Hotel star ratings explained

A luxurious five-star beachfront resort in Greece on Booking.com looks idyllic for a getaway. But the exact same hotel is listed as a four-star hotel by On the Beach and 'four stars +' on Tui’s website. So which of these hotel star ratings is right?

As demonstrated by this real-life example, hotel star ratings are complicated. There are dozens of scores and ratings – from the official AA Hotel and Hospitality Services star ratings to user reviews on the likes of TripAdvisor and Google. Plus, some tour operators rejig official ratings based on customer experience (or come up with their own scoring systems altogether).

What's more, a five-star hotel in the UK differs significantly from its equivalent in Europe or across the pond. 

Confused? You're not alone. We look behind the stars to find out what you’ll really get for your money.

Get more unbiased advice on the best deals and best destinations with our free Travel newsletter

Where to next?

Discover the best destinations and holiday providers, independently researched and recommended by us & save 30% only £34.30.

Join Which? Travel

Offer ends 16 Jun 25. Cancel anytime.

UK hotel star ratings system

The UK's rating system is pretty robust, and has common standards. Hotels must annually undergo a secret overnight inspection by the local tourism board and pay a fee.

Inspections are carried out by the AA Hotel and Hospitality Services, Visit England, Visit Wales and other partner bodies. Since 2006, these bodies have shared Common Quality Standards, meaning they all award the same ratings to the same hotels.

Previously, under this scheme, the difficulty was that one and two-star hotel ratings could be misconstrued as being inferior. However, to achieve even one star, a hotel had to offer breakfast and have a TV in every bedroom, which not all hotels provide. This has recently changed. 

Now, the AA Hotel and Hospitality Services has removed one and two-star ratings. Hotels that sign up to the scheme will be rated from three to five stars or simply awarded a 'Quality Assessed' accreditation (provided it meets all required standards). This costs to join and involves a full inspection, testing all services to ensure minimum quality standards are met, but with no star rating awarded. 

A free entry-level alternative, called 'Visitor Ready' has also been added. Hotels (and other hospitality businesses) can display a Visitor Ready digital badge to verify that all mandatory legal requirements are being met and that it's a safe and trusted venue to visit.  

This recent overhaul is similar to the US equivalent of the AA, which provides an ‘approved’ stamp if a property meets minimum standards to prevent a nice, no-frills property from being stigmatised by a low score.

Official AA Hotel and Hospitality Services star ratings

3 star hotel

• Good guest social skills and service, with ample numbers of staff to provide a prompt, courteous and efficient service
• A simple and efficient booking service, both digitally and via telephone
• Guests clearly directed to their room and given a brief explanation of location of hotel facilities
• Assistance with luggage available on request throughout the day and evening
• Iron and ironing board available
• Guests informed when they book if dinner is not available
• Provision is made for a variety of dietary requirements
• Sufficient restaurant staff to ensure prompt service at all meals served
• Restaurant staff demonstrate good levels of food, beverage and wine product knowledge and service skills
• A self-service buffet style breakfast is acceptable but should be replenished regularly
• A choice of substantial hot and cold dishes (self-service is acceptable)
• Room service is optional (except in the case of illness)
• A minimum of five bedrooms available for letting
• All bedrooms should have sufficient space for guests to move easily around the room
• Good access to both sides of beds for double occupancy
• Individually controlled thermostatic heating

4 star hotel (all of the above, plus...)

• Very good social skills and anticipation of individual guests' needs evident
• Booking confirmation provided by email/text or letter from hotel (not only from third party booking site)
• Assistance with luggage offered on arrival and advertised as available for departure
• Laundry and possibly dry cleaning service provided and advertised with prices
• Courteous, unobtrusive and polite restaurant staff demonstrate very good levels of food, beverage and wine product knowledge and service skills
• Restaurant staff demonstrate proactive service, anticipating customer requirements
• Table service advertised and available on request at breakfast
• Room service should be provided and delivered to the room where there is a market need
• All bedrooms with a higher degree of spaciousness
• Individually controlled thermostatic heating operable 24-hours

5 star hotel (all of the above, plus...)

• Staff should anticipate individual guests' needs to create unique and memorable experiences
• Staff impeccably presented
• Multilingual staff if there is a market need
• Ability to make a prompt and effective booking, 24 hours a day
• Guests are shown to their room and given a full orientation of hotel and bedroom facilities
• Hotel staff taking control of luggage from guest’s arrival outside to prompt delivery in bedroom. The same quality of service repeated on departure
• 24-hour return laundry service
• At least one restaurant/outlet open to residents for all meals during hotel opening hours 7 days a week
• Restaurant tables should have sufficient space around them to allow a high degree of privacy and freedom of movement
• Highly trained, professional and pro-active restaurant staff that escort guests to their tables
• Restaurant staff demonstrate excellent levels of food, beverage and wine product knowledge and service skills
• Table service proactively offered at breakfast
• Full table service of all dinner courses served to the guest at their table
• A broad range of dishes at dinner of outstanding quality
• Staff demonstrate excellent drinks knowledge and service skills. Likely to involve dedicated wine team (sommelier)
• 24-hour room service of hot and cold snacks and drinks including alcoholic drinks where there is a market need
• Majority of bedrooms very spacious
• A minimum of one permanent luxury suite (with at least three separate rooms)
• Beds for double occupancy to be at least 153cm (5ft) in width
• Air conditioning, mechanical ventilation or ability to cool the room with fresh air that doesn’t allow noise or pollutants in the room

Inspectors will assess service and physical facilities, with a particular emphasis in six key areas: hospitality, service, bedrooms, bathrooms, cleanliness and food.

A detailed breakdown of the various criteria is on the AA Hotel and Hospitality Services website

UK hotel reviews by Which?

At Which?, we carry out undercover inspections of UK hotels and rate them from one to five. That means no special treatment, no reviewer upgrades and no opportunity for the hotel to influence our verdict.  And no matter how badly the hotel fares, we always publish the review, warts and all.

Our ratings range from; zero, for a dreadful hotel we don't think you should stay at to five, for an exceptional hotel we think is among the best of its type.

We awarded our first five rating in seven years to the Marcliffe

Discover hotels with varying ratings and budgets from our Which? Recommended Provider package holiday companies.

Hotel star ratings in Europe

Since 2009, hotels in 21 countries adopted a harmonised rating system called Hotelstars. You can see all countries signed up for the scheme on Hotelstars. 

These standards broadly mirror the British system, with some differences. 

For example, two-star hotels are required to provide sewing and shoe polishing kits. Three-star hotels must offer laundry and ironing services, while four-star hotels must furnish their guests with a ‘bathrobe and slippers on demand’. 

Hotels should offer personalised greetings for each guest, fresh flowers or a gift in the room, and a turndown service, among other criteria, to earn five stars.

However, there are some notable absentees from the scheme. France has its own rating criteria based on the size of the hotel’s rooms and reception areas: double bedrooms, for instance, must be a minimum of nine square metres for a one-star hotel and 24 square metres for a five-star room.

In Italy, the authorities have set the bar at a more generous 14 square metres, but private bathrooms aren’t a requirement, so you could end up brushing your teeth with a neighbour. Meanwhile, benchmarks vary from region to region in Spain – another country that isn't a member of the Hotelstars scheme.

US hotels are ranked using a system of diamonds instead of stars distributed by the American Automobile Association. A property is either 'approved' or awarded a three to five-diamond rating.

Holiday company star rating systems

It's not uncommon to see different rating systems, even across holiday companies. For instance, Tui uses 'T' ratings instead of stars.

On the Beach however told us it uses a local authority’s star rating – but adjusts it where it feels it doesn’t match reality. Sound confusing to you? The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) agreed. In 2017, On the Beach had its wrist slapped after a customer complained about a ‘misleading’ listing for Laguna Park 2 in Tenerife – rated with three gold stars. Buried at the bottom of the page was a line stating that the ‘official’ rating was two stars. The ASA ruled that On the Beach must make it ‘sufficiently clear’ when using its own rating system in future ads. 

British Airways Holidays

Rating system: Own system of 2 to 5 stars.

How are ratings determined? They’re set and regularly reviewed by BA to ensure facilities and standards match the rating. It takes into account official ratings and customer feedback. 

Book a trip with British Airways Holidays, but first see how it fared in our package holiday provider survey

Jet2holidays

Rating system: Own system of 2 to 5 stars.

How are ratings determined?  A Jet2 representative visits every hotel to determine the standard. Ratings are also based on the hotel’s facilities and services, ongoing quality monitoring (including customer feedback) and the nightly rate. 

Book a holiday with Jet2 - a Which? Recommended Provider of package holidays

On the Beach

Rating system: Local official ratings of 1 to 5 stars. 

How are ratings determined?  It uses official hotel star ratings. However, it will adapt a rating if it feels that it’s necessary, providing context in the hotel description. 

Discover On The Beach holidays, but first see how it fared in our package holiday survey results

Expedia

Rating system:  Rating of 1 to 5 stars. 

How are ratings determined?  It uses official ratings of local tourism authorities – received from the authority or the property. If there’s no official rating for a property, it uses industry standards to assign what it believes is fair or shows no rating. 

Discover Expedia holidays, but first read our review of package holiday provider Expedia

Tui

Rating system: Own system of 1 to 5 Ts.

How are ratings determined? Based on facilities, location and customer feedback. T star + is available in each category. These may differ from the official rating given by the local tourist board, but the official ratings are also shown.

Discover Tui holidays, but first read our review of package holiday provider Tui

Virgin Holidays

Rating system: Own system of 3 to 5+ Virgin Vs.

How are ratings determined? Virgin says it starts at three stars to reflect the ‘quality’ of its offerings. Ratings are reviewed annually with a variety of checks, including property visits.

Discover Virgin Holidays, but first read our review of package holiday provider Virgin Holidays

How to choose a hotel room

Look beyond star ratings

A low (or no) rating could simply reflect a hotel’s lack of facilities rather than its cleanliness. But if you want to check an official star rating in the UK, visit the AA's website.

Read independent reviews

Hotels will gift journalists the best rooms, and wine and dine them to try to secure a glowing write-up. Which? Travel never accepts freebies and conducts all inspections undercover, so you can trust our impartial and independent reviews as outlined in our statement of editorial independence. 

Check guest experiences

Recent guest reviews and ratings on websites such as TripAdvisor and Trustpilot are another handy insight. Just keep an eye out for fakes. If a hotel has a deluge of five-star write-ups from first-time posters, it’s a red flag. Equally, look for overly effusive or repetitive language, as this suggests a template may have been used. 

Find room sizes

Minimum sizes may be stipulated in other parts of Europe, but the UK has no such rules. Don’t rely on images; clever angles and a fish-eye lens can make rooms appear bigger than they are. Watch out for euphemisms such as ‘cosy’ and ‘snug’. Most descriptions will give the size in square metres (or square feet on Booking.com). 

The experts at Which? Travel are always investigating how to get the best value for money on your holiday, subscribe today to Which? Travel

Where to next?

Discover the best destinations and holiday providers, independently researched and recommended by us & save 30% only £34.30.

Join Which? Travel

Offer ends 16 Jun 25. Cancel anytime.