What Is In A Star

 The Hotels Walk Of Fame.

 

 

Pixabay Image By Mohammed Hassan

"Call that a 5-star hotel? I have stayed in more luxurious tents."

Generally we all accept that if a hotel has 5 stars, it is of an excellent quality; but does it?. Did you know, all stars are not equal? The reason is because, even after all this time, an internationally accepted standard does not exist. 

 A 5-star Hotel in New York is not necessarily of the same standard as a 5-star hotel in London or Madrid. In fact; the standards applied can even vary from region to region inside a country. The USA awards stars based on public opinion, whereas Europe uses, voluntary assessment, independent companies, trade associations, and standards set by local government to award the stars, depending on the locality. This is how it is possible for a star rating to mean something different as you move from region to region, and country to country.

The star ratings are such a fluid system that even online platforms accredit hotels using differing criteria. As you look for the best deals on the internet, you can see a hotel 5-star rated on one platform, while it is languishing nearer the middle or bottom, just because the criteria that the site is using is different. All these of course have absolutely no relation whatsoever to the ratings found on review sites. That's a different page altogether, I think.

After spending a little time trying to see if a basic standard could be arrived at, I decided that it was impossible. There are far too many variables at play here, and that while you are reasonable safe to assume that a 5-star rating is going to give you a good experience, depending on who has done the accreditation, and where the hotel is, your expectation may just be wide of the mark.

Having worked in the hospitality industry for a number of years, I do know first hand how hard, hotels work to get their stars (when they are being independently assessed), and how hard they continue to work to keep them. In the absence of an international standard, it is reasonable to ask why they bother, and I think the answer is found in the density of hotels and resorts, and the intense competition that exists in the industry, as each hotel is vying for your trade and jockeying to get your attention. The 1-5 stars rating system, while flawed, does give an indication of what you can expect, although no guarantees of your expectations exist anywhere.

It does seem to follow that, the top end of the ratings systems; the 4 and 5-star hotels offer luxury, and levels of service that you generally don't expect from hotels that are 1-3 star rated. 5-star services may include things like, airport transfers (paid and unpaid) a concierge, room service, daily room cleaning, heated pools, restaurants, fine dining, sports and other leisure services. 5-star also implies, hosts of facilities; a spa perhaps; grooming services for the men and a hairdresser for the ladies. Maybe a casino, live shows, and one thing is for certain; if you are staying at a 5-star hotel or resort then you are paying handsomely for everything, and the aim of the hotel is to provide enough services, so that you don't have to leave.

We, too, have a variety of different services to get you from the airport or from your cruise ship to the hotel. In most destinations, we offer shared and private transfers, and the private transfers in some destinations range from a saloon/sedan car all the way up to luxury vehicles and limousines. To see the airport transfers we offer to the hotel where you will be staying, browse here JustBookTransfers