Azerbaijan becomes full member of Hotelstars Union, first for South Caucasus

Azerbaijan has officially become a full member of the Hotelstars Union, marking a significant milestone for the country’s tourism sector.

The decision was made unanimously during the IX General Assembly of the Union, held in Oslo, Norway, the State Tourism Agency of Azerbaijan told Caliber.Az on April 29.

This development makes Azerbaijan the first country in the South Caucasus region to achieve full membership in the organisation, which sets harmonised hotel classification standards across Europe. With this new status, Azerbaijan also gains the right to participate in the governance structures of Hotelstars, further strengthening its voice in the continental tourism framework.

According to the State Tourism Agency, the membership reflects Azerbaijan’s ongoing efforts to align its hospitality sector with international standards. Since 2018, the Azerbaijan Tourism Bureau and the Azerbaijan Hotel Association have cooperated under a joint agreement to apply a national hotel classification system based on Hotelstars criteria. As a result, 263 hotels across the country have already been rated according to these European standards.

Speaking at the assembly in Oslo, Rashad Aliyev, Deputy Chairman of the Azerbaijan Tourism Bureau, highlighted the country’s progress:

“International quality standards of the hotel business have been actively implemented in our country in recent years,” he said. “This work has already led to the classification of hundreds of hotels, enhancing service quality and transparency for guests.”

The Hotelstars Union was founded in 2009 under the patronage of HOTREC (Hotels, Restaurants & Cafés in Europe) to unify hotel classification systems across Europe. The Union assesses hotels using a comprehensive points-based system covering categories such as room amenities, service quality, digital services, leisure infrastructure, and food and beverage offerings. Hotels are awarded between one and five stars, with an additional “Superior” label for properties that exceed category requirements. Regular inspections, including mystery guest visits for high-star hotels, ensure consistent compliance with the standards.

Hotelstars membership now includes 21 countries: Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, Sweden, and Switzerland.

By Tamilla Hasanova