Paphos, 16 October 2025 – The Hotelstars Union (HSU), the association for harmonised hotel classification in Europe, has elected a new Board during its 10th General Assembly held in Paphos, Cyprus, and set its strategic direction for the coming years. The focus will be on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in marketing and enhancing the international visibility of the official star classification.
During the elections, member countries confirmed Markus Luthe (Germany) as President of the Hotelstars Union. He will be supported by Daniel Beerli (Switzerland) as Vice-President. The Board is further completed by Agni Christidou (Greece), Joeri Beusen (Belgium) and Magnus Klasson (Sweden).
“With the introduction of revised classification criteria for the period 2025 to 2030 and the expansion of our digital information services in recent years, we have already taken important steps towards the future,” said Markus Luthe on the occasion of his re-election. “Our goal remains to continue the joint development of hotel classification in Europe – in a transparent, reliable, and digitally compatible way that fits tomorrow’s information and booking channels.”
In its new term, the HSU will focus on the following strategic priorities:
- Artificial Intelligence and Star Classification: The HSU will harness the potential of AI to increase the visibility of classified hotels in digital search processes and AI-generated responses. The aim is for trustworthy information about classified hotels to be prioritised by chatbots, digital assistants and search engines.
- Marketing and Visibility: Targeted campaigns and modern communication formats will be used to raise awareness of the star classification among travellers and to highlight its benefits for both guests and hoteliers on an international scale.
“Artificial Intelligence is changing the way people plan their travels and choose accommodation. It is therefore all the more important that verified information about classified hotels is reliably available in digital systems,” emphasised Markus Luthe. “The official star classification provides transparency – it not only confirms the quality of an offer but also the actual existence of the establishment. In an increasingly AI-driven information landscape, it offers unique guidance and reliability – for guests as well as for platforms.”
The Hotelstars Union units 21 European countries under a common classification standard. Its aim is to create greater transparency, quality, and fair competition in the accommodation sector across Europe. With over 22,000 classified hotels and more than 1.2 million classified rooms, the Hotelstars Union provides reliable orientation for travellers and a transparent quality benchmark for hotel businesses.
About the Hotelstars Union
Under the patronage of HOTREC Hospitality Europe, the national hotel associations of Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, Sweden and Switzerland form the Hotelstars Union. Founded in 2009, it has been operating as an association under Belgian law since 2021, with its headquarters in Brussels. Hotelstars Union classifies hotels reliably into categories from 1 to 5 stars based on a uniform set of criteria. For more information, please visit www.hotelstars.eu.