Be Hotel Savvy
Understand The Hotel Star Rating System And Check Out This Years Hotel Trends
Most hotels have a star rating accredited to them. In most countries the star ratings range from 1 - 5. However not all countries have the same levels of service accredited to the same star level. When booking hotel rooms please pay attention to the services of each hotel to define which is suitable for your needs, as not all ratings in all countries will mean the same thing.
In reality all a hotel really has to offer a customer is the basic needs of an overnight stay - bed, washing facilities, toilet facilities and clothes hanging space. Anything else, such as restaurants, shops, hairdresser, swimming pool, is in fact a bonus, and that is why we have the star rating system, as stars are awarded to hotels by the amount of facilities they provide.
Found below is an in general star rating guide, followed by a list of the world's largest hotels, a list of the world's largest hotel groups, a list of the cities with the world's most expensive hotels and a list of the cities with the world's cheapest hotels.
One Star *
An economy hotel with basic amenities, generally offering parking facilities, and T.V and telephones in room.
Two Star * *
A value hotel usually with the same basic amenities as above, but generally in a more sought after location, near a city centre or airport.
Three Star * * *
Mid scale hotel offering basic room services with the added facilities of tea / coffee facilities and fridge in room and a wider range of services on site, such as restaurant, bar, gym and pool.
Four Star * * * *
Up scale hotel, usually a deluxe property with deluxe decor in elegant surroundings and a prime location. Services will be the same as above but with added benefits of room service and laundry facilities. Usually with shops and hairdresser on site. Generally air conditioned.If situated in rural location will usually offer shuttle service to nearest town or raiway station.
Five Star * * * * *
Luxury property, with luxury decor in a prime location with same services as above with added facilities of valet parking, concierge service, fitness centre, beauty centre, golf club, spa, and conference / business centre.
Resort Hotel
An up scale hotel that aims to deliver all services that customers require on site, with the added benefits of several different types of bars and eateries, outdoor and indoor sports facilities , indoor and outdoor pools and private beach areas. Can be situated in a rural or remote area.
Boutique / Designer Hotel
Usually a small luxurious and / or themed hotel with personalised service. These types of hotels cater to niche markets or to a certain type of individual or group needs.
THE WORLD'S THREE LARGEST HOTELS
1) Abraj Al Bait, Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
Opened in 2012 in the Islamic holy city of Mecca, this monster hotel, pictured above, does not only have the capacity for the most amount of guests of any hotel in the world, at 100,000, but it also has the highest amount of floors of any hotel in the world, at 120, the largest amount of floor space of any hotel in the world, at 1,500,000 sq meters, the world's largest clock face, at 43 meters x 43 meters, and the world's second tallest tower at 601 meters high.
The hotel, which is owned and managed by the Canadian hotel group, Faimont Hotels & Resorts, also sports a prayer room which can hold up to 10,000 people, a private car park for 1,000 vehicles and a twenty storey shopping mall.
Check out this mega hotel for yourself by visiting - www.fairmont.com/makkah
2) The Venetian, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
The USA's largest hotel and one of thirty three Las Vegas hotels to gain a place in the top 100 world's largest hotels list, this luxury themed resort hotel and casino has a total of 8,108 suites and rooms located within it's thirty six storeys.
The hotel has a staggering 120,000 square meters of indoor gaming space and outdoor replicas of Venice's St Mark's Square and campanile tower, complete with canal system and gondolas.
You can check out this unique resort hotel by visiting - www.venetian.com
3) The Izmailovo Hotel, Moscow, Russia.
Set in four, thirty storey tower blocks known as Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta, Moscow's Izmailovo Hotel has 7,500 rooms and can accommodate up to 10,000 people at any one time.
The hotel, which was completed in 1979 in readiness for the 1980 Summer Olympic Games, stands in the grounds of Izmailovo Park, the former boyhood holiday home of Tsar Peter the Great.
Have a look around this amazing hotel by visiting - www.izmailovo.ru
THE WORLD'S THREE LARGEST HOTEL GROUPS
1) The American hotel group the, Wyndham Group, has 7,150 properties trading under sixteen hotel chains.
2) The British hotel group, Intercontinental, have 4,500 properties trading under nine hotel chains.
3) The French hotel group, Accor, have 4,426 properties trading under twenty two hotel chains.
You can read about these impressive hotel groups on our page - The worlds three largest hotel groups
THE WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE HOTEL
The world's most expensive hotel suite can be found at the Emirate's Palace, pictured above, in Abu Dhabi, which also holds the world record for being the most expensive hotel ever to be built at a staggering £2 billion.
Owned and managed by the Swiss hotel group, Kempinski Hotels, rooms at the hotel actually start at a meagre £300 a night, but the most expensive suite will knock you back a cool £500,000 a night.
You can read about this luxurious establishment by visiting - www.kempinski.com/emirates-palace
CITIES WITH THE WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE HOTELS
Oslo, Norway - pictured above.
Zurich, Switzerland
Stockholm, Sweden
New York City, USA
Paris, France
Sydney, Australia
London, United Kingdom
Copenhagen, Denmark
Cancun, Mexico
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
CITIES WITH THE WORLD'S CHEAPEST HOTELS
Sofia, Bulgaria - pictured above
Hanoi, Vietnam
Warsaw, Poland
Sharm el Sheik, Egypt
Budapest, Hungary
Bangkok, Thailand
Kuala Lumpur, Indonesia
Tunis, Tunisia
Cape Town, South Africa
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Brazilian architect Ruy Ohtake's urban masterpiece the HOTEL UNIQUE located in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
ALL INFORMATION WAS CORRECT AS OF JANUARY 2015
You may also be interested in our page - The worlds three largest hotel groups
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