Recommendation points
Any hotel can be described in words – a beautiful and spacious hall, a cozy room, there is a refrigerator and a bar, a delicious breakfast, they clean the room every day, and so on. And you can do the same, only using an abbreviation, the generally accepted system of letters, crowns or stars.
Every traveler and even a person who has never left his hometown is familiar with such characteristics as a “five-star hotel” or “three-star hotel”. However, without visiting such an establishment, it is difficult to immediately figure out what is the difference between these categories of hotels..
In fact, what are the “stars” hiding behind them? What to expect from a hotel that has three or four stars in its name? What you need to know when choosing a hotel, for example, in the UK, America or Greece, which has its own special classification of hotels?
We invite you to get acquainted with the generally accepted classification of hotels.
The number of “stars” added to the hotel name can immediately inform the traveler about the level of service and quality of rooms
One star
One-star hotels are the cheapest and offer the lowest level of comfort. This is a budget option for unassuming tourists who just need to spend the night somewhere while stopping in this city..
Typically, these hotels are located on the outskirts of cities, on a busy highway, in areas with inconvenient transport links and away from main attractions.
Traditionally, “one-star” hotels are small – a maximum of eight to ten rooms. A standard room in such a hotel is a cramped room with an area of no more than ten square meters, designed for two guests. The decor of the rooms is ascetic, if not miserable.
You can’t count on food in a one-star hotel, guests only pay for the room. And linen is changed no more than once a week or after the previous guests have left the room.
Another disadvantage of the most budget hotels – a toilet and shower are not in every room, but common for five rooms, two bathrooms on the floor.
Traditionally, such hotels close after 1 am, and a late tourist will not be able to get into his room until the early morning..
Two beds and a lonely bedside table at the opposite wall – that’s all the decoration of the “one-star” room. The cheapest bedding and simply painted walls will complement the interior
Two stars
“Two-star” hotels are often referred to as “tourist class” hotels. Usually such hotels are located on popular excursion routes and are intended for one-night stops. That is, we examined the local sights, spent the night in an inexpensive hotel and moved on in the morning..
The comfort level here is slightly higher than in one star hotels. The cost of living includes a light breakfast, the rooms are small and not rich, but furnished a little better. And most importantly, each room has its own separate shower and toilet.
In addition, it is not customary to close hotels of this category for the night, so a traveler tired after hiking from one attraction to another can get into his room at any time..
A two-star hotel air conditioner will likely replace a fan. But in general, it can even be cozy here.
Three stars
The most widespread category of hotels in the world. However, it is not necessary to compare “three-star” hotels in Europe and in the most popular resorts among Russians. If in Paris a hotel of this category will be located in an old mansion on a quiet street, and the level of service will pleasantly surprise tourists who are not accustomed to the increased attention of tourists, then in Egypt it is customary to “exaggerate the stardom”. That is, a three-star hotel in one of the Egyptian resorts will offer a service comparable to the level of European “tourist class” hotels of the “two-star” category. In Turkey, about the same situation is observed – one star can be safely taken away. The most comfortable, even by European standards, are recognized as “three-star” hotels in the Netherlands.
Rooms in hotels of this category can be either double or single, with one large double bed and two separate beds. If a family is traveling with a child, then in a double room they can additionally arrange one more bed by unfolding a sofa or putting another bed.
It is imperative that each room has its own bathroom and toilet. In addition to the beds, there is other furniture in the room: stands for shoes and luggage, a spacious wardrobe with hangers for clothes, bedside tables, armchairs, chairs, and so on..
In addition, the “three-star” room must have air conditioning, TV and mini-bar, for which, however, you will have to pay extra. A hotel of this category provides guests with shampoo, soap and towels, which must be changed daily. Bed linen is changed twice a week.
On the territory of a “three-star” hotel there is usually a guarded parking lot, a hairdresser, a currency exchange office, and a laundry.
Three-star hotels offer a fairly high level of service at an acceptable cost of living, most often ordinary travelers are content with just such hotels
Four stars
These are already hotels with a high level of service, the cost of living here is significantly higher than in hotels of the first three categories. Four-star hotels are usually located in the city center, close to the beach, attractions and in areas with good transport links.
These hotels offer rooms of different categories – from standard to luxury. The rooms are large and well appointed. In addition to a TV with many satellite channels, a four-star room must have an air conditioner, a refrigerator, an international telephone line, a mini-bar, a safe for storing valuables and a hair dryer..
Naturally, each room has its own shower and toilet. Maids are required to change bed linen and towels daily, however, in practice, especially in hotels in popular resorts, towels are changed only when the guest demonstratively throws them on the bathroom floor.
Remember that when choosing a four-star hotel, you need to pay attention to the year it was built and the time of the last renovation. There is a risk of ending up in a “four-star” room with poorly functioning appliances, stale repairs and old furniture.
Reviews of travelers who have already been here play an important role in choosing a rather expensive “four-star” hotel. If the reviews come across records such as “the bed creaked terribly”, “there were crumbs in the nightstand” or “the refrigerator was working too loudly” – then this hotel does not reach the “four-star” level. This situation is especially common in hotels in Turkey and Egypt, which, as we remember, correspond rather to the European category “three stars”.
The “four-star” room is a cozy living room with everything you need for a comfortable stay
Five Stars
The most expensive and prestigious category of hotels. The hotel is necessarily located in the most attractive place from the point of view of travelers, on the seashore or in the city center. Resorts in this category usually have their own private beach and heated pool..
Spacious rooms of various categories, several bars, restaurants and cafes with various national cuisines, shops, a beauty salon, a gym, a fitness center, a swimming pool, a spa, a laundry, a bank branch – in “five-star” hotels there is everything that can need a wealthy guest.
In addition, hotels in this category are distinguished by well-trained staff who speak several languages and are always ready to help guests. The equipment and sizes of the rooms are approximately the same as in four-star hotels, but more luxurious, much higher in quality and cost of furniture.
Towels and bed linen are required to be changed daily. The bathroom with modern fixtures includes soap, shampoo, disposable toothbrushes, shower gel, toothpaste, slippers and bathrobes with hotel logos.
Since the guests of such expensive hotels are often businessmen, they have at their service special rooms, additionally equipped with a fax and a computer, with a meeting room.
It is worth noting that for hotels that are located in resort areas, for example, in Egypt or the Maldives, “five stars” usually means simply being located directly on the beach, on the first line. Otherwise, such resort hotels meet only the four-star category..
A luxurious, large room of a “five-star” hotel most often has excellent views – its windows overlook the sea, mountains or picturesque landscape
Seven Star Hotels
Such hotels appeared relatively recently, they can literally be counted on one hand. In general, the level of service and service in hotels of this unique category does not differ much from the usual “five-star” hotels. However, they attract their VIP-clients precisely by their exclusivity, offering unique additional services or settling in amazing places..
Today, only the famous Sail Burj al Arab and the Emirates Palace in Dubai, as well as the Sungate Port Royal in Turkey are among the “seven-star” hotels. The first seven-star hotel was opened in Europe, in Milan, Italy – Town House Galleria.
Each of these hotels offers their VIP clients something special and exclusive. So, Burj al Arab is located on an artificial island, there is a unique underwater restaurant. Town House Galleria works mainly with a contingent from the fashion world and organizes shows of new clothing collections, and the Turkish Sungate Port Royal is located on the Mediterranean coast, equipped with a beautiful water park and offers accommodation in bungalows on the water.
Burj al Arab or Parus can be safely called the most famous and unique hotel in the world
Alternative to the stars
Of course, “stars” are the most common hotel classification on the planet. However, there are other systems that you should also be aware of when traveling..
For example, in the UK, which, in general, is trying to move to the “stars” today, the “crown” system is still widespread. It is easy to switch from the English classification to the generally accepted one – one should be subtracted from the number of “crowns” indicated in the name and the number of “stars” will be obtained. That is, the London Four Crowns Hotel will meet the level of service of an ordinary European “three-star” hotel.
In America, “stars” also did not spread. A more complex classification system operates here. Thus, European inexpensive hotels with one and two “stars” in the USA correspond to “tourist class”, which in turn is divided into three categories: Moderate Tourist Class (with a minimum of amenities, meet the standards of “one-star” hotels), Tourist Class (slightly more extended amenities of the “two stars” level) and Superior Tourist Class (also modest rooms, but with a TV).
First-class American hotels are traditional European three-star hotels. This class is also divided into four more categories: Moderate First Class (simple rooms with their own shower and toilet, not too different from the “tourist class”), Limited-Service First Class (quite comfortable rooms, but no frills and additional services), First Class (a typical high-end “three-star” hotel) and Superior First Class (well-appointed rooms, the quality of service is close to the “four-star” category).
And the most prestigious category of American hotels is Deluxe. This category of hotel also traditionally has its own subspecies: Moderate Deluxe (they do not reach the highest level, most likely they were previously budget hotels, although the quality of service may be at their best), Deluxe (good, high-quality “four-star” hotel) and, Superior Deluxe (real palaces, with luxurious rooms, in the center of big cities).
In Greece, the letter system is adopted. So, hotels of the “five stars” category in this country are designated as Deluxe, the letter “A” corresponds to the European “four stars”, “B” – three, “C” – two and “D” – one “star”.
There are in different countries, mainly in famous resorts and the so-called Club Hotels – Holiday Village. Their main difference is that in addition to the main building, guests can settle in separate cottages, bungalows or villas, which ensures privacy and closeness to nature. Such hotels are designated HV-1 and HV-2. The first type corresponds to the four and five star categories. The second type corresponds to the “three stars” and is much less common – Club hotels are often quite expensive and prestigious.
The territory of Club hotels is usually very spacious, and bungalows or cottages are scattered throughout the site and isolated from other buildings. Peace, silence, loneliness – this is what this hotel offers its guests
Of course, the choice of a hotel of one category or another is primarily a matter of finances. If you have the means, why not afford luxurious “seven-star” apartments on an artificial island or in the fashion capital of the world. But if you have to save money, then choosing a hotel should be especially careful, focusing not only on the “star rating”, but also real reviews, photos of rooms and common areas.
What criteria are used to classify hotels based on stars? I’ve always wondered what information is overlooked or hidden behind these star ratings.