Hotel 5-Star Ratings to Face Stricter Standards... Mystery Evaluation Maintained, Penalties for Unfair Fees Increased

New Guidelines Take Effect July 1
Reducing Industry Burden and Enhancing Evaluation Objectivity

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has completely overhauled the hotel rating system. The core changes include unifying the evaluation standards, which were previously divided by star rating, into a single set of criteria, as well as strengthening safety, hygiene standards, and consumer protection measures.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will unify the hotel industry rating standards into a single standard starting from the 1st and will implement a new notice that strengthens safety and hygiene standards as well as sanctions against unfair fee charges.

The Ministry announced that it will enforce a partial revision of the notice on “Delegated Work and Guidelines for Hotel Industry Rating Decisions” starting from July 1, 2026. This revision was prepared in response to changes in the tourism accommodation environment, after industry public hearings, briefing sessions, and expert consultations. The Ministry explained that the focus is on reducing the rating evaluation burden on the hotel industry, while improving the effectiveness and objectivity of the evaluation system.

The most significant change is the unification of hotel industry rating standards. Previously, there were separate evaluation criteria for 1-star, 2-star, 3-star, 4-star, and 5-star hotels, but going forward, all hotels will be evaluated based on one integrated standard. The evaluation procedure will consist of a first and second assessment. In the first assessment, evaluators conduct an on-site inspection after prior notification, based on materials submitted by the hotel. The second assessment is conducted through an unannounced visit.

For 4-star and 5-star hotels, the second assessment will continue to include a mystery evaluation, in which the evaluator stays one night and experiences the actual services. For 1-star to 3-star hotels, a same-day unannounced evaluation will be applied. According to the notice, the hotel rating evaluation consists of a total of 1,000 points, with 700 points for the on-site evaluation and 300 points for the mystery or unannounced evaluation. The rating criteria are as follows: 5 stars require a score of 90% or higher, 4 stars 80% or higher, 3 stars 65% or higher, 2 stars 50% or higher, and 1 star 40% or higher.

If the evaluation result is lower than the requested rating, the business operator may choose to accept the result or defer the requested rating. If they defer, they must undergo a re-evaluation. Conversely, if the evaluation result is higher than the requested rating, the operator can choose between the result rating and the requested rating. However, since the second assessment method differs between 1–3 stars and 4–5 stars, a hotel that applies for a 1–3 star rating cannot be awarded a 4–5 star rating based solely on the evaluation result.

Safety and hygiene standards have also been strengthened. The criteria for fire prevention and facility safety management have been supplemented, and the hygiene evaluation items have been subdivided. The Ministry has also adjusted the items for bonus or penalty points to reflect social values such as personal information protection and eco-friendly management. The penalty for unfair fee collection has been increased from 10 points to 30 points.

New evaluation indicators have also been established for medical tourism hotels. These will assess the provision of medical linkage services and convenience, reflecting the unique needs of medical tourists. Through this, the Ministry aims to enhance the specialization of medical tourism accommodation and strengthen protection for users.

Kang Dongjin, Director of Tourism Policy at the Ministry, stated, “This revision of the notice was promoted to reduce the burden on the hotel industry while further ensuring the safety and convenience of the public. We hope that the new evaluation system will be stably established and serve as an opportunity to improve the quality of hotel services in Korea.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.