Hotel rating

Hotel ratings are often used to classify hotels according to their quality. From the initial purpose of informing travellers on basic facilities that can be expected, the objectives of hotel rating have expanded into a focus on the hotel experience as a whole. The terms "grading", "rating", and "classification" are used to generally refer to the same concept.
There is a wide variety of rating schemes used by different organizations around the world. Many have a system involving stars, with a greater number of stars indicating greater luxury. Forbes Travel Guide, formerly Mobil Travel Guide, launched its star rating system in 1958. The American Automobile Association and their affiliated bodies use diamonds instead of stars to express hotel and restaurant rating levels.
Traditional systems focus on what goods and services are available, including food services, entertainment, view, spas and fitness centers. Room size, ease of access, and location may be also be considered, and some standards also incorporate quality of design and service. Some consider assessments that lean heavily on amenities disadvantageous to smaller hotels, whose quality of accommodation could fall into one class but whose lack of an item such as an elevator or a spa prevent it from reaching a higher categorization.

History

Forbes Travel Guide, formerly Mobil Travel Guide, launched its star rating system in 1958. The Swiss hotel rating was the first non-government formal hotel classification beginning in 1979. It influenced the hotel classification in Austria and Germany. The formal hotel classification of the DEHOGA started on 1 August 1996 and proved successful with 80% of guests citing the hotel stars as the main criteria in hotel selection. This implementation influenced the creation of a common European Hotelstars rating system that started in 2010. In 2024, the Michelin Guide started awarding one, two, and three keys to highly rated hotels.

Standards of hotel classification

Leading Hotels of the World

Historically, luxury hotels have used the membership in The Leading Hotels of the World to document regular inspection on an additional level. This organization was formed in 1928 and reorganized in 1971, introducing a worldwide inspection service.

European Hotelstars Union

The HOTREC is an umbrella organization for 39 associations from 24 European countries. At a conference in Bergen in 2004, the partners drafted a hotel classification system in order to harmonize their national standards. In 2007 HOTREC launched the European Hospitality Quality scheme which has since accredited the existing national inspection bodies for hotel rating. Some member countries set standards by law, including Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Hungary. In Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, the rating is defined by the respective hotel industry association. Under the patronage of HOTREC, the hotel associations of Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland created the Hotelstars Union. On 14 September 2009, the Hotelstars Union classification system was established at a conference in Prague. This system became effective in these countries in January 2010, with the exception of Hungary, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, who have chosen later dates for the change. Since then, more countries have joined the HOTREC hotelstars system, including Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Liechtenstein, Slovenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia.
For hotels with three to five stars, the Hotelstars Union will use "mystery guests" to check the service quality regularly. The European Hotelstars Union system is based on the earlier German hotelstars system that had widely influenced the hotel classifications in central Europe, with five stars and a Superior mark to flag extras. Instead of a strict minimum in room size and required shower facilities there is a catalogue of criteria with 7 qualification areas encompassing 247 elements, where some are mandatory for a star and others optional. The main criteria are in quality management, wellness, and sleeping accommodation. In the catalogue of criteria each entry is associated with a number of points – each Hotelstars level requires a minimal sum of points besides some criteria being obligatory for the level. The minimum requirement for the Superior flag requires the same sum of points as for the next Hotelstars level, which was not awarded, owing to at least one obligatory requirement being left out.

Australia

In Australia, the industry accommodation rating scheme and Star Rating trademarks, known as Star Ratings Australia, are owned by the Australian Tourism Industry Council. A Star Rating represents the quality and condition of guest facilities which is determined by 200 criteria. Star Ratings are awarded to hotels, motels, serviced apartments, self-catering, hosted accommodation and caravan-holiday parks. The scheme uses physical visits, reviews, and mystery guest stays to make their accreditation on the accommodation's ratings. Australia's star ratings have been operating since the 1950s as both an accreditation as well as a booking service. It was first owned by the state based automobile clubs including NRMA, RACV, RACQ, RAC, RAA, and RACT. It was then organized by the Australian Automobile Association Tourism as a peak body. However, the booking service in the motoring clubs was not continued and later the annual accommodation guide book ceased to be printed with the accommodation guide going online. AAA Tourism closed in 2013, but Star Ratings Australia continued as an inspection and star rating service only, as well as an accommodation website.
In 2015 Star Ratings Australia became one of the first independent accommodation classification systems in the world to incorporate consumer opinions. Their website also shows a Travellers' Rating which is presented in parallel to the independent Star Rating and is an aggregate of past guest ratings and reviews from more than 100 websites in 45 different languages. The rating is shown as a 10 point score. Weighting applies to the popularity of the source site and the date of the last guest review. The William Angliss Institute in Melbourne developed an independent benchmarking framework to show if a property has met or exceeded guest expectations. On 28 February 2017, Michael Reed, CEO of Australian Motoring Services, advised clients of the closure of Star Ratings Australia brand and asked to remove star rating and automobile club logos from their accommodation and promotional information by June 2017. It was said that competition from online travel agencies such as TripAdvisor and their customer rating system led to its demise. The brand was then transferred to the Australian Tourism Industry Council. In early 2019, Star Ratings were rebranded under the council's "Quality Tourism" Accreditation Program. Star Ratings in Australia stand for independently reviewed quality standards and are defined as such:

Star rating	Overview of criteria according to Star Ratings Australia
	Properties that typify luxury across all areas of operation. Guests will enjoy an extensive range of facilities and comprehensive or highly personalised services. Properties at this level will display excellent design quality and attention to detail.
	Properties which achieve a deluxe guest experience. A wide range of facilities and superior design qualities are typically complemented by service standards that reflect the varied and discerning needs of the guest.
	Properties that deliver a broad range of amenities that achieve above-average accommodation needs. Good quality service, design and physical attributes are typically fit for purpose to match guest expectations.
	Properties that focus on the needs of price conscious travellers. Services and guest facilities are typically limited to keep room rates affordable and competitive but may be available upon request or fee-based.
	Properties that offer budget facilities without compromising cleanliness or guest security. Guests may access fee-based services or facilities upon request.
	Half-star ratings indicate modest improvements in the quality and condition of guest facilities.

France

In France, the rating is defined by the public tourist board using a four-star system, which has changed to a five-star system from 2009 on.

India

Hotels in India are classified by Hotel and Restaurant Association Classification Committee, Ministry of Tourism, India.

New Zealand

In New Zealand, hotels and other tourism services are graded by Qualmark, which is owned by Tourism New Zealand, a government organisation.

Philippines

In the Philippines, the Department of Tourism has an accreditation system for hotels, apartment hotels and resorts. The current system which uses a "star system" which rates establishments from 1 to 5 stars was adopted in 2012. The rating of the aforementioned facilities are determined through a points system. Hotels, apartment hotels, and resorts are graded according to their service, facility quality and condition, and business practices. The Department of Tourism classifies the criteria used into seven dimensions or "business area" namely: Arrival & Departure, Public Areas, Bedrooms, Food & Beverage, Lounge Area, Kitchen Area, Amenities, and Business Practices, all common to the three categories except Kitchen and Lounge Area which is only applicable to apartment hotels. 1,000 points is the maximum number of points an establishment can attain.

Rating	Corresponding points	Summary
Unranked	0–250
	251–400	Has limited facilities and services. Appeals to "budget minded" tourists.
	401–550	Appeals to tourists looking for more than basic accommodation. Has expanded facilities and "higher level" of comfort.
	551–700	Accommodation is deemed "very good". More spacious public areas and higher quality facilities and a greater variety of services.
	701–850	"Up-scale in all areas" and accommodation is "refined and stylish". Service is deemed responsive, and has an extensive array of facilities.
	851–1000	Reflects characteristics of "luxury and sophistication". Facilities are deemed "world class in every manner" and services are deemed meticulous and "exceeding all guests' expectations".