An evaluation and certification system for hotel critics is about to be launched, the China Hotel Association said on Thursday.

Zhang Minghou, deputy secretary general of the association told METRO that they will introduce a national standard for hotel service quality evaluation, which will include an assessment system for undercover hotel critics.

"It is necessary to launch a service quality evaluation system, besides the star evaluation system run by the tourism bureau, one in which more consumer experiences and participation are taken into account," Zhang said.

Undercover investigators already existed in hotel consulting companies and the quality control department of hotel management companies, he pointed out. It is only recently that it has started to become an independent business.

Hotel critics came to the public's attention when the travel search engine qunar.com started to recruit professional hotel critics in December 2009, offering a monthly salary of 10,000 yuan pre tax.

So far, there have been two recruitment sessions and six people from all over the country have secured a six-month contract with the company.

Zhang Yumo was one of the first selected and she has been "having fun" with the job that she started with on March 23.

Each week, she has to spend the night at two to three hotels and post reports about every detail of her stay.

"It's what I expected, I enjoy more freedom and free time with this job," she said.

Zhang previously worked in the media before she became a hotel critic.

"I worked from nine to five, frequently from nine to nine, and it was like someone cracking a whip behind you and constantly keeping you moving; I was exhausted," she said.

As one of the first practitioners of this new profession, she said that questioning from outside has never stopped.

"Some people say 'I can write these reports too, where has she such a high salary?'"

Zhang welcomed the certification system, as she believes it will make her more confident and convincing.

Zhang Ze, vice-president of qunar.com, said the company has incorporated hotel critics into its regular recruitment program and will offer a full-time position every month with a salary 10,000 yuan.

He said that the hotel experience has become more and more important in the tourism industry, and he hoped the market could keep growing this way.

When asked about the prospects of this profession, considering free comments are often posted by hotel consumers, he said: "I believe there are always companies willing to pay for valuable information, and we will be one of them."

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