It is important to understand that Accom Swap is not a unique club catering only for a certain class of establishment, there is a place for all. It is a SWAP BASED SYSTEM and not a quality controlled site that is offered only to exclusive establishments.
Please be very aware that Accommodation Swap is not responsible for the quality of it's membership. We do have a minimum requirement to join. Anyone applying to join must have a web site, or equivalent, so that other members are able to view what is on offer. We also will not accept a "one room in an existing house" set up. The applicant must be a registered B&B etc owner running a legitimate business full time.
Members must not assume that if an establishment is listed on Accommodation Swap, that it is top quality. The onus is on the guest, as always, to ensure it's up to their own personal standards. We don't get involved with quality grading as this is a nightmare and a very subjective topic - a bit like art, what one person likes, another despises! We have had some members complaining bitterly about an establishment followed by someone else promptly saying how much they enjoyed it there!
If members have a complaint about a star rating they MUST go to the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa and complain to them, not to us - it is their rating not ours. Another thing to bear in mind is that many establishments have pulled out of the rating system because of it's inconsistencies and over the top charges. There are many many ungraded establishment now equivalent to if not better than 3-4 stars.
Accom Swap does not check on the ratings it is not our job to do so. There are many different levels of expectations within our group (ANY group of people in fact). Some are very happy to have just the basics and are uncomfortable booking into a high star rated establishment. Others are very fussy and will only book into 4-5 star places. Accom Swap caters for ALL categories - members will find their own level of expectation and comfort levels and request bookings accordingly. Fortunately we have a good selection now of every category so everyone should be able to find accommodation that meets their requirements and satisfaction.
As a member of Accommodation Swap your duty as a potential guest is to do your own research in the same way that any guest would do - i.e. to look on booking.com or Tripadvisor or SafariNow etc to see what the general public is saying about that establishment. These websites are pretty accurate regarding the quality of stay as all guests are requested to supply feedback on their stay.