There are many factors to consider when booking a place to stay while on holiday. In Sorrento the main choice is between HOTELS and Bed & Breakfast.

What is a Bed  & Breakfast?

Bed & breakfast regulation is subject to the Campania Region law dated April 4th, 2001. The key elements of this law are as follows:

• Owners must live in the house in which they operate the B&B.

• The B&B must have maximum 3 double guest rooms, sleeping a maximum of 6 guests. They must be furnished with at least beds, closets, bedside tables, lamps, chairs and waste bins.

• Double rooms must have a floor area of at least 12m², and single rooms at least 9m².

• Electrical, gas and heating appliances in every room must conform with “generic” safety regulations, and “standard practice” should be followed with respect to both hygiene and construction.

The Italian State recognizes that running a B&B is an occasional or seasonal activity.

It's very easy to open a B&B in Italy: it is enough to inform the Tourist Office of your Comune (City Hall) that you are open for business, telling them the prices you intend to charge. A notice stating the price, and bearing the stamp of the Comune, should then be displayed behind the door of each guest room.

Many B&B claim a star rating but this is not recognized from any organization. In Italy star classification system is exclusively for hotels.

How does the Hotel star rating work?

On 11 February 2009, a decree was published setting the minimum standards that hotels must meet within the Italian territory. The intended purpose of the decree is to provide to hotel guests better and more competitive services. The decree sets forth the following standards:

• One-star hotels: reception must be open at least 12 hours a day; cleaning of rooms at least once a day; minimum size of double rooms 14 square meters; change of sheets once a week. 

• Two-star hotels: must have an elevator; change of sheets at least twice a week. 

• Three-star hotels: must have a bar service, receptionists must speak at least one foreign language; the reception must be open at least 16 hours a day; personnel must wear a uniform; each room must have internet services and private bath.

• Four-star hotels: in addition to daily cleaning, the room must be re-set in the afternoon and sheet and towels must be changed daily; must offer laundry services to clients; must have parking for at least 50% of the rooms; double rooms of at least 15 square meters and bathroom of at least 4 square meters.

• Five-star hotels: reception must be open 24 hours a day and must offer at least 3 foreign language capabilities; single rooms must be of at least 9 square meters and double of at least 16 square meters.
   

The list of the official hotels (fully licensed) in the Sorrento area can be found here:

Hotel Federation of the Sorrento Peninsula 

Sorrento City Hall

 
When booking a place to stay in Sorrento, please take good note of the following information:

for your comfort

• Hotels offer a wide range of services (bar, restaurant, swimming pool, room service etc.)

• Most of the hotels are run by families that have been in the tourism field for 3 generations

• Hotels have professional staff, always ready to help you

for your safety

• Hotel rating and quality is under the control of the City Hall and the Ministry of tourism

• Hotels must comply to the health and safety in the Work Environments (Lgs. D. 81/08)

• Hotels must have a fire and safety certificate (D.M. 06.10/03).  Most of the hotels that have been working with British Tour Operators must also comply to the British fire and safety regulations

• Hotels must comply to the HACCP law (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points Lgs. D. 193/07), to identify and prevent potential food safety hazards.

• Hotels have implemented water treatment to prevent legionella and other diseases. Treatment includes tap water,  air conditioning and swimming pool.

• Hotels must comply to the Italian law on privacy (Lgs. D. 196/03)

for your information

• Everyone should comply to The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, to prevent credit card fraud through increased controls around data and its exposure to compromise but, due to the costs involved, only hotels are implementing this standard.

We hope this information will help you to find the perfect place to stay for your next holiday in Sorrento!