What are hotel stars for?

Please do not make a hotel reservation before reading this article, which is about 0 to 100 hotel stars. Until about two centuries ago, the reasons for traveling were mostly business, acquiring knowledge, and pilgrimage, and certain people took advantage of it; today, traveling is an integral part of life for almost all people, which is done for many reasons. But travel, like any other phenomenon, requires essentials, of which accommodation is one of the most important. By now, you have noticed that in the last two centuries, every human need that expands becomes an industry; travel and accommodation are no exception to this rule.

Today, the tourism and hotel industry are among the most critical sectors in the world, and this means that they follow specific international laws that you need to know before you pack your bags. In this article from Nabtrip Tourism magazine, we have brought you everything you need to know about the number of stars of hotels and their features before booking a hotel. So stay with us to learn more about the types of accommodations, the number of hotel stars, their quality, and their facilities.

While traveling and choosing accommodation, you must have come across terms and titles for the total of your desired destination, many of which were probably unfamiliar. One of the most important ones is the number of hotel stars, which may confuse us in choosing the desired hotel. We are here to describe the accommodations from zero to one hundred and the number of hotel stars so you can travel with peace of mind and complete knowledge.

Types of accommodations

There are different accommodations, among which only hotels are rated based on the number of hotel stars. These residences are generally divided into the following types based on the type of use:

• Apartment Hotel
• Hostel
• Pension
• Ecotourism residences
• Motel
• Hotel

Of course, it should be noted that in the global classification, hotels, apartments, boarding houses, and eco-tourist accommodations are among the types of hotels. Still, since these places do not have a place in the ranking of hotels based on the number of hotel stars, we examine them separately.

Apartment Hotel

Hotel apartments are similar to apartment houses. They have a bedroom, a living room, a kitchen, a toilet, and a bathroom, as well as household appliances and cooking utensils. In this type of residence, there is usually daily cleaning and laundry service, and you can stay in this type of residence for several months or even a year.

Hostel

Hostels are shared accommodations where each traveler is given a bed, similar to dormitories. Toilets, bathrooms, and kitchens are shared. Although personal space does not exist in this type of accommodation in the real sense, on the other hand, you can enjoy and learn a lot from the experience of communal life in them. In addition, these places provide the possibility of traveling at a low cost. Therefore, it can be a pleasant and unrepeatable experience for people whose only reason for traveling is excitement and for friends who travel a lot.

Pension

Pensions are usually considered for extended stays and are often seen in cities with many immigrants or students. There are often shared toilets, bathrooms, and kitchens in these places. But boarding houses have three fundamental differences from hostels. First, they have unique regulations; for example, their entry and exit hours are not day and night. Second, since they are intended for extended stays and many of their customers are students, they often have a library, reading room, and TV room.

The third point is that in boarding houses, the dining hall cannot accommodate non-residents. The capacity in the dining room of these places is based on the number of rooms and power of people, and at the same time, they serve food during limited and special hours. It should be mentioned that boarding houses can be provided to you for a stay of at least one month.

Ecotourism residences

These residences, which are similar to historic hotels in the international category of hotels, are formed in traditional and native houses in areas that have a rich history. In these areas, old homes are often renovated and made available to travelers by preserving the texture and all the local cultural signs of that area. If you are looking for the experience of living in traditional and historical spaces and getting to know the culture of a particular region, do not neglect these accommodations. Although modern facilities such as the Internet and telephone are often unavailable in these places, perhaps another advantage of these residences is that they will give you the experience of living in the heart of history and old culture.

Motel

If you’ve seen Hitchcock’s Psycho, like me, you’re still terrified of hearing the motel’s name, let alone the experience of staying there. But let’s put aside our assumptions and look at some interesting facts about the emergence of motels. The motel is formed by combining two words, Hotel and Motor. These accommodations on the roads and around the cities were initially built for drivers to stop and rest. Motel rooms are open, and their entrance faces the street. Although the facilities of this type of accommodation are few and they often lack restaurants, entertainment and sports facilities, and a lobby, what makes them attractive is that in most of them, you can get the room key without even getting out of your car and check it directly—park in front of your room door.

Hotel

The hotel, which has a French root meaning host, is an integral part of the tourism industry, and that is why international laws have been established for them to have more organized management. But the important thing is that all hotels are not required to comply with these rules. You may be surprised or even worried, but you should know that there are other systems for hotel rules and rating them in different countries, which are often observed only in the same region.

In general, there are thirty ways to grade hotels in the world. But the way that is more common than the others, and you will see it often in tourist destinations worldwide, is the classification of hotels through the number of hotel stars divided from one star to five stars. This rating criterion for hotels based on the number of hotel stars was first developed in Switzerland in 1979 and was passed into law in Germany about twenty years later, in 1996. Then, other European countries also used the rating system based on the number of hotel stars, now known as the German standard. The European hotel association HOTREC monitors this rating system in 28 countries based on the number of hotel stars.

Types of rating for hotels and everything about the number of hotel stars

But what causes the difference between hotels, and what are the scoring criteria based on the number of stars of the hotel? In general, hotels should be examined from three perspectives to score points in the German standard:

• From the standpoint of construction and facilities, the construction method and the area of the building and the materials used in them, and the place where they are located, such as whether it is on the city’s outskirts or the city center, etc.
• From the point of view of the services and equipment they provide and their level of service, both quantitatively and qualitatively
• From the point of view of the number and skill of human resources working in them, the number of personnel, their management and training

But a critical point you must know before booking a hotel is that the number of hotel stars is always and in all countries wholly based on the mentioned criteria and is not awarded to them with these standards. This has various factors; for example, in some American states, the number of hotel stars does not mean its quality, but it is based on the tax paid by the hotel owner. Or sometimes, in America, for a hotel, the number of hotel stars based on the rating of the tourism organization is different from the number of hotel stars based on the rating on tourism websites or hotel reservation companies.

Sometimes, in some countries, the number of hotel stars is given to them in a friendly way and under the influence of factors beyond the quality level of the hotels. But even though these cases exist, they are not enough to thoroughly question the rating method based on the number of hotel stars. On the other hand, another critical point that you should remember is that rarely, even in the same city, can you find two hotels with the same star that are similar in all respects. There are often differences in the number of rooms, the shape of the corridors, the number of halls and restaurants, and other factors among the same-star hotels. We are dealing with the general and contractual items in the standard German way, which is often followed according to the number of stars of hotels worldwide.

In Iran, hotel rating criteria are determined based on the German standard based on the number of hotel stars, which have been slightly localized. According to most experts in Iran, hotels do not have significant differences in terms of facilities compared to hotels in other countries, and what makes Iranian hotels look a little weaker than European hotels is often related to the management and training of human resources, which in recent years, with the expansion of educational centers in Various fields of hotel management have also improved a lot.

Before discussing the features and differences in the number of hotel stars, it is necessary to look at the types of hotel categories. Hotels are divided from different points of view, and of all kinds of these divisions, the scoring method is based on the number of stars of the hotel. Here we examine six essential types of divisions in hotels:

Classification of hotels based on the kind of use

As we discussed at the beginning of the discussion, travel has many motivations nowadays. Most hotels are built with the knowledge of these motivations and their variety and with an emphasis on them. In this classification, the purpose of the traveler’s stay has become the basis for the type of hotel. In terms of application, hotels can be divided into:

Business Hotels

These hotels are often built in big cities and business areas and have good communication facilities and high quality. These same facilities have also made people who travel with other motives choose these hotels to stay beyond business motives.

Airport hotels

It must have happened to you that you suddenly find yourself in a city without planning to stay there; the most obvious example of this experience is when you have to go to the desired destination from two. You use a flight, and the plane on the second flight is delayed, or there is a time difference between your two flights that neither gives you time to explore the city nor is it short enough to wait in the airport seats. The hotel industry has also thought of a solution for this type of unexpected stay: airport hotels. These types of hotels are located near airports, and in addition to waiting passengers, they are also a perfect option for flight crews. The exciting feature of this type of hotel is that the cost of staying in them is calculated hourly and not based on one night; this feature can provide you with a low-cost stay in unforeseen circumstances.

Suit Hotel

This type of hotel is a suitable option for those who have a short stay in a city and need to hold meetings and appointments. Each passenger has a suite in these residences, including a bedroom and a living room for these meetings. These types of hotels are usually at a low level in terms of facilities, but the low cost of staying in them makes it easy to stay longer.

Extended Stay Hotel

These hotels are like suite hotels because they also have a kitchen and are usually rented for more than ten days. These types of hotels are known as “home away from home.”

Resort Hotel

Although travel is often associated with excitement and anxiety by making it possible to live for a few days in an unknown or at least less known place, sometimes we want to travel to avoid the stress of urban life. Let’s get rid of Le.ave your tired and tense body in the embrace of a natural environment, a mountain view, the heat of a mineral spring, or a beautiful and pristine forest and relax away from the hustle and bustle of the city. In these moments, you are offered resort hotels that can be found outside the cities or in small towns. These residences, among the first types of hotels in the world, often have various comfort and recreational facilities such as swimming pools, golf courses, skiing, sailing, etc. And they are made in areas such as mountains, secluded beaches, forests, and natural hot springs.

Boutique Hotel

In this type of hotel, the space design is more critical than in other hotel facilities. Such hotels are designed to emphasize specific period architecture or architecture in specific natural areas with an approach to preserving the environment. The first boutique hotel in the world was built in San Francisco in 1981.

Heritage Hotel

This type of accommodation is similar to what is known as ecotourism accommodation in Iran, described in this article’s section on ecotourism accommodation.

Conference Center Hotel

These types of hotels are often prepared to accommodate guests for large meetings and conferences and have suitable entertainment and comfort facilities, large halls, well-equipped rooms, and conference halls with audio and video facilities. The customers of such hotels are big companies and universities.

Convention Center Hotel

These hotels are similar to the previous example but much more significant, with over a thousand people’s capacity and high-level entertainment facilities. These hotels, a center for large and prestigious conferences at the world level, must benefit from very advanced audio, video, and high-security systems. The clients of such hotels are governments and huge international companies. These hotels often do not sign individual contracts with anyone.

Classification of hotels based on the number of rooms

In this type of division, the area of the hotel and the number of rooms are considered, and from this point of view, hotels are divided into the following types:

• Small hotels: having less than 25 rooms
• Medium hotels: between 25 and 100 rooms
• Large hotels: between 100 and 300 rooms
• Huge hotels: with more than 300 rooms

Classification of hotels based on their location

• Hotels in the city center
• Suburban hotels
• Recreational hotels
• Airport hotels
• Motels

Variety of hotels based on service type

This division method focuses on the kind of service and pricing based on it in hotels.

• American Plan hotel: pricing based on room + three meals
• Hotel with European plan (European plan): pricing is based on the room, and the cost of food is charged separately.
• Hotel with international method (Continental Plan): pricing based on room + breakfast
• Modified American Plan hotel: pricing based on room + two meals per day

Classification of hotels based on the type of hotel guests

In this method of division, the focus is on the dominant customers in the hotel, according to which the hotels can be divided into the following types:

• Family Guest Hotel: The customers of this type of hotel are primarily tourists and families, and they are often built in recreational areas.
• Commercial Guest Hotel: Customers of these hotels are mostly business people and representatives of large companies.
• Group Guest Hotel: These hotels are often designed to hold seminars and conferences, and the meeting and conference center hotels are of this type.
• Clinical Guest Hotel: These hotels are built for patients and disabled people and have special facilities suitable for these people. The guests of these hotels usually travel for purposes such as treatment.

Classification of hotels based on length of stay

This division considers the length of the guest’s stay in the hotel. If you think of the size of stay of the guests as a line, on one side of this line, there are transit hotels, where the visitors can be less than one day, like airport hotels; on the other side of this line are boarding houses, where the holiday is at least one day. It is one month, and the rest of the hotels are between these two points in the length of stay.

Classification of hotels based on the number of facilities

This division method is the same as the German standard, which is determined based on the number of hotel stars. From this point of view, hotels are divided into the following five categories:

• Tourist Class Hotel, one-star hotels
• Standard Class Hotel, two-star hotels
• Comfort Class Hotel, three-star hotels
• First-class hotels, four-star hotels
• Luxury Class Hotel, five-star hotels

However, today there are more hotel stars in the world who fall outside these standards. The number of hotel stars is more in such hotels because of their unique features. These ultra-luxurious hotels have aristocratic and royal features, and examples of them include the 7-star Burj Al Arab Hotel in Dubai and the 8-star Emirates Palace Hotel. We said that three characteristics are the criteria for the number of stars of hotels, including construction issues and the location of the building, the quality and type of service, and the management and training of human resources. In these hotels, there are all three things in an aristocratic and perfect way. For example, 40 tons of gold were used in building the Emirates Palace Hotel or its services and facilities; we can mention revolving beds, helicopters for transporting passengers, and similar facilities.

Now we will examine the characteristics of hotels rated based on the number of stars in the three areas mentioned.

Features of a one-star hotel

A) Civil features

• Shared bathroom and toilet
• Being near commercial centers, public transport terminals and restaurants, and crowded areas
• Small and limited rooms
• Small area compared to other hotels

b) facilities and service

• Daily cleaning
• The presence of the reception and perspective section in it
• Public phone in the hotel
• Existence of an electronic payment system

c) Human power

• Few personnel

Superior one-star hotels: These are one-star hotels in which all facilities and services are provided with a little better quality.

Two-star hotel features

A) Civil features

• Separate toilet and bathroom in each room
• The rooms are slightly more extensive and more than one-star hotels
• Small area compared to other hotels and a little more than one-star hotels
• It has a small restaurant with the ability to serve breakfast and sometimes even other meals but with a limited menu

b) facilities and service

• Daily cleaning
• The presence of the reception and perspective section in it
• Public phone in the hotel
• Existence of an electronic payment system
• There is a closet in every room
• There is a color TV in every room
• Regular size beds
• The presence of towels and soap
• Laundry
• room service
• Room service is not often provided
• There is a breakfast buffet

c) Human power

• Few personnel

Superior Standard Hotel: These hotels are like Dostare hotels with a few more facilities and better quality than them.

Three-star hotel features

A) Civil features

• Separate toilet and bathroom in each room
• The number and area of rooms are more than two-star hotels
• It has a large building with a large entrance hall and good design
• Rooms without noise and with enough light
• It has a living space with suitable and pleasant decoration, along with decorations.
• Central air conditioning and heating system
• The bathroom is connected to the heating system
• There is a temperature control thermostat in each room
• The presence of a swimming pool in the building or near it
• It has a luxury room suite next to other rooms
• It has a suitable and sizeable central restaurant with quality food and more menu than two-star hotels

b) facilities and service

• Daily cleaning
• The reception department is open 14 hours a day, and the phone is available 24 hours a day.
• The presence of staff to move passengers’ belongings
• Bilingual staff at reception
• Quality furniture in the reception area
• The rooms are carpeted with beautiful carpets
• There is a telephone in every room
• The possibility of connecting to the Internet
• There is a closet in every room
• There is a color TV in every room
• Comfortable standard-size beds with excellent mattress
• There are washing tools, toothbrushes, toothpaste, napkins, soap, and quality towels in each room
• A full-length mirror, hair dryer, thread and needle box, wax, and laundry service for each room
• Laundry
• room service
• There are extra pillows and blankets for each passenger
• Service in rooms with a relatively broad time range

c) Human power

• The number of personnel is much higher than in the previous types
• It has a system of criticism and suggestions for management
• Has a public relations department

Superior Comfort Hotel: These types of hotels are between three-star and four-star hotels in terms of facilities and services.

Four-star hotel features

A) Civil features

• Proximity to shopping centers and essential sightseeing areas of the city
• The number and size of rooms are more than three-star hotels
• It has a large building with a large and luxurious entrance hall decorated with works of art, natural flowers, and high-quality carpets.
• The possibility of drinking and having a coffee shop in the public hall
• The rooms are large, quiet, with enough light, and decorated with works of art
• The reception area has all the necessary facilities and an attractive and pleasant design
• Central air conditioning and heating system
• The bathroom is connected to the heating system
• There is a temperature control thermostat in each room
• There are recreational facilities such as a swimming pool, sauna, playground, and gym
• The intelligent lighting system in every room
• There is a hand dryer in the bathroom
• It has a view of the natural environment
• It has a restaurant equipped with up-to-date and excellent equipment with quality food and a comprehensive menu

b) facilities and service

• Daily cleaning
• The reception department is open 18 hours a day, and the phone is available 24 hours a day.
• The presence of staff to move passengers’ belongings
• Bilingual staff at reception
• Quality furniture in the reception area
• The rooms are carpeted with high-quality carpets
• There are two phones in each room, one by the bed and the other on the table.
• The possibility of high-speed Internet connection in every room
• There are enough closets and shelves in each room
• Quality color TV in every room
• Comfortable standard-sized beds with excellent quality mattresses and beautiful bed linens
• The bathrooms and rooms are equipped with appropriate and high-quality toiletries and toiletries.
• A full-length mirror, hair dryer, thread and needle box, wax, free newspaper, first aid kit, comfortable clothes for passengers, and laundry service for each room.
• There is a refrigerator in every room
• Laundry
• room service
• There are extra pillows and blankets for each passenger
• Service in the rooms twice a day, the possibility of having breakfast in the room or at the restaurant according to the traveler’s wishes
• Excellent 24-hour room service
• Excellent housekeeping
• Car parking by the employee
• Quick reservation

c) Human power

• A large number of personnel, trained, committed, and knowledgeable, with high public relations and uniforms
• It has a public relations department and various internal management
• The presence of forces, such as porter, transportation, etc., are not seen in the previous types.

Superior First Class Hotel: These hotels are between 4-star and 5-star hotels in terms of facilities and services.

Five-star hotel features

A) Civil features

• It has all the facilities of four-star hotels with higher quality
• More area of the building and rooms compared to four-star hotels
• There are more than 100 rooms
• Has a guest room
• It has luxurious suites and various elegant and diverse rooms for a more comfortable choice for travelers.
• Beautiful and unique architecture and decoration
• Beautiful, luxurious public space, carpeted with the best carpets and decorated with art objects
• The reception office is beautiful, stylish, and quiet
• It has a suitable audio and video system
• Sports clubs, swimming pools with facilities, even amusement parks and other recreational facilities
• It has various stylish stores.
• It has a large hall or halls with tables and chairs for many guests to hold ceremonies and ceremonies.
• Often has two or more restaurants and coffee shops in different parts of the hotel with very high food quality and variety in food, drinks, and desserts, with a comprehensive menu.
• Bathrooms and toilets in modern rooms with sufficient facilities

b) facilities and service

• It has all the facilities of four-star hotels
• The reception area has at least two shifts and is around the clock with multilingual staff.
• Passenger cargo area
• Welcoming each passenger with gifts and flowers inside the room
• There is a computer and InternetInn in every room
• The possibility of serving food and drinks in the room or restaurants and coffee shops around the clock
• There are safes and security devices in every room
• The presence of refrigerators in the room with all kinds of drinks
• There are three phones in the room, one next to the bed, one on the table, and one in the bathroom
• Has hospitality services at the highest possible level
• Excellent service and perfect housekeeping
• The presence of decorated sheets and appropriate and beautiful and up-to-date decorations in the rooms

c) Human power

• A large number of personnel, trained, committed, and knowledgeable, with high public relations and uniforms
• Professional and expert management in different departments
• Existence of forces such as porter, transportation, parking attendant, responsible for restaurant reservations, tour reservations, transportation, etc.

After reviewing the types of hotel divisions, you need to know that these divisions are made from different aspects, and in reviewing a hotel, it can be studied from all these perspectives. For example, it may be a recreational hotel, with rooms between 100 and 300, i.e., a large hotel with an American service style, hosting family and friends, in the city center and five stars. Another point that is not bad to mention is that in hotels above two stars, the rooms are also diverse and divided in different ways; for example, the rooms in a hotel are divided into single, double, triple, and quadruple rooms based on their size. And in terms of quality, they are divided into standard, medium, superior, and luxurious rooms. And this means that the facilities and services provided to all rooms in a hotel are not the same.