How do I get Graded?

Star grading is an annual membership that entails a ONCE-OFF application and an automatic renewal of your grading status subject to the payment of your membership fees.

Your commitment to quality assurance for a year means you can provide your customers with confidence in the quality you offer. Remember to submit a written notice, 3-months prior to your anniversary date should you wish to exit the system at any time.

These steps will give you a good idea of what’s involved:

• Identify your establishment – whiz through the grading criteria and determine which of the 9 categories your establishment fits into. (Is it a Hotel, B&B, Guest House etc.)
• Grade yourself – from One Star to Five Stars, decide which star level you belong to. Yes, we all want a Five Star grading, but remember level-headed aiming is the key to success.
• Complete an Online Application and Choose an Assessor – fill in all your important details and then select a preferred Assessor that’s close to home. We agree, there is no place like ‘home’, but what we mean is one close enough your local establishment.
• Settle your Invoice, please – once you receive it from the TGCSA, you need to pay on time before your chosen Assessor (or as some like to call him/her) , your Star Dealer, can pay you a visit.
• Make an appointment with your Assessor – this needs to be done so that he/she can perform (drum roll…) ‘the big assessment’.
• Grading submissions take place – your Assessor submits the recommended Star Grade and his motivation behind it to the monthly Awards Committee meeting for approval.
• You are officially welcomed to the TGCSA – if approved by the committee, you’ll receive a full report on your grading assessment and a warm welcome to the TGCSA. Time to pop the champagne!
• Your certificate arrives – this must be on display in your reception area. You can smile proudly when this arrives, knowing that you’ve earned it.
• Your Star Grading plaque arrives – this shiny new attribute must also be displayed with your certificate.
• You are officially a Star Graded Property – it’s feather-in-cap time, so let the marketing games begin!
    

IMPORTANT TO NOTE
This counts as a 'double NB'!

Once achieved, as proud as you will be of your Grading Status, in order for it remain valid it must be renewed annually by a TGCSA Accredited Grading Assessor.

Should you decide not to get renewed, you will have to remove all marketing collateral that refers to, displays or even hints at the TGCSA and its Star Grading. The reason for this is that the TGCSA has sole rights to this intellectual property, which is clearly stated in our legal information. To lawfully comply, all things like your business cards, websites, brochures, leaflets, signage and letter-heads or anything that features TGCSA branding must be removed.

As you get to know us more and more, you will learn that everything about the way we do business is fair and completely transparent. We prefer things that way. This is why misleading the travelling public is a serious ‘no no’ in our books, and will acted upon seriously. We take the responsibility placed on us by the Consumer Protection Act very seriously and like to believe that you will do so too.

 APPEALS PROCEDURE
‘Complaint’ is just another word for ‘Opportunity to do things better’ 

Not happy with the treatment you have received or dissatisfied with the manner in which your grading assessment took place? We have an appeals procedure that you can follow to air your views.

So don’t keep it in. If your expectations are not met please let us know. We’re all for making things run smoother and some constructive criticism never hurt anyone.