ANALYSIS OF HOTEL STANDARDS AND CLASSIFICATION IN THE SARAJEVO CANTON
Sumeja Lokvančić
Amra Čaušević
Amra Banda
Tena Božović
DOI: 10.35666/25662880.2025.11.56
UDC: 338.488.2:006.3(497.6 KS)
Abstract: The tourism industry and hotel sector are global industries facing increasing customer expectations in the dynamic tourism market environment. Sarajevo Canton attracts a large number of tourists, especially during the summer season, with tourism playing a crucial role in the economic development of the destination. Quality management is a key element for the long-term success of hotel establishments. This paper highlights the importance of quality management systems, standardization, and categorization, and their contribution to improving service quality in the hotel industry. The aim is to analyze quality management systems and the categorization system within the hotel sector in Sarajevo Canton, providing insight into the current state of the industry, identifying problems, and recommending measures for improving and enhancing the tourism offer. The analysis revealed inconsistencies in legal regulations at the federal and lower government levels and a lack of national legislation for hospitality activities, leading to overlapping or conflicting rules. Although Sarajevo Canton has achieved certain successes in tourism, the hotel sector requires improvement. Comparison with international standards and practices indicates the need for investment in facility modernization, enhancement of professional services, legislative harmonization, and staff education. Recommendations include strengthening inspection controls, reducing the informal economy, encouraging the implementation of ISO and international standards, re-categorization of 4 and 5-star hotels, defining jurisdiction over hotels with 3 or fewer stars, and appropriate reconstruction and modernization aligned with global trends.
Keywords: Hotel sector; classification; standardization; Sarajevo Canton
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