Hotel star ratings explained

A luxurious five-star beachfront resort in Greece, found on Booking.com, looks perfect for your next holiday. 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. Today, we’re bombarded with scores and ratings – from the official AA (Automobile Association) 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 so-called equivalent in Europe or across the pond. 

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

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UK hotel star ratings system

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

Inspections are carried out by the AA, Visit Britain, and its partner bodies, Visit Scotland and Visit Wales. Since 2006, these bodies have shared Common Quality Standards, meaning they all award the same ratings to the same hotels.

The problem is that it's an opt-in scheme which costs money, so not all hotels sign up to be assessed. This could lead to assumptions that a hotel with no star rating is a dirty, bug-infested hovel. It could also mean that a one-star hotel is viewed as inferior. However, to achieve even one star, a hotel must offer breakfast and have a TV in every bedroom, which not all hotels provide.

The US equivalent of The AA recently got around this problem by ditching its one and two-diamond ratings. Instead, it provides an ‘approved’ stamp if a property meets minimum standards to prevent a nice, no-frills property from being stigmatised by a low score.

Discover top hotels for a beach break in the UK.

Official AA star ratings

1 star hotel

• At least five bedrooms with en suite or private facilities
• Open seven days a week
• Guests have access at all times
• Clearly defined reception area
• Iron and ironing board available
• Serves breakfast daily and evening meals five days a week
• A bar or lounge with adequate comfortable seating
• A high standard of cleanliness
• All staff demonstrate a positive attitude and willingness to help

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

• A clean and well-presented menu provided for breakfasts served from the kitchen
• Basic guest services, anticipating guests’ requirements

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

• Access without a key from 7am to 11pm and access with a key at all other times
• Dinner served six evenings a week, snacks on the seventh evening
• Room service for drinks and snacks during daytime and evening
• All bedrooms en suite
• Internal telephone system
• Wi-fi in public areas
• Good guest service and staff should provide prompt, courteous and efficient service

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

• 24-hour room service with full breakfast and dinner
• Restaurant open to residents and non-residents for breakfast and dinner every day of the week
• Higher staffing levels
• Wi-fi in bedrooms
• 24-hour access facilitated by on-duty staff
• En suite bathrooms with thermostatic showers
• Enhanced services such as afternoon tea, luggage, assistance or meals at lunchtime
• Very good social skills and anticipation of individual guests' needs evident

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

• Majority of bedrooms very spacious
• Open all year round
• All dinner courses must be served to guests at the table
• Multilingual receptionists
• Additional facilities such as a second dining area, business centre, spa and permanent luxury suite
• Enhanced services such as valet parking, concierge, and escort to bedroom
• Restaurant open every day for all meals
• Baths in at least 80% of bathrooms
• Pristine and immaculate presentation
• Staff impeccably presented
• Staff should anticipate individual guests' needs to create unique and memorable experiences

Inspectors will assess hospitality, service, bedrooms, bathrooms, cleanliness, food, the hotel exterior, public areas, and dining rooms or restaurants.

A detailed breakdown of the various criteria is on the AA's website.

Hotel star ratings overseas

Since 2009, hotels in 20 countries have adopted a harmonised ratings system called Hotelstars. You can see all countries signed up to the scheme on the Hotelstars website. 

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.

Pick your own rating

When we checked in August 2023, a hotel joining Booking.com was asked to self-select its rating, with no verification process to check that the information was correct. This means that, in theory, it can choose any number of stars it likes. 

We spot-checked a handful of London hotels on the site last year and found an example where AA’s official rating had been inflated from 3 to 4 stars.

Booking.com says on its website that if it becomes ‘aware that a star rating is inaccurate’, it will ‘ask the service provider to prove they deserve it’ or make its own adjustments.

After we contacted Booking.com, it provisionally downgraded the London hotel’s star rating while it waited for a response from the property. Still, with more than 28m listings on its platform and no way of vetting them, we question how often it will spot errors such as this one. In contrast, Expedia told us it actively verifies star ratings with the relevant national authorities. We found no inconsistencies on its site when we checked. 

See the results from our accommodation booking site survey.

Holiday company star rating systems

Assigning non-official ratings isn’t uncommon among holiday companies. Virgin Holidays scores hotels using ‘V’ ratings ranging from 3 to 5, and Tui uses 'T' ratings.

On the Beach takes the 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) agrees. 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 holiday with British Airways

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 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, On the Beach will adapt a rating if it feels that it’s necessary, providing context in the hotel description.

Book a holiday with on the Beach - but first, see how well it fared in our package holiday survey results

Expedia

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

How are ratings determined? It uses official ratings of local tourism authorities. If there’s no official rating, it uses industry standards to assign what it believes is fair.

Book a holiday with Expedia - but first see how well it fared in our package holiday survey results

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. 

Book a holiday with Tui - but first see how well it fared in our package holiday survey results

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.

Book a holiday with Virgin - but first see how well it fared in our package holiday survey results

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, go to ratedtrips.com/AA-star-rated-hotels.

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 reviews. 

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 huge 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).