Hotel ratings
The star classification system is a common one for rating hotels. Higher star ratings indicate more luxury.
The AAA and their affiliated bodies use diamonds instead of stars to express hotel and restaurant ratings levels.
Hotels are independently assessed in traditional systems and rest heavily on the facilities provided. Some consider this disadvantageous to smaller hotels whose quality of accommodation could fall into one class but the lack of an item such as an elevator would prevent it from reaching a higher categorization.[citation needed]
Standards of hotel classification
In some countries, there is an official body with standard criteria for classifying hotels, but in many others there is none. There have been attempts at unifying the classification system so that it becomes an internationally recognized and reliable standard but large differences exist in the quality of the accommodation and the food within one category of hotel, sometimes even in the same country.
Zero star hotels
There is only one record of a zero star rating to date. It is the Null Stern Hotel in Sevelen, Switzerland. It is a converted nuclear bunker. The Null Stern Hotel was the artistic brain child of Frank and Patrik Riklin, which was then turned into a business.[2]
Six star hotels
Some members of the hospitality industry have claimed a six star rating for their operation. One example is the Crown Macau, on Taipa Island in the Chinese territory of Macau. Another is the St. Regis Shanghai Hotel in China, The Oriental Bangkok in Thailand. Other examples include the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi and the Al Husn Hotel at Shangrila's Shangri-La Barr Al Jissah Resort and Spa Hotel in Oman.[3] The Palazzo Versace[4] on the Gold Coast in Australia is described by Australian Traveller magazine as meriting "six star" rating though level of rating is not used in Australia.[5] The under development hotel Mansions of the World in Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires has also been announced as a six star hotel project. [6]. Seoul Park Hyatt in South Korea is also a six star hotel.[citation needed]
even star hotels
The Burj Al Arab is the only, "seven star" hotel[citation needed] but several "7-Star" hotels are under construction. These include the Laucala Island in Fiji, Morgan Plaza to be finished in Beijing (China) in March 2008, the Flower of the East under construction in Kish, Iran,[7] The Centaurus Complex under construction in Islamabad, Pakistan[8] and the Pentominium, the Grand Chola in Chennai (India), a complex planned for Metro Manila and The Royalties Castle for Davao City in the Philippines.[9]