Apparently, because of the constant shortage of staff in the sector, the hotel staff requirements in Bulgaria are decreasing. This is clear from changes in the Ordinance on the categorization of accommodation published for public discussion on site strategy.bg. Professional education, traineeship and spoken languages ​​remain mandatory only for the hotel managers, differing according to the stars and type of accommodation. So far there have been requirements for the marketing and sales specialist, a front office manager, a receptionist, a business services manager, a concierge, a senior cameraman, and a bell boy.

Falling the requirements will aggravate the quality of the service, the representatives of the business are categorical. Otherwise, hotels that hold their reputation will only hire trained staff and will thus be distinguished from the competition.

The five-star hotels will no longer be required to have a bathtub in the bathroom, but will also be able to offer their guests hygienic alternatives such as a shower cabin. For the change for years, hoteliers demanded that the requirement was unnecessary and did not correspond to the current trends in the industry.

The changes also reduce the minimum size requirements for beds, suites and studios in luxury hotels. So far, in a single room, the bed should have a size of at least 1.20 meters at 2 meters, while it can now be 1 at 2. In a double room the bed should have a minimum length and a width of 2 meters, while now it is enough to be 1.80 m wide, writes in the ordinance.

In the 4-star hotels the beds may also be 10 cm narrower, it is clear from the annexe to the Ordinance. Due to the size of the beds, guests will now have to sleep on thicker and more comfortable mattresses. So far in the 4 and 5-star hotels, they had to have a minimum thickness of 13 centimetres, whereas now they must be at least 18 centimetres.

Among the new requirements, it is not simple to have a single toilet for 75 potential guests in the hotel’s common area, but also a mandatory bathroom for disadvantaged people. The requirements for the height of the rooms and the size of the lounges fall. From the ordinance, the definition of “luxury” for the desk in the rooms, for the bathrobes and the soft furniture is also dropped. It is clear that the word is subject to interpretation and would create preconditions for misunderstandings in the checks.