Universal standards to guide the way accommodation is graded in England, Scotland and Wales are a step closer, following an agreement in principle between three tourist boards, the RAC and the AA.

The agreement intends to offer customers the same standard of quality in grading accommodation – regardless which of the five accrediting organisation undertakes the evaluation.

So far, VisitBritain, VisitScotland, the Wales Tourist Board, RAC and the AA have all handed out grades without a common standard.

Tom Wright, chief executive, VisitBritain, said: “Harmony in common standards for accommodation grading marks will make life much simpler for visitors.

“Greater clarity in the assessment criteria will undoubtedly lead to a further improvement in the quality of the British tourism on offer and reflect the ever increasing levels of expectation from visitors.”

The agreement was reached after a review that involved all five bodies, the British Hospitality Association, regional tourist boards and a number of industry representatives and organisations.

Piloting and further research are now underway and the new common standards, if acceptable to consumers and the industry, could be introduced by January 2006.

Albert Hampson, hotel services manager for the AA, said: “Whilst there are several stages still to go through before we reach a common standard that is acceptable to all parties, we are very excited by the progress that has been made so far and fully support the process.”