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Community News Hotels What Hotel Ratings Really Mean
Community News Hotels What Hotel Ratings Really Mean
| What Hotel Ratings Really Mean |
| Monday, 05 January 2009 | |
 Over at Smarter Travel.com, a reader wrote in to ask what hotel rating descriptions like “first class” and “three star” – actually mean. Having chosen a tour that advertised first class hotels, the reader found that the rooms weren’t all that classy. “It was mediocre at best,” the reader said. “ Who really decides what class or how many stars to give a hotel?”The answers might surprise you. According to Smarter Travel, the industry standard of “first class” is actually pretty mediocre. The most widely used rating system is the one created a very long time ago by the Official Hotel & Resort Guide (OHRG), intended for use by travel agents. The ratings levels are, from best to worst, Superior Deluxe, Deluxe, Moderate Deluxe, Superior First Class, First Class, Limited Service First Class, Moderate First Class, Superior Tourist, Tourist, and Moderate Tourist. When a hotel is rated as “first class,” it is generally based on this system – and it’s not all that impressive. Star ratings, on the other hand, vary wildly, being assigned by any number of industry associations and tourism boards. In some cases, the stars are assigned when a property is brand new, and never updated. You have other options, however. All over the web, sites like TripAdvisor.com, Zagat.com, and Orbitz.com offer unbiased user reviews of hotels, while detailed professional reviews can be found at the Professional Travel Guide. With sites like these, you can seek out newer reviews of hotels by people who’ve actually stayed there, rather than relying on ratings. Smarter Travel advises that you research your hotels yourself, to find out whatever you can before you book. It’s also helpful to find out what the tour packager/hotel’s rating is based on – any hotel can call itself “four star.” To find out more, check out Smartertravel.com here. |
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