Hotel Classification Systems as a Reflection of Service Quality, Current Trends, and Challenges During Permacrisis: The Greek Case (2002–2022)

Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, hotel classification systems have been undergoing continuous reform and development so as to appropriately fulfill their role as a means to ensure the awareness of the quality level of tourism accommodation, as well as to serve as a tool for marketing and promoting the hotel product. In this context, this chapter initially attempts a historical account of the role and significance of these systems at an international level and follows up with an outline of current trends and challenges impacting their modernization. Due to the constantly changing nature of the global tourism network, official hotel classification systems are required to incorporate new trends of tourism supply and demand; this is in order to ensure that they remain functional, up-to-date, competitive and, above all, resilient. Resilience assumes greater significance considering the long period of permacrisis experienced by Europe in general and by Greece in particular as a result of the context of economic adjustment programmes, in the late 2000s, until today with the COVID-19 pandemic. This chapter aims to identify and showcase the main concerns, current trends, and challenges of the Greek hotel classification system in the post-COVID-19 era.