Logan and I are traveling to national parks and staying at various campgrounds and hotels along the way. It got me thinking about why I was picking certain hotels. I use to travel a lot for business, and got into the habit of going to familiar hotel chains. It was good because I had a certain set of needs, and these worked well. But the criteria no longer apply, so I need to break the habit.
This got me thinking about how we pick or hotels, and realized the star system is not something I understood as well as I should.
When hotel star ratings came along, there was no internet. This is important because we have conflated star ratings for hotels and review ratings using internet reviews. I needed to understand the two ways of rating hotels to make the most economical travel decisions.
The Star System for Hotel Rating
The star rating system, despite its potential for confusion, is a quality designation. It considers various amenities that a hotel offers, from dining options (ranging from none to simple breakfast to full upscale dining) to recreational facilities like pools and exercise centers, and even services like concierge and business centers. Essentially, the more a hotel offers, the higher its star rating, setting a measure of “quality.”
So, the star system’s view of quality is based on how much a hotel does, not necessarily how well it does these things. It isn’t to say a 4-star hotel will get away with dirty rooms just because it has a nice restaurant; it’s likely to go out of business. But depending on your travel needs, a 2-star hotel may be just as good for you as a 4-star hotel.
What does a 1-star hotel rating mean?
A bed with a roof over your head. It doesn’t mean it is a bad place to spend the night, just don’t expect any amenities. There may not even be a television in the room. They tend to be small with a proprietor living on the premises.
What does a 2-star hotel rating mean?
Two star hotels have limited amenities. There will be no restaurant, likely no pool, or any type of workout facilities. Often the front office has limited hours of operation, typically around 8am or 9 am to 8 pm or 9 pm. The rooms will be cleaned after each guests, and regularly for more than one night. Though, even 3-4 star hotels are asking that you let them know if you want daily room tidying.
What does a 3-star hotel rating mean?
With three stars, hotels generally have a minimal food service (think scarce breakfast), around the clock front desk service with a manager on duty, and other minor amenities. There may be a pool or a gym, along with a lounge/seating area in the lobby. Do not expect business services and the amenities that are on offer will be minimal.
What does a 4-star hotel rating mean?
4-Stars indicated more amenities and on-premise services. The restaurant will be full service, perhaps a lobby bar, and even room service. There will likely be a business service center along with better exercise facilities and pool. Depending on the hotel, you may find dry cleaning and laundry services as well.
What does a 5-star hotel rating mean?
5-stars hotels offers you high-end service, concierge, upscale surroundings, and more amenities than you can imagine. From fine dining (perhaps multiple restaurants) to top of the line facilities for exercise and recreational activities on premise. These hotels can be destinations in and of themselves.
Decide what you need before you Travel
We all have our preferences, which may change depending on our reasons for traveling.
A business traveler may look for hotels that have a restaurant, business center, and workout facilities and are close to the facilities or companies they need to see. This would put them in the 3-Star or 4-Star range.
For personal travel, you may desire the same amenities, so a 3-star plus hotel is the right choice. But if you need only a clean hotel room, a 1-star or 2-star hotel may suit you.
When we travel, we often look for 3-Star hotels. With dogs, it is just easier to have some amenities around so we don’t have to look for them off-premise.
But this trip, as Logan and I are going to the national parks, we’re good with 2-star hotels. We’re staying at the Olympic View Inn in Sequim, WA. The amenities include “vending machines.” 🙂
The hotel is older and on a main road. The furniture hasn’t been updated in a while. But it is well-maintained, very clean, and comfortable. Several restaurants are within walking distance. In short, it has everything we need.
Using Review Stars on Top of Star Ratings
Once you’ve decided what you need, it’s time to see how the hotels perform in terms of travelers’ experience.
There is a stigma about 1-star and 2-star hotels being poorly maintained or not in “good” areas, and this is not totally unfounded. Lower-star hotels don’t tend to earn the revenue to allow them to stay in more upscale areas or maintain the premises, but this is not universally true. And “not upscale” doesn’t necessarily mean “bad area.”
So, go to the hotel consumer ratings and see what they say (Google, travelocity, booking, etc). Don’t just look at the average review ratings; read the reviews. Pick the relevant comments to help make your decisions.
Beware of low ratings from travelers who expected 3-star amenities but didn’t get them. “Had to drive to a restaurant” isn’t valid, and “No gym” doesn’t apply to a 2-star hotel. Look for the important things to you and see how people view those things: “Clean rooms,” “quiet areas” (or not), “felt safe” (or not), “friendly staff,” and such. If you see comments about missing amenities that put you off, then a 3-star+ hotel is probably a better choice for you.
As an extra step, we’ve looked at aerial views on Google Maps to see what surrounds the hotel. Even hotels that are dog-friendly are not necessarily in areas where it is safe or convenient to walk a dog. What needs do you have that may not be accounted for in star ratings?
When looking for hotels, consider what you need and find the hotel that does those things well. You don’t need to pay for amenities you won’t use to get a nice, clean, comfortable room.