The hotel star rating system is designed to give tourists insight into the standard and quality of the type of accommodation that they are booking. However, star ratings are far from standardised across the world – a five-star hotel in one country is not necessarily the same as a five-star hotel in another.
This article explains what hotel star ratings are, where they came from, how different rating systems work around the world, and what each star level typically means.
What is a hotel star rating?
When a tourist is considering booking accommodation for their next trip, they will likely want to know how good or bad a certain hotel is.
Similarly to purchasing a car or choosing where to eat, tourists want to know what other people think. Research has shown that reviews are important for a number of reasons, including:
- Showing a company’s reliability
- Indicating what real people think
- Making it easier to decide where to go/what to buy
- Building transparency
- A more personal experience
Star ratings are different from customer reviews, because they are usually awarded by professional inspectors or official bodies against set criteria.
Hotel star ratings are, in a way, a quantifiable summation of the different positive aspects of a hotel. The ratings are based on a specific set of criteria laid out by the establishment who are awarding the stars, which is used to determine which star is awarded.
Hotels (and booking sites or travel agencies) will use star rating systems to give a one-look insight into how good a particular hotel is. This gives travellers a quick way to compare hotels.
Typically the higher the hotel star rating, the better the hotel is. Most parts of the world use a 1-5 star rating system, although some hotels market themselves as ‘six-star’ or ‘seven-star’ – such as the Burj Al Arab in Dubai – these are unofficial labels rather than recognised ratings.
Hotel star ratings are also reflected in the price. Hotels with a higher star rating cost more, while low-rated hotels are much cheaper.
Booking sites usually allow travellers to filter their search by star rating.
The history of hotel star ratings
In 1958, the Mobil Travel Guide (now Forbes Travel Guide) launched one of the first hotel star rating systems in the USA. This used to be a printed guidebook. Print copies ceased production in 2011 but the guide can still be found online at ForbesTravelGuide.com – where its ratings are published alongside reports from its inspectors.
Forbes Travel Guide uses detailed criteria, and ratings are awarded by anonymous inspectors who stay at the hotels. These star ratings are a mark of certification. This is because Mobil registered trademarks for the phrases and designs they used to indicate each star level – and only actual rated establishments were and are allowed to display them.
Hotel star rating systems around the world
When the guide was the Mobil Travel Guide, hotels were rated on a one to five star system. Today, Forbes Travel Guide rates hotels, restaurants and spas around the world as Five-Star, Four-Star or Recommended, with the USA and China having the largest numbers of rated hotels.
There is no world-standard hotel star rating system that applies to every hotel and is universally recognised. Star ratings are widely used and understood, but they are not standardised – there is no worldwide law or universal system.
However, some countries do have laws that define hotel ratings: Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Hungary.
And in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, ratings are defined by the country’s respective hotel industries. The Swiss were the first to do this. In 1979 they became the first country to have a formal non-governmental hotel classification. This then influenced Germany and Austria.
In South Africa, they have a Tourist Grading Council which grants hotels up to five stars. In France, the national tourism agency Atout France has run a five-star system since 2009 (previously four stars), with an additional ‘Palace’ distinction for the most exceptional five-star hotels. In the UK, hotels are rated by the AA and by the national tourist boards, such as VisitEngland and VisitScotland. In New Zealand, Qualmark, owned by the national tourist board Tourism New Zealand (a government organisation), awards ratings .
The European Hotelstars Union
On 14 September 2009, the Hotelstars Union classification system was established at a conference in Prague. This was done under the patronage of HOTREC. This is an umbrella organisation of national hotel and hospitality associations across Europe. HOTREC is an abbreviation of Hotels, Restaurants & Cafés in Europe. Earlier, in 2007, HOTREC launched their EHQ. This is the European Hospitality Quality scheme – it accredited existing national inspection bodies for hotel ratings, like some mentioned above.
Hotelstars Union member countries include Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Liechtenstein and Slovenia. The criteria are revised every few years, with recent updates placing greater emphasis on digital services and sustainability. The hotel star ratings are as follows:
- * – Tourist
- *S – Superior Tourist
- ** – Standard
- **S – Superior Standard
- *** – Comfort
- ***S – Superior Comfort
- **** – First Class
- ****S – First Class Superior
- ***** – Luxury
- *****S – Superior Luxury
Some of the typical criteria for each star rating are listed below (the full criteria are more detailed and are updated regularly).
The ‘Superior’ (S) label is awarded to hotels that meet all of the requirements of their star category and offer a particularly high level of service and facilities, but do not meet the criteria for the next star level.
Tourist
- 100% of the rooms with shower/WC or bath tub/WC
- Daily room cleaning
- 100% of the rooms with colour-TV together with remote control
- Table and chair
- Soap or body wash
- Reception service
- Wi-Fi access
- Publicly available telephone for guests
- Extended breakfast
- Beverage offer in the hotel
- Deposit possibility
Standard
In addition to the single star (*) hotels:
- Breakfast buffet
- Reading light next to the bed
- Bath essence or shower gel
- Bath towels
- Linen shelves
- Offer of sanitary products (e.g. toothbrush, toothpaste, shaving kit)
- Credit cards
Comfort
In addition to the standard star (**) hotels:
- Reception opened 14 hours, accessible by phone 24 hours from inside and outside, bilingual staff (e.g. German/English)
- Three piece suite at the reception, luggage service
- Beverage offer in the room
- Telephone in the room
- Internet access in the room or in the public area
- Heating facility in the bathroom, hair-dryer, cleansing tissue
- Dressing mirror, place to put the luggage/suitcase
- Sewing kit, shoe polish utensils, laundry and ironing service
- Additional pillow and additional blanket on demand
- Systematic complaint management system
First Class
In addition to the comfort star (***) hotels:
- Reception opened 18 hours, accessible by phone 24 hours from inside and outside
- Lobby with seats and beverage service
- Breakfast buffet or breakfast menu card via room service
- Minibar or 24 hours beverages via room service
- Upholstered chair/couch with side table
- Bath robe and slippers on demand
- Cosmetic products (e.g. shower cap, nail file, cotton swabs), vanity mirror, tray of a large scale in the bathroom
- High-speed internet access
- “À la carte”-restaurant
Luxury
In addition to the first class (****) hotels:
- Reception opened 24 hours, multilingual staff
- Doorman-service or valet parking
- Concierge, page boy
- Spacious reception hall with several seats and beverage service
- Personalized greeting for each guest with fresh flowers or a present in the room
- Minibar and food and beverage offer via room service during 24 hours
- Personal care products in flacons
- Digital services, such as a guest app or digital information in the room
- Safe in the room
- Ironing service (return within 1 hour), shoe polish service
- Turndown service in the evening
- Mystery guesting
Superior Luxury
The Luxury star hotels need to attain high expectations of an international guest service. The Superior Luxury star is only awarded with a system of intensive guest care.
For travellers to and within Europe, this is the most widely used harmonised system, and it is a well-recognised way of understanding the standard of a hotel.
Other hotel rating systems
As well as hotel star ratings, there are other systems in place. For example, Muslim travellers may look for hotels with the ‘Salam Standard’ classification – divided into four tiers, certifications are awarded based on different criteria such as halal food and prayer mats. There are also various rating systems for how eco-friendly a hotel is; and travellers who don’t choose an eco lodge, may still look for certifications such as Green Key or the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) standards.
Hotel star ratings: FAQs
Below are answers to some of the most common questions about hotel star ratings.
How does the hotel star rating system work?
Hotels are awarded between one and five stars by an official body, tourist board or private organisation, based on criteria such as the quality of rooms, facilities, services and staffing. The more stars, the higher the standard.
Is there a universal hotel star rating system?
No. Star ratings vary between countries and organisations. In Europe, the Hotelstars Union provides a harmonised system across around 20 countries, but elsewhere systems differ.
Who gives hotels their star ratings?
Depending on the country, ratings may be given by governments, national tourist boards (such as VisitEngland), hotel associations (such as the Hotelstars Union), motoring organisations (such as the AA) or private guides (such as Forbes Travel Guide).
Are there six- or seven-star hotels?
Not officially. Some luxury hotels, such as the Burj Al Arab in Dubai, are described as ‘seven-star’, but these are marketing labels rather than official ratings.
What does ‘Superior’ mean in a hotel rating?
In the Hotelstars Union system, ‘Superior’ is added to a star rating when a hotel exceeds the requirements of its category but does not meet the criteria for the next star level.
Hotel star ratings: Further reading
Whilst hotel star rating may not be universal across the world, they are certainly a good way to get a feel for the quality and standard of accommodation. If you found this article useful, these articles may also be of interest:
- Types of hotels
- The history of the hotel industry
- Types of accommodation in tourism
- What are love motels?
- What is an eco lodge?
