Eli5: what gives a hotel a 5 star ranking? What can a hotel do to improve to a 4 or 5 star hotel and what does a 5 or 4 star hotel have that others don’t?

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In: 62

Answer 1

The truth is unlikely to be satisfying.

The general expectation for a four-star hotel include specialized staff (e.g. concierge service, doormen and bellhops), a wide variety of on-site amenities (e.g. fine dining, fitness centers, health spas), and spacious rooms with “luxury” trimmings (fancy brand soap, high-quality linens).

Five-star hotels differ in just how fancy those fancy additions are, and how personalized the service is. A four-star hotel has bellhops shared among all guests, a five-star hotel offers a personal butler. A four-star hotel has a great restaurant, a five-star hotel has a Michelin star dinner destination. A four-star hotel has a spa available for reservations, a five-star hotel sends a masseuse to your room.

Again, its important to stress: these are *wholly arbitrary*. Star rankings can vary based on which country you’re in or which website you’re browsing. There is no internationally defined standard for what defines stars at any level. Some countries have informal guidelines established by a national tourism board or ministry, but even those are fuzzy around the edges.