Hotel Ratings, Rankings are Not About CO Safety

No Ranking Service is Rating CO Safety

CO Safety, HVAC condition and Alarms are not evaluated when hotels are inspected for ratings and rankings by brands and rating services.

By Rebecca Martin

The hospitality industry has been an industry in flux for decades. In an ever-changing world, it is an industry that has often had to face major changes in its clientele.  If you are a fan of British TV, you have probably encountered vintage shows like Hotel Inspector, in which a hotel expert travels every week to struggling guest houses. Usually, the proprietor has fallen into a nostalgic rut and updates are required to bring them into a world increasingly dominated by brand chains. A brutal assessment usually ensues, and updates can include new paint, new fixtures, decluttering and new forms of advertising. The ultimate goal is to earn an adequate number of stars from the touristry bureau.

CO Safety, HVAC condition and CO alarms are ignored by the rating services but occasionally the reviews makes note such things as: “This is a decent little hotel, except the part where they kill people.”

In the past the ranking system was quite traditional with diamonds giving way to a standardized use of stars in 2007, which was implemented in 2008 voluntarily. Although the re-evaluation was mandatory, Visit Britain announced that they would not promote establishments who did not comply with the new rating system. But, even as requirements for amenities changed, it was noted that minimum standards should be modeled after lodging in Northern Ireland where health and safety, management, staff and buildings are assessed. And in that way rankings still fell short.

These days published rankings in the UK are handled by AA and Visit Britain who visit establishments personally to compile information and hand out stars accordingly. The Stars are awarded according to strict guidelines which look at things like appearance, service, amenities and meals. None of the requirements include safety requirements related to HVAC or the engines that power the establishments.

Like the US, these traditions are sometimes overshadowed by internet ranking services such as TripAdvisor and Google Hotel Finder that compiles their own lists.

The United States has had similar ratings and rankings in place for decades. In 1937, AAA began sending out field inspectors to hotels and restaurants and developed a Diamond Rating System. A few years later they began publishing travel guides. Now, AAA rates hotels in the U.S., Canada Mexico and the Caribbean.

The Forbes Travel Guide, which was formerly the Mobil Travel Guide, launched their star system in 1958. Initially it covered locations in the United States and Canada, but now it has grown to include locations in Hong Kong, Macau, Beijing, Singapore, Shanghai, Mexico, the Caribbean, Latin America, Japan, Thailand and London.

While both guides have a long history of not only informing travelers of what they might expect in any given location in terms of quality of accommodations, amenities and an expected price point, they have also served up standards that the competitive lodging market can follow to attain the desired ranking.

Much like our original reference to British guest houses preparing for an upcoming inspection to acquire stars, modern hotels often focus on these diamond and star rating requirements to increase profit in an extremely competitive market.

Higher star or diamond ratings can attract more bookings and allow for higher room rates. They can boost customer satisfaction because customers have expectations based on the number of stars or diamonds. They can assist smaller or independent lodging in standing out in a market dominated by corporate ventures and improve visibility on online searches.  And they can create standards which can act as quality control across the industry.

However, there is another side to this focus on appearance, amenities and service. In the pressure of an extremely competitive market, investment and improvement assets can be prioritized to meet the standards of ratings and rankings.  Room appearance, reliable internet, food quality and in hotel amenities may preempt needed repairs and upgrades of the machinery which powers the establishment, such as boilers, hot water heaters, pool heaters and even kitchen equipment. Maintenance can be deferred and if a perfunctory inspection is done, equipment can be operated until it fails. And this can result in tragedy.

No Guarantee of CO Safety at Five Star Resorts

The incident at the Sandals resort on the Bahamas’ Great Exuma Island on May 6, 2022, is a good example. Three Americans were found dead of carbon monoxide poisoning, and one was airlifted in critical condition. The rating for the resort was five stars. In addition, one of the guests was visiting the resort for the purpose of adding it to their list of options for their travel business. What she didn’t suspect is that her visit to the five-star resort would end in tragedy. It is interesting to note that this resort is currently closed due to renovations and rebranding and will reopen as a Beaches resort. Even though Sandals had issued a statement following the deaths that carbon monoxide detectors would be installed in all buildings, which they pointed out was not required by regulation or law, perhaps a five-star rating was no longer possible after such a tragedy?

It is not unusual for hotels and other lodging facilities to forego carbon monoxide detectors, it does seem a bit odd in a five-star resort where thread count, luxury bath items and other luxury amenities are commonplace.

AHLA Lobbies Against CO Alarms

It is not much better in the United States where the most important resource for American Hotels and Motels is the American Hotel & Lodging Association (“AHLA”). The AHLA is described by career services at Michigan State University as”

“The indispensable resource serving, supporting and advocating on behalf of the American hospitality industry. AHLA is the singular voice representing every segment of the hotel industry including major chains, independent hotels, management companies, REIT’s, bed and breakfasts, industry partners and more.”

The AHLA has been opposed to industry wide regulations regarding carbon monoxide detectors. The burden for legislation requiring mandatory carbon monoxide detectors has been left mostly in the hands of state or regional governments.

Why No CO Safety Star?

The Jenkins Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the prevention of deaths and injuries due to carbon monoxide poisoning, tracked over 2500 injuries and 166 deaths in lodging facilities between 1967 and 2023, highlighting the point that the public only hears about a fraction of incidents in the news. In an interview with AFAR, founder Kris Hauschildt warned “There is unfortunately no way to tell which hotels have CO detection in place nor which ones are required to have it installed either via regulation or via individual hotel brand requirements,” https://www.afar.com/magazine/travel-carbon-monoxide-detector

While ratings and rankings do focus initially on the more superficial aspects of the hospitality industry, they are important to the continued health of any hotel or resort relying on the status of a five-star ranking to boost bookings and room rates. The Rancho Pescadero, a Hyatt-owned luxury resort in Mexico, was the scene of two carbon monoxide poisoning deaths in 2023.  A young Orange County couple died in the incident, which involved an ignored gas leak and disabled co detectors. The boutique hotel was shut down under a flurry of allegations and despite statements which indicated otherwise, it was eventually closed. But like the Sandals Resort, the answer is to reopen under new management.  It is now the Kimpton Ma Olas Resort & Spa. The statement issued by the new ownership stresses their desire to not be associated with issues which occurred previously.

“IHG Hotels & Resorts and its brands were not affiliated with the resort when the unfortunate incident occurred. Kimpton Mas Olas Resort & Spa is now led by new brand management and leadership. The resort underwent a rigorous top-to-bottom re-inspection of all hotel safety processes and operating systems, including mechanical equipment, and continues to invest in the latest technology and processes to ensure the safety of our guests and employees. All changes and improvements have been validated by IHG Hotels & Resorts’ safety and risk team as well as third-party experts and meet local government safety requirements.” https://onemileatatime.com/news/kimpton-mas-olas/#:~:text=Several%20months%20later%20the%20hotel,to%20Corey%20for%20flagging%20this).

CO Deaths Didn’t Prevent Return to Five Star

The newly acquired Kimpton Ma Olas Resort & Spa has resurrected their five-star rating.  While management companies and owners may fail, the buildings themselves are able to be resurrected as five-star accommodations quite quickly when stamped with a new name and move on from unpleasant memories.

It is not only five-star facilities who experience the consequences of carbon monoxide deaths on site.  The Best Western Blue Ridge Plaza was the scene of three deaths in 2013. It is listed as permanently closed at present under that brand. A telling review stands testament to its tragic history, “This is a decent little hotel, except the part where they kill people.” Rated now as a two-star hotel it continues to do business as Quality Inn & Suites.

We may have to rely on ratings and rankings to choose lodging, but it is important to know that those industry devices refer to the overall appearance, service, amenities and pricing we might expect and not to the ease of mind over safety. There is absolutely no correlation between current rankings and past incidences which may have occurred at a particular location. Names change, the past slips into obscurity and we can only trust that changes were made and carry a personal carbon monoxide detector when we travel.