer reflect current market conditions.
The draft aims to reduce administrative obligations for hotel operators and public administration. In selected areas, however, it will introduce additional responsibilities for property managers.
According to Elżbieta Lendo, president of the Polish Independent Hotels association, the proposal was developed after months of consultations with the hotel sector.
Deregulation: outdated requirements removed
Several obligations included in the current rules will disappear or be relaxed. Many of them date back to a period when hotel services relied on different technologies and guest expectations.
- monitored parking allowed instead of guarded parking in four- and five-star hotels
- removal of the requirement to install radio equipment in guest rooms in hotels and motels up to four stars
- elimination of the obligation to sell or provide daily newspapers in two-star hotels and motels
- removal of the requirement for a club room with a television in three-star hotels and motels
- mobile payments permitted alongside payment cards in three-star hotels and motels
New digital standards
The draft regulation also introduces requirements linked to digital services and new guest habits.
- mandatory Wi-Fi in rooms and common areas in four-star hotels and motels
- the option of 24-hour self check-in and check-out in three-star hotels and motels
- providing chargers or power adapters for mobile devices on request in three-star hotels and motels
- monitoring systems at three-star campsites
- Wi-Fi replacing radio installations in permanent campsite accommodation
The proposal also removes the requirement to install telephones in hotel bathrooms.
Industry representatives at the announcement
The press conference was attended by Magdalena Krucz, president of the Polish Tourism Organisation, Elżbieta Lendo, president of Polish Independent Hotels, and Ireneusz Węgłowski, president of the Polish Chamber of Hotel Industry.
Lendo said the amendments align classification requirements with current operating conditions in the hotel sector and technological changes affecting guest services.
