What a Five-star Hotel Rating Really Means-and How to Tell If It's Worth the Price

"The five-star rating system originally debuted in 1960 when the Mobil Oil Corporation, now known as ExxonMobil, published a guide to hotels, ranking them with stars to show the different tiers of amenities. The original Mobil Travel Guides were divided into regions and sold at Mobil gas stations for $1.95. In 2009, the Mobil Travel Guide became the Forbes Travel Guide."

"Due to the uncertainty of what exactly a "five-star" rating means, several organizations have stepped in to measure and verify that a hotel meets five-star luxury status. Surprisingly, many of the reasons a property becomes designated as a five-star hotel may have nothing to do with the actual rooms. Here's what travelers should know about the origin and meaning of hotel star ratings."

"Travelers still depend on star rankings for insights before they book a hotel, but other international organizations have joined in on setting their own rules and designations for five-star classifications. "There's no single global checklist of amenities that determines a star level, which means criteria can vary widely by country," Hotels.com travel expert Melanie Fish told Travel + Leisure. "For example, not every five-star hotel has to have a pool, and many four-star hotels might offer spas or luxury touches." Fish added that five-star hotels are most popular in travel markets that attract a luxury audience, with Las Vegas, New York, London, Dubai, and Bangkok ranking as some of the destinations with the most five-star hotels."

Five-star hotel ratings began with the Mobil Travel Guide in 1960 and later became the Forbes Travel Guide in 2009. Multiple organizations now assign and verify five-star status, but no universal global checklist exists to standardize those ratings. Criteria can differ by country and by rating organization, so amenities such as pools or spas are not universally required. Some five-star designations reflect factors beyond room quality. Luxury-focused markets like Las Vegas, New York, London, Dubai, and Bangkok host many five-star hotels, making verification of specific amenities and services important for travelers.

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