What are the 5 best hotels in the world?
1:13
(CNN) --
Internet user reviews are great, until you find out they're fake.
Or you remember that your uncle always leaves reviews and actually has the worst taste.
Travelers want a proper set of standards, which generic hotel star ratings seem to provide.
After all, you see "five star hotel" and think "it must be amazing", just like you hear "one star" and realize it's not going to be a luxury honeymoon.
But what do those rankings really mean, especially now that the Internet and its many hotel review sites have transformed travel?
We're here to clear things up... right after we confused you even more.
A changing standard
The hotel ratings were created "to help customers choose between the acceptable and the unacceptable, and within the acceptable, establish a kind of hierarchy between the best and the worst," explains Chekitan Dev of the School of Management. Cornell Hotelier.
A great idea, no doubt.
But the problem was that several different hierarchies emerged, with little consensus.
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Non-American Approaches
"In most of the world, the system is controlled by the government," says Dev.
These classifications often have one thing in common: they are out of date.
"Governments tend to get stuck in the past," observes Dev. "They don't update their criteria. They don't take service and other more intangible things into account."
Even the ones that are up to date can be a bit questionable.
change of stars
For a long time, it was almost impossible to find a five-star hotel in France.
Why?
His ranking system stopped at four.
Then, in 2009, they added one more star category, bringing it up to the standard five stars.
The following year, a further category was added: luxury hotels deemed especially extraordinary are now given a separate "Palace" title by the French Agency for Tourism Development.
For his part, Dev points out that India has imposed a luxury tax on its five-star hotels, causing establishments that fall in that category to modestly present themselves as four or even three stars.
In some countries, hotels do the opposite, pushing for an artificially high rating so they can charge higher rates or even use the rating as leverage to obtain loans.
In the US there is a different confusion.
The Government does not control qualifications, which gives rise to multiple methods.
Traditionally, the two most prominent raters have been the American Automobile Association (AAA) with its diamonds and Mobil (now Forbes) with its stars.
Dev points out that diamonds tend to be more relaxed: "It's common for hotels to have five diamonds and four stars."
The 10 best hotels in the world and the United States in 2022, according to Tripadvisor
Now that we've got you stumped, let's examine the levels.
What do the stars mean?
There is no single answer to the question of what star ratings really mean, as there are many systems made up of many factors.
Some tourist agencies even give exceptional luxury properties an unofficial six-star designation.
(Think stunning overwater villas in the Maldives with private butlers.)
And also keep in mind that not all brand properties are created equal when it comes to making assumptions about a chain's star rating: Newer hotels are often more modern and deserve a higher rating.
But to get an idea of how it works, the rankings traditionally go like this:
A star
The hotel is small to medium in size, probably part of a national chain.
You probably have a telephone and television in the room.
You can have a restaurant;
probably won't have room service.
Must be "conveniently located to moderately priced attractions."
Examples: Econolodge, Motel 6.
Get back to basics: EconoLodge is one of America's best-known budget hotel chains.
Credit: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
Two stars
A bit more personal;
public access may be restricted after certain hours.
Examples: Days Inn, LaQuinta Inn.
Three stars
The lobby must be quite nice.
Gyms and swimming pools make their appearance.
Examples: Holiday Inn, Best Western.
Four stars
The benefits that surprise you in the three stars have become commonplace, such as spas, concierges and parking services.
Examples: Hyatt Regency, Marriott.
Five stars
The service is quite personalized.
The property will probably be quite large.
Rooms will offer "elegant furnishings and quality bedding";
its lobby can be described as "sumptuous".
There will probably be a personal assistant.
Examples: Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons.
Which brings us to the question...
To what extent should the stars condition your decisions?
The Four Seasons is one of the best known hotel brands that are considered worthy of the five-star designation.
In the photo, his property in Hoi An, Vietnam.
Credit: Four Seasons
Travel industry professionals have mixed opinions about the use of stars.
Katherine Norton of Brownell Travel, North America's oldest travel agency, is polite about it ("A rating is something a hotel should be very proud of").
Of course, "Brownell's business is focused on lasting relationships and personal experience."
This means that you can choose a "three-star hotel because we know that it will give an extra for our clients".
Similarly, Dev says it's important to understand one basic fact: "A one-star hotel doesn't have to be a bad hotel."
At best, these types of establishments are minimal: they offer no amenities, but charge less accordingly.
Look at the 2 hotels in Mexico that are among the best in the world, according to Tripadvisor
So when looking for your next vacation rental, how should you look at the star rating?
"If we focus only on star ratings, we miss out on a lot of potential benefits," says Slav Kulik, CEO and co-founder of
software
company Plan A Technologies.
He knows this field well, having provided bespoke
software
platforms , digital transformation solutions, and countless other services for dozens of hospitality and travel clients.
What can consumers expect?
"Thanks to artificial intelligence, booking engines and loyalty programs can now offer a personalized experience to each guest," reports Kulik.
Considerations may include: What floor do you like to stay on?
What products do you want to be waiting when you get to your room?
What restaurant should have a reservation ready so you can enjoy your favorite meal after a long day?
What type of pillow do you prefer?
If you're determined to get as much star value as possible, Dev suggests taking the price of a hotel and dividing it by the number of stars.
Next, explain to your spouse why spending $500 on a four-star hotel instead of $130 on a one-star hotel may have technically wrecked the family budget, but has generated $5 in average savings in terms of stars.
What can matter more than that?
Hotels
