Taken from the Quality Standard booklet for Self-Catering Accommodation.

A quality assessment will consider the bathrooms and WCs in a property and grade each of the following from 1 to 5 as part of the overall score.

Decoration

This refers to the quality and condition of décor of the walls and ceilings, including tiling, grouting and sealant.

Advice

Walls do not have to be fully tiled (or equivalent), but areas likely to come into contact with water, should be.  Always maintain grouting and sealant to stop it becoming discoloured and unsightly. Use of a sealant, which guarantees long-term mould resistance, is recommended. Pipes where possible should be boxed in for ease of cleaning and aesthetic reasons.

Flooring

This includes the quality and condition of carpet, vinyl flooring, wood flooring, laminate and ceramic tiles. Non-slip flooring is always advisable in bathrooms.

Advice

Carpeting, while providing warmth underfoot, may not always be the best flooring for hygiene reasons and water damage may also occur.

Fixtures, fittings, sanitary ware

This includes the taps, plugs, showerheads, mirrors, shower screen/curtains, towel rails, shaver points, lighting and heating fittings, extractor fans, sanitary ware (bath, shower, WC, basin and bidet), towels curtains and blinds.

Advice

Assessment of bathroom fittings will cover their intrinsic quality and condition. Flimsy plastic towel rails or shelves will score less than high quality wooden, metal or ceramic fittings. Matching or co-ordinated fittings will usually attract a higher score than a mixture of different styles.

A sturdy well-fitted shower screen will score higher than a thin plastic curtain that tends to "stick" to the guest when taking a shower. If a shower screen is ill fitting or awkwardly positioned so that access to the taps or shower controls, is difficult then the mark will be reduced accordingly. A sturdy cast iron bath would attract a higher score than a cheap plastic bath that creaks and moves about. If the bath surface is dull, scratched or stained it will score less.

Credit will be given in the assessment for the provision of good quality hooks on doors, shelves or other conveniently placed surfaces for toiletries and equipment. Thought must be given to shelf space and towel rail space where larger numbers are accommodated. Extra towel rail space can be provided in bedrooms. Position of mirrors should be appropriate for guests of most heights.

Where a shower is positioned over a bath, then the provision of a shelf/soap dish at standing height, as well as at bath sitting height is preferable.

Consider the size of shower cubicles - can they accommodate larger guests?

Lighting, heating and ventilation

This relates to the quality and provision of lighting and heating and whether it is sufficient for the size of the bathroom. Lack of sufficient heating and/or ventilation will give rise to condensation. There should be a balance of natural and artificial light where appropriate.

Advice

It is important to have lighting in the right place, the area around the washbasin and mirror should be well illuminated. If the bathroom is an unusual shape then thought should be given to placement of lights. Lighting over the bath and/or shower is extremely useful and adds to safety of use.

Combined light/heat bulbs are not encouraged for safety reasons. Bar heaters and circular radiant heaters will not score highly. For the highest marks heating should be automatic and thermostatically controlled.

Guests cannot be relied upon to open bathroom windows, particularly in colder weather, therefore the addition of an extractor fan is best. Condensation and mildew is caused by a combination of a lack of heat and ventilation, and the provision of background heating and an extractor fan will help overcome this, especially one with a built in humidistat (as the humidity rises, the fan comes on).

Space, comfort and ease of use.

This takes into account the use of space and how the room layout is planned to offer maximum convenience and ease of use for the guest’s freedom of movement; with safety being a prime consideration. Ease of use is likely to be affected by too many guests sharing one bathroom, particularly where the WC is within the bathroom or where there is only a bath provided.

Advice

Thought should be given to planning of bathrooms e.g. heaters not too close to WCs and appropriate distance between facilities creating easy access and good ease of use.

Consider the number of guests and their toiletries in relation to the amount of shelf space provided – is it adequate for the job.
If the family market is being targeted then the provision of a bath may be desirable as it easier to wash small children in a bath, than a shower.

If a shower only is provided in a property catering for a larger number of guests, then consideration should be given to whether the hot water tank is sufficient in size for several of the guests to shower directly after one another. An electric shower or combination boiler may be a solution.

Find out more at the Quality in Tourism website or read our articles about Quality Assessments.