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The auditor is coming: why will a battalion of secret auditors be sent to hotels and restaurants
In 2025, the number of secret inspections of restaurants and hotels will increase by 40%. This will be handled by hundreds of auditors from the Federation of Auditors of Hospitality of Russia (Ferego), which was established with the support of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation. Experts complain that restaurants even in four- and five-star hotels often have very poor breakfasts, and the service is far from the usual. At the same time, most hotels do not have the concept of a "singular", that is, a unique gastronomic experience. In addition, there is often a limited choice of dishes for special diets: a poor choice for vegetarians, vegans, allergy sufferers and those who adhere to specific diets. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.
Why do we need a "Russian Michelin"
The Federation of Hospitality Auditors of Russia (Ferego) intends to increase the number of covertly inspected hotels and restaurants in the Russian Federation by almost 40%. In 2025, about 700 facilities in various cities and towns of the country will be examined, the head of the federation, Galina Dragni, told Izvestia. She said that at the moment there are 300 people in the personnel reserve of Ferego. All of them undergo special training.
In 2024, the incognito organization studied 500 restaurants and hotels by analogy with Michelin. According to the Federation of Auditors, only 58 of them (that is, less than 20%) were awarded a distinctive quality mark. Awards of the best hoteliers and restaurateurs with the "Federation of Auditors Recommends" badge are held in the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation, and the quality mark and award are of a state nature.
According to Ferego, an increase in the number of inspections can significantly affect the quality of service. "This will create healthy competition and motivation to raise standards," Dragni said.
— This approach gives a more objective picture than traditional ratings and reviews on the Internet, — says the interlocutor. — This allows you to pay attention to non-obvious points that influence the opinion of guests, which contributes to a real improvement in the quality of service and the gastronomic aspect in general.
She admitted that in recent years, auditors have often found it difficult to maintain international standards during peak hours, book by phone, know the product, and menu. Increasingly, there are problems with cleanliness due to the large flow of guests, and high-quality compliance with system service, hospitality, and basic empathy is not always effective.
In the state corporation Tourism.The Russian Federation explained to Izvestia that "secret buyer" as a format for quality control of services and services is an excellent proven practice, and not only in the hospitality industry.
"The growing demand for such services indicates the maturity of the market and the industry's willingness to improve in accordance with the expectations of guests," commented the press service of Tourism.RF. "In addition to more favorable prices, tourists traveling in our country today tend to choose comprehensive offers that include not only comfortable accommodation and quality of service, but there are also regional gastronomic specialties on the menu.
Tatiana Lobach, deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Tourism and Tourism Infrastructure Development, notes that more careful monitoring encourages market participants to comply with standards and improve the quality of services, as the risks of fines and other sanctions will only increase. Therefore, the legislator is sure that it is now important to properly establish feedback mechanisms with tourists in order to timely identify and resolve possible violations.
The deputy notes that changes in the legislation on tourism activities, which came into force in January 2025, along with the expansion of the powers of regional control bodies, will eventually create the necessary conditions for a significant improvement in the quality of hospitality services in Russia.
Izvestia sent requests to the Ministry of Energy, the Federation of Restaurateurs and Hoteliers of Russia (FRiO), the Association of Small Hotels and a number of others, but at the time of publication, reviews and additional explanations on the specifics of the Ferego status system had not been received.
Ferego awards (one, two and three crystals) are placed on facades and in reception areas, signaling the status of establishments.
Why do we need secret surveys of hotels and restaurants?
Secret checks make it possible to identify those nuances that even hoteliers and restaurateurs themselves are not noticeable, according to the National Union of the Hospitality Industry (OSIG). Even experienced teams with their own training programs and internal auditors have to "catch" comments. After checking, each object receives an important guide in the "what to do and how to change" format. However, even after that, there are still unconscious entrepreneurs who do not use checklists and do not change the service, complain OSIG.
— And among everything — the gastroaspect, — the union continues. — In establishments with 4-5* hotels, the service is far from the usual restaurant service, the menu is limited, and so far only a few hotel facilities in Moscow and St. Petersburg are ready to compete with restaurants in the capitals.
The Association of Gastronomic Tourism of Russia believes that such secretive checks still require a multi-level approach. One-time visits are not always objective, besides, it is worth analyzing guest reviews or arranging open inspections.
What do secret visitors and ordinary Russians face?
According to the OSIG, the auditors have recently seen a lot of shortcomings in the work of the hospitality industry, while violations of standards and poor knowledge of the menu have been recorded in Moscow.
"Guests of hotels and restaurants often face careless attitude and indifference to the client from the staff, poor qualifications and knowledge of the menu," the association says.
The Association of Gastronomic Tourism of Russia, at the request of Izvestia, named the main problems of gastronomic tourists in hotels. The main reason is the lack of high-quality local gastronomic experience:
— many hotels offer a standard, average menu that does not reflect the authentic cuisine of the region,
— breakfasts often consist of a monotonous "continental" set: eggs, toast, coffee, without unique local dishes,
— hotel restaurants are focused on the mass tourist, not on gourmets, reducing the complexity of recipes and reducing the use of local products.
In addition, according to Andrey Paramonov, president of the Association of Gastronomic Tourism of Russia, hotel restaurants "suffer" from unreasonably high prices.
"Hotel restaurants often significantly inflate prices for meals, while similar dishes in the city are cheaper," he notes. — Sometimes even the quality of food in the neighboring street restaurants is higher than in the hotel, with more affordable prices. Alcoholic beverages in hotels are often sold at an inflated price, especially in mini-bars.
Experts note that hoteliers cannot always provide an extra bed, they do not provide cosmetics or towels, bathrobes and other things for small family members. It's very difficult with strollers. So far, the situation in most regional facilities is such that there is no need to talk about an affordable hospitality environment.
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