The Ultimate Guide to Hotel Star Ratings
Hotel star ratings - How they differ and why
When it comes to how good a hotel is, it’s written in the stars - quite literally.
But as we shall see, things can get a little cloudy when it comes to hotel stars.
Here we examine the rise of the hotel star rating system and how it has been augmented with customer star-ratings.
The introduction of hotel star ratings
The business of classifying hotels stretches back to the 1950s and the boom in post-war tourism.
Travel guides and roadside assistance firms began rating hotels with a certain number of stars out of a maximum of five.
The more stars, the more luxury a traveller could expect.
Current hotel star ratings
Today, a plethora of organisations and companies rate hotels. Unfortunately, the criteria they use can differ, which can add confusion over what is a very important purchase decision - not least because a large chunk of a person’s holiday budget goes on accommodation.
The shift to "overall experience" ratings
In recent times the traditional hotel star rating system has fallen out of favour somewhat, since it focuses solely on the amenities and comfort of the hotel.
However, some rating organisations have shifted focus to the overall experience.
Under the traditional rating system, a boutique hotel with luxurious rooms and service might lose a star simply for not having a lift. Under a more experience-centric rating system, the same hotel might achieve a five-star rating.
What each of the five classifications mean may differ between rating organisations, but the underlying logic remains: the more stars a hotel has, the more luxurious it is (or should be).
Hotel star rating systems are likely to evaluate things like:
- Food services
- Entertainment
- View
- Room variation/size
- Pool access
- Gym access
- Spa access
- Room service
- Lift
- Wi-Fi speed
- Ease of access
- Location
Star ratings for hotels: Rough summary
- Tourist (★) - Budget accommodation with basic amenities.
- Standard (★★) - Value accommodation with more comfort than a 1-star.
- Comfort (★★★) - Comfortable, midscale accommodation with some personalised service.
- First Class (★★★★) - High quality, upscale, comfort-plus accommodation.
- Luxury (★★★★★) - Luxurious, first-class personalised service, with state-of-the-art facilities.
One-star woes?
Receiving a single star rating may seem like the kiss of death for a hotel, but it could be worse: some accommodation options don’t even meet the criteria to bag a sole star, for reasons as diverse as poor security, lack of cleanliness, or even not providing breakfast (depending on the rating system).
Such hotels may decide to avoid being rated at all by tourist boards - although crucially, such poor accommodation cannot sidestep the all-important customer review (see below).
Is five the magic number?
When it comes to star ratings for hotels, five has become the norm.
The French tourist board, Atout, initially used a four-star system (plus "L" for Luxus), but even they switched to the five-star convention after 2009.
However, Frommer's hotel rating system only goes up to three, so the famous Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, for instance, may have a five-star official rating, but only a three-star rubber-stamp from Frommers.
Hotel ratings in the UK
UK hotels are rated to the same Common Quality Standards by various tourist boards and their partners. The downside is that to get rated a hotel must undergo a secret inspection - and pay for the service.
And not every hotel takes up this offer - not least because to achieve a single star, a hotel must offer breakfast and a TV in every bedroom (which not all do).
What about 7-star hotels?
In recent decades some hotels have been billed as "7-star" options - such as the Burj Al Arab in Dubai.
These claim to be a step above a five-star hotel, attracting high-wealth customers like celebrities, political figures, or captains of industry.
However, Yngvar Stray, the general manager of the 5-star Capella Singapore, argues the 7-star was invented to “create a differentiation from the masses” - after many upper mid-range hotels garnered undeserved fifth stars.
"It's all self-proclaimed," says Stray, "there is no verification, no guidelines."
Meanwhile, Time Hentschel, CEO of travel technology firm HotelPlanner, says to achieve a 7-star rating a hotel would need to be "on the moon" or "underwater".
Not to be confused with online reviews
Customer ratings of hotels - such as Google Reviews - seem like the perfect way to determine a hotel's quality. However, these ratings are open to manipulation - either with fake reviews instigated by the hotels themselves, or even fake reviews from competitors (obviously focussing on the negatives rather than the positives).
Google stars: Look at the most recent reviews
While keeping an eye out for phony-looking reviews that don't chime with the rest of the feedback, note that a year-old review may also not be the best indication of quality or service.
In the matter of just a few months a hotel may change management or ownership, and this may have either a positive or negative effect on things like maintenance, renovations, and other improvements (or lack of).
Focussing on the customers' written feedback of the hotel in question is arguably one of the best ways to determine quality. For example, after reading ten reviews you may know that the Wi-Fi is unstable or doesn’t work in some rooms, or that there's an excellent buffet breakfast included.
Rating hotels on expectations rather than amenities
Additionally, customers may tend to review accommodation on what they expect from it. For example, a homely guest house may receive a 5-star rating on Google because it meets the needs of budget travellers - perhaps with an exceptionally friendly owner and a great social atmosphere.
Under other rating systems, it might not even achieve one-star.
Hotel "middleman" site reviews
Ratings on large hotel 'middle-man' sites such as Booking.com (which uses a rating-out-of-10 system) may seem higher than is deserved - notwithstanding owner-instigated reviews.
For instance, few accommodation options achieve a rating lower than 5, arguably because a hotel might receive high ratings for things like Wi-Fi and location, raising the overall score even when reviewers have made statements like "filthy rooms with poor service".
Where can I check hotel star ratings?
Searching ‘check hotel star ratings’ online will serve up resources for checking a particular accommodation option. However, the hotel’s website should display the star rating.
But as mentioned, star ratings on hotel booking sites or travel agent sites may differ from ratings provided by the applicable tourist board/rating body (e.g., Visit England).
Are hotel star ratings here to stay?
By checking a hotel’s star rating you get a good, if rough, indication of how luxurious (or not) a hotel is.
With the proviso that different organisations and websites can judge hotels differently, these ratings can be used in conjunction with customer reviews to determine just how good a hotel is.
Hotel star ratings are not perfect, but they're here to stay.
Get a Quote