Why are 5 stars different in different countries?
Every time planning a business trip or a beach holiday at the resort, we are looking for a suitable hotel, and often the main selection criterion is the star of the hotel.
The most comfortable is called a 5-star hotel (although 6-star and even 7-star hotels have already appeared in the UAE), then 4-star hotels are considered the best, a 3-star hotel is considered below the average level of comfort, a 2-star hotel and a 1-star hotel in the understanding of tourists - the most unpresentable and cheap.
Is that really true? Stars are the most popular way to distinguish hotels by cost and set of services, for example, room size, individual breakfast, cleanliness. For a simple determination of the level of the hotel introduced a star classification system (from 1 to 5 stars), although any such rating is quite conditional, and differs in different countries. Currently, there are approximately 30 different hotel classifications worldwide. In 1989, the World Tourism Organization (WTO) defined hotel standards, but they are in the nature of recommendations.
Every tourist, traveler, traveler has his own requests and ideas about comfort. Before booking a hotel room, we advise you to find out the value of the stars of a particular hotel.
Hotel 1 star - you can spend the night modestly. The room has a bed, chair, mirror, nightstand, wardrobe, soap. Your towel will be changed twice a week. The phone and TV will be in the lobby. Hotel 2 stars. Budget accommodation: the same services that are available in the hotel 1 star, they are added elevator and bar. Bed linen and towels will be changed in two days. Hotel three stars will please with a minimum variety: single, double, two-room, for smokers and so on. The room will have ordinary furniture, as well as a bath, toilet, toilet table, luggage stand, radio. If you are staying in a more expensive room, you will be provided with a TV and air conditioning. Towels for guests will be changed every day, underwear - twice a week. On the territory of the hotel there are restaurants, shops, entertainment centers. The four-star hotel will provide the same services as the three-star hotel, but at your service will be a laundry, shops. Cleaning you can do twice a day, and in your bathroom will be individual soap, shampoo and shower gel.
The five-star hotel begins on the way to it: free parking for guests, a large and well-kept area, a variety of plants, in the evening mandatory lighting of the building. At the entrance, guests are met by a doorman, bags and suitcases are carried to the room by specially trained people. In a hotel of this class, a swimming pool, one or more conference rooms, satellite television are required. The room should be of decent size, more than 16 square meters, the furniture is clean, new, the mattress is high and good, daily cleaning, changing bed linen and towels in the bathroom. Food should be impeccable: menu on request or the widest selection of dishes for every taste, taking into account the wishes of customers.
It turned out that everything is not completely unique and not the same. Hotels of the same stardom differ around the world, the differences can be significantly influenced by the mentality of the country, the climate, national characteristics, finally, the desires and fantasies of the owner or the whims of the staff. Imagine a luxury 5-star hotel in the United Arab Emirates, when the whole world and 5 stars fall at your feet, but in the Maldives - a small straw bungalow on the water.
For example, the smallest room area of a five-star hotel in the capital of England, London, will be much smaller than, for example, in Singapore, because London is an ancient city and hotels are often located in historic buildings, in which rooms are small.
There may be differences in the number of staff. For example, in each room of the Maia Luxury Resort & Spa hotel in the Seychelles, ten people will be assigned to one guest: a gardener, a maid, a cook, a butler and many others. In Paris, Moscow, Berlin, New York, this cannot be the case.
Hotels of the same chain can be very different from each other. M. Neiko, general manager of The Ritz-Carlton hotel in Moscow, notes that “...there is a concept of “scenography”, individual for each hotel, it reflects the peculiarities of local culture and history.”
In Asia, for example, in Thailand, the familiar star system does not work, when choosing a hotel, you need to pay attention to the price, guest reviews, cuisine, read a detailed description, watch photos. It should be borne in mind that hotels differ on the islands and the mainland by the level of service and the cost of living.
This classification is typical for European hotels, in the United States of America the situation is different. The lowest is called Tourist class, its hotels are similar in terms of accommodation and quality of service to hotels in Europe 1, 2 and 3 stars. This class includes hotels of three levels:
First class will be the equivalent of three-star hotels. Moderate First Class is a budget option. First Class – will be similar to good “treshki”, Superior First Class – quality hotels with comfortable amenities and a high level of service. Deluxe in the US is similar to 5-star hotels in Europe: luxury huge hotels located in major metropolises that try to please all the whims of their guests. The most important thing for America is that the hotel belongs to a large and popular hotel chain, for example, Hilotn, Radisson, Marriott.
When choosing a hotel, use recommendations on special tourist sites, read reviews in advance, review maps and photos. Some self-respecting hotels respond to requests from tourists to clarify any information and answer questions - exercise this right.
Photos: heliopark, unusual-design, turvopros