How Are Hotels Rated

When people begin to look for a hotel to book for their vacation or their business trip they often times will take a look at the hotel rating. The hotel rating is usually a star system. The more stars a hotel is given the better it is. If the hotel receives very few stars then that is normally the hotel that you want to avoid at all costs. But with so many people depending so much on the star ratings, it is surprising to learn that not many people know how they receive their ratings.

Learning how are hotels rated is the best way to make sure that you are truly making the right decision on which hotel you should book. The first thing that you should know is that there is no standardized rating system which means there can be faults within the system. This is very important to remember. If you are traveling in Europe you will find that the highest star ranking a hotel can receive is a four stars. Within the United States the highest star ranking is five stars.

Understand that there may be three or four organizations that rate one particular hotel. They could all come up with different star ratings and for different reasons. Each organization has their own set of standards for star ratings. Because of this, it is important that you learn about the organizations standards for star ratings in order to truly understand what the stars should mean to you.

Of course the quick way to pick the best hotel is to go for anything in the United States with five stars and anything in Europe with four stars. No matter what the organizations guidelines are, the higher the star rating the better quality the rooms and customer service will be. Expect these to be the higher priced hotels as well.

For a rough guide to what the various star ratings usually imply read through the following:

5 Stars: This is a luxurious and expensive hotel. These hotels normally have a few restaurants on site and 24-7 room service. Valet parking and a fitness center are common things to be found within a five star rated hotel.
4 Stars: This would be a formal hotel with better than average customer service. Some of the amenities to expect would be a fitness center, room service, and nicely furnished rooms.
3 Stars: These hotels are normally positioned near major highways or expressways. They have nicely put together lobbies and room service is available. There can sometimes be a small fitness room and possible valet service as well.
2 Stars: These are the chain hotels that have a limited amount of amenities. There is not going to be room service for a two star hotel but there may be a small on site restaurant.
1 Star: This would be a small hotel that is normally owned and operated by the same person. The accommodations will be basic and there will not be any room service. These are normally known as the cheap hotels.

Over the last few years there have been some deviations to the industry standard ratings listed above. Some hotels have claimed 6 and even 7 star ratings for their establishments. The expansion beyond the traditional “five star” rating has led to industry analysts to question if it is simply more sales hype.

An example of a 6 star hotel is the Crown Macau, on Taipa Island in the Chinese territory of Macau. Another is the St. Regis Shanghai Hotel in China, The Oriental Bangkok in Thailand. Other examples include the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi and the Al Husn Hotel at Shangrila’s Shangri-La Barr Al Jissah Resort and Spa Hotel in Oman. The Palazzo Versace on the Gold Coast in Australia is described by Australian Traveller magazine as meriting “six star” rating though level of rating is not used in Australia.

There are only two hotels in the world that claim to hold a “7 star” ranking; the Burj Al Arab in Dubai, United Arab Emirates was the first, followed by Town House Galleria in Milan, Italy.

Now that you have a better idea of how are hotels rated you can begin your hunt for the perfect hotel for your trip.