Rating systems

Understand

The original star ratings were introduced by the Michelin Guides for restaurants in 1933. There were only three levels, defined in terms of how a driver might reach them since Michelin is a tire company:

one star: worth a visit; you should eat there if you are in the area two star: worth a detour; consider going out of your way to eat there three star: worth a special trip just to eat there. As of 2019 there were only 137 Michelin three-star restaurants in the world. Later, the ratings were applied to hotels and attractions as well as restaurants, and other guides started using more than 3 star levels. While criteria varied, most respected printed guides set a high bar before awarding multiple, additional stars. The Mobil Travel Guide (now the Forbes Guide) awarded five stars in 2006 to 32 hotels in all of North America (US, Canada & Mexico); more recent editions award five stars to just a handful of US hotels (10 in California, 7 in New York, 2 each in Hawaii and Illinois, 1 each in Texas and Washington DC, many states zero). Michelin also awards a less famous rating called the Bib Gourmand, that most Wikivoyage travelers would find perfectly suited to their travel style. The award is not focused on high-end luxury restaurants, but rather seeks to find those with exceptional local experiences, local or regional flavors, and affordable prices. A Bib Gourmand business might be a Pho restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City, an amazing taco stand in Mexico City, or a New York pizzeria with just the right amount of oozing grease coming off the perfectly floppy crust. These are 5-star ratings for working class local food. The ratings are a shorthand intended to accompany (not replace) the short textual commentary on each venue in a printed guidebook. As anyone can publish their own ratings or even their own guidebooks, reviewing based on any arbitrary criteria, the use of a "star rating" on its own has substantial limitations:

Marketers began to dilute these terms, with dozens of hotels claiming to be "five star" even if most merely met Mobil's definition of three star "Well-appointed establishment, with full services and amenities" or (at best) four star "Outstanding-wort

Africa

South Africa Establishments in South Africa may choose to have themselves graded by the Tourism Grading Council of South Africaon a 5-star scale. Many establishments make use of this service; the star grading is displayed on most advertising material.

Americas

Canada Canada Select, an industry-based organization, is the largest Canadian rating agency. During periodic inspections, properties are evaluated for physical quality, content of facilities, services and amenities provided, only taking service into account at the higher star levels. Each category and star level has distinct criteria which must be achieved; where the quality of facilities is superior a property may be awarded a half-star above its criteria rating. This system was devised to rate hotels.

Canada Select also rates cottage cabins, bed and breakfast and camping facilities, using different criteria for each. A B&B room must include an en suite bath and a full breakfast (not merely "continental breakfast") to receive three stars or above. A rival group, [1], operates its own star system and inspection process. The programme is voluntary, but these ratings appear to be in use in tourism guidebooks published by three of the Western provinces. In Canada, as in the US, automobile associations (CAA/AAA) have long published their own guidebooks for members with a rating scheme based on diamonds instead of stars.

United States of America The best known standardized rating system is the AAA (American Auto Association) Diamond Rankings. These ratings appear in a long-running series of printed state or regional guidebooks which are offered free to AAA and CAA (Canadian Automobile Association) members. It is quite reliable and meaningful in describing the level of service, i.e., what amenities to expect at a hotel. The vast majority of motels and hotels in the U.S. are rated two or three diamond, while four diamond properties are upscale/fancy—often the best hotel in a city. Five diamond properties are super-lux and usually found only in the most major cities. The guidelines are meticulous, interesting and available (pdf). To find top-rated hotels by city, see the four and five-diamond lists which are updated annually. AAA also provides ratings for campgrounds and restaurants, but these are less referred to. The star attraction or event for a locality may be designated by AAA as a "GEM" or "great experience for members" with no numeric rating. There is also

Europe

The Hotelstars Union seeks to harmonize hotel rating standards and criteria among its member countries: Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Slovenia, Sweden and Switzerland.

Italy Hotel star ratings can only be taken as a broad indication of what you will get for your money. There are many marvellous 2-star hotels that you will want to return to every year and many 5-star hotels that you will never want to set foot in again. The star rating, as in all countries, is based on a bureaucratic assessment of the facilities provided and does not necessarily relate to comfort. Often the only difference between a 3-star and 4-star hotel is that the latter offers all meals while the former only offers breakfast.

United Kingdom The primary organizations for rating are the Automobile Association (AA) and tourist boards (VisitBritain, Visit Wales and Visit Scotland). Royal Automobile Club (RAC) inspectors provided their own ratings from 1905-2006. The various organisations cooperate when it comes to rating, which makes it easier for the traveller. There is a consistent set of standards; as of 2011:

The VisitBritain Silver & Gold Awards are awarded to establishments with the highest levels of quality within their rating. While the overall rating (in stars) is based on a combination of the range of facilities, the level of the offered services and the general quality, the gold and silver awards focus solely on the quality of service. Different (typically less restrictive) criteria apply to guest accommodation, self-catering and serviced apartments, parks, holiday villages and hostels.

Restaurants The Automobile Association uses rosettes to evaluate eateries ranked in the top 10% of all British restaurants. The higher levels (three or four rosettes) are difficult to obtain; when a restaurant at these levels changes to another chef, it is re-evaluated. The AA typically adds only one restaurant a year at the four rosette level.

Oceania

Australia Star Ratings Australia is a 1–5-star system operated by Australian Tourism Industry Council. There are separate criteria for hotel, motel, serviced apartment, self-catering, hosted accommodation and caravan-holiday park (so a "five-star motel" can't be compared directly to a "five-star hotel"). The process for an innkeeper to get their accommodation accredited involves their business meeting a standard to be an Accredited Business with the council, followed by an internal assessment and site visit by the council. It is rated on three groups of criteria ("Quality and Condition", "Cleanliness" and "Facilities and Services") and inspected at roughly three-year intervals. Half-stars may be awarded.

Innkeepers are under no obligation to participate in the scheme; many choose not to do so due to the fees involved. A star rating may be upgraded if a property is renovated or revoked entirely in response to consumer complaints.

New Zealand Qualmark, owned by Tourism New Zealand, a government organisation, provides the official rating system and uses a 1–5 star system; half-stars may be awarded for properties better than the others in their class.