I just received the following notice. I guess there are a few survivors of the recent market meltdown:

THE FIRST AND ONLY SIX-STAR HOTEL RATINGS SYSTEM TO PREMIERE SUMMER '09

Airlines Also To Receive Six-Star Rating Status As Long-Entrenched Standard For Luxury Travelers Is Raised A Vital Notch.

The new category will be added to the industry's official Five-Star Rating System, the Star Service.

The Six Star ratings, based on a very stringent set of more than 1,700 criteria including cultural and emotive factors, will be awarded to hotels that are truly the most discerning of hotels around the world.

Vital? Really? =)

Be sure to let the AIG executives know about this.

It will certainly appeal to at least one segment of the travel market: call it "exclusive" and they will show up.

I would never stay in anything less than a 6 star! All others are tacky!

As long as their speakers go up to 11!

Nigel : "These go to 11."

Hey nona -- in sync?

Oh, those emotive factors mean everything to me!

Does anyone mind if I develop a Seven-Star rating based on 1800 cultural, emotive, environmental and sociological factors? I thought not! Thank you!

Finally a hotel that will change the bath towels daily

I'm waiting to see which airline receives at least a 1-star rating for coach travel. Now that will be an improvement!

I've only stayed in one "five" star hotel in my life and I thought my fellow guests were incredibly boring. I think the bore factor would also be raised a notch.

Fra - funny!

We were posters 5 and 6. Therefore 1/3 of all people hearing the news are going to laugh and immediately think 'it goes up to 11!'?

as I hear it the Italian government has spent the last 20 years developing a set of criteria for re-classifying all of its hotels with a unified "star rating system". As it won't be enforced or implemented by impartial observers but by the same council officers that gave the stars to begin with (each region being autonomous) can we all assume that every hotel will get 6 stars? I reckon!