How are Hotel Ratings Determined
 

The discussion about Expedia got me thinking about how hotels are rated. Most of the sites such as Expedia, Priceline, Orbitz, etc. rate hotels by stars. Even many of the official tourist sites set up by the governments (such as NYC official tourist website) seem to rate hotels by stars. Are there any standards that inform you what you can expect to get with different rated hotels? In other words, what benefits should I expect when I book a 4 star hotel that I won’t be getting if I book a 2 star hotel, and so on?

Also, do any of these sites tell you how these ratings are determined? Do they just rely on information provided by the hotel, or is something else done? I think AAA actually inspects the hotels. I don’t know whether anyone else does so.

Thanking you in advance for any info.

Hotel ratings are determined by each entity. Example, Expedia, Priceline, AAA, and Orbitz each have their own rating system.

However, hotels are rated on what amenities they have not by location, cleanliness, service etc.

Many times the only difference between a 3 Star and a 4 Star hotel is 24 hour room service. While each hotel has room service, the 3 Star only offers room service from 6AM to 2AM whereas the 4 Star offers room service the additional four hours.

Agree with GoTravel - place could have homeless people sleeping in lobby, smelly rooms, and braindead staff, but if it has spa, pool, room service, concierge, etc. it gets a high rating.

I have read info on ratings in very fine print of various sites.

And don't make the mistake of thinking hotels are reviewed by a live person on-site - discussion here some week ago where mistake was made assuming AAA actually visited hotel. On their own website they state they have under 100 (forget actual number) of ratings people - they state they re-rate every few years, but that means they just look aat the list of amenities again. And that list is furnished by hotel, not an independent source. No way 100 people can inspect that many international hotels, even in a lifetime.

In AAA's website they explain how they rate something.
http://www.aaasouth.com/diamond_ratings.asp

http://www.viamagazine.com/top_stori..._Ratings04.asp

It is to the advantage of companies like Priceline to rate the hotels as high as possible, so they can rent the rooms for the highest possible price.

I assume that AAA is more independent in their evaluations. Is anyone aware of situations where a hotel has received a low rating from AAA but high ratings from Expedia, Priceline, etc?

From the article above - "Some online services are notorious for handing out stars liberally. A recent search on Orbitz for five-star properties in New York City turned up 13. By contrast, AAA gives five diamonds, its highest ranking, to just five hotels."

If you Google "AAA ratings" + inspectors you will get a whole array of articles about how ratings are determined by various services - and some of the articles contradict each other as to whether or not individual companies (AAA, Expedia, etc.) actually visit properties and how often.

In various sources AAA states that they rate 30,000-50,000 properties and the number they state (65) of inspectors is consistent thruout AAA sources I have seen. I still dispute that they actually visit each property annually - some articles accessed thru Google search agree with me, some disagree.

I believe that a hotel must pay to be listed/rated by AAA and pay to be listed when one does a search on various hotel locator sites. Not necxessarily bad, but I would like a disclaimer.

AAA absolutely, unequivocally, visits <i>at least</i> every 4 and 5 diamond hotel annually. That I guarantee. My DH has one of them. I don't know if 3 Diamonds are as well...the lowest level he's had is 4 diamond, so that is the extent of my knowledge as to which levels get it annually, but that I am absolutely certain of. Everyone is listed in their books. <u>You do not pay</u> for the listing. You pay for separate advertising in the book and pay a lot, and to use the AAA sign as well. Cleanliness is part of the rating as well.

Mobil also visits annually...at least the 3, 4 and 5 stars.

Priceline: they have a list of necessities for each star level and you determine which of those items you have and set your rating. The problem is, some of the things are very subjective, such as &quot;updated decor&quot; etc...and should not be left to the property. Furthermore, if you find yourself the only hotel at your star level in an area of the city, you are free to <u>downgrade</u> your star level to retain opacity if you wish. My DH initiated that process in his last hotel, then was talked out of it by Priceline...instead he raised the base rate at which he'd accept bids. Later another 4* came into his area and the problem was solved.

Expedia, Orbitz etc, I have no idea. I know if the hotels are visited they are never advised of results. I doubt seriously that they are.

Mobil redid their ratings system a couple of years ago and just about everyone dropped a star.

AAA visits every property at least once a year. I think AAAs rating are a little more comprehensive than most.

Hotwire, Expedia, Priceline, etc do not visit properties.

I am willing to stand corrected if someone can give me some evidence from AAA that they visit each property each year. And how is that opssible with only 65 inspectors. Unable to find any statement on AAA website that they visit annually. With due respect to above poster who stated her husband used to do this, I would have thought if AAA actually did this they would highly advertise it on their website or in books.

gail....here's a link
http://www.aaanewsroom.net/Main/Defa...entID=105&amp;

If you read the info very carefully, it says nothing about properties being VISITED annually, merely states they are updated annually. I again think if they were actually visited, they would say so.

They also say they visit more properties more often than other rating services, but again do not say it is annual.

Gail...My husband did not &quot;used to do this&quot;. He is <u>currently</u> GM of a 4 diamond hotel, on his second year in this property. For 8 years prior to this one, he was GM of another 4 diamond property, same chain, in a different location, and for the 4 years prior to that, GM of another 4 diamond, same chain, another location. For 2 years prior to that location, he was resident manager in yet another 4 diamond, same chain. That's 16 years at the job where he's the one to chat with his inspectors after their inspections have been completed. AAA rates 4 and 5 diamonds every single year. Whether they do 3 diamonds I honestly cannot say, but I can say, absolutely, they do the 4 and 5's.

AAA discusses the results with the GMs following their visits. If there are areas that are problems, the issues are addressed and what steps will be mandatory to maintain the rating. One year it was size of TVs, another crown molding. Another the number of drawers in the armoire.

I asked specifically about payment to be included in the books because of the discussions here last time, and from him, I <i>finally</i> learned that no, hotels do NOT pay to be rated in AAA books--after reading the opposite stated here so many times that I believed it myself. If you go through their website, you'll find the statement as well. They pay for extra advertising in the book and they pay to use the logo. That's it.

Mobil does not discuss the results. You get a letter following the visit. His last hotel lost a star from 4 to 3 in the big shuffle GoTravel mentioned. They give no reason for the loss, not even on request. Their reply is...you know the standards. Well, yes, but they thought they had them covered. So be it. It was only slight consolation that 1/2 the others did as well.

&quot;AAA’s Diamond Ratings is the only system that uses full-time, professionally trained evaluators to inspect each property on an annual basis.&quot;
This was in the link that Beach Boi gave.

gail....this article is dated, but have a look anywayz.....
http://www.hotel-online.com/News/Pre...AAARating.html

Gail, they have 365 days a year to visit.

I can't tell you for certain about every single property in the world but the three different resorts I worked for as well as six other of my colleagues hotels were visited annually.

The same person would come down and spend a week rating about 30 hotels.

They don't have to stay in the hotels to rate them and rarely do. One inspector spent an entire week at my resort basing himself out of there to rate Wilmington, Myrtle Beach, and Charleston area hotels.

Ironic then that AAA ratings are often some of the worst out there!
I think that one of the problems is that the inspectors see the 'show' room and not the crappy rooms that may make up a good chunk of the inventory.
Public space is not always a good indicator of sleeping rooms.

Gads...my other note is way back after the edits! Please check up the list Gail for a response to yours.

They have always spent the night at our hotels, they get the room they book, which can be anything, and they rate everything from check-in to room service to dining rooms without anyone knowing who they are.

If they spent a week in GoTravel's hotel rating 30 others, you know they were checking out the 3 diamonds as there aren't that many 4 diamonds in that area. One, possibly two at the most.

It was some consolation to us that Mobil's credibility dropped with the downgrading of so many 4 and 5* properties. What that resulted in was a humongous 3* field with no correlation what-so-ever in quality among them.

My company pays AAA to use their rating data.
We have hotels that pay one amount to be &quot;AAA Approved&quot; and a higher amount to be rated.
Possibly they call it a marketing fee so they can say that hotels do not PAY for ratings but I know one thing for sure... no hotel is rated unless they PAY AAA something.
So possibly they bill it as and claim it is &quot;Marketing&quot; fees but unless you pay it, you are not rated.

We paid to advertise in AAA but didn't pay for the ratings.

I cannot speak for attractions, transportation, or dining establishments because they may pay.

Malesherbes, we were mostly 3 diamond AAA resorts. I think only one or two were four diamond and I'm not sure if the inspector stayed or not.

Yes, Mobil really shot themselves in the foot with the stupid revamping. We dropped from a three to a two. It was ridiculous because at the time I was the DOS&amp;M for a 75 acre oceanfront resort with 1,000 accommodations, 11 swimming pools, 12 tennis courts, five restaurants, etc. That Mobil rated us 2 stars caused us to drop anything to do with them as I'm sure a lot of the hospitality industry did.

I actually find the Mobil ratings to be the best, getting a 5 Diamond from AAA is way too easy. i.e. Bellagio has a 5 Diamond and you'll wait at check-in for 10 min? 20min? Never at a &quot;real&quot; 5 star hotel. People in the industry are just mad because they got less stars. Boo hoo! I'd rather know which properties truly stand out.

With that said, there are many people who have no problem waiting 20 minutes to check into a room and don't want to pay a premium to really be catered to. So just know the scale and criteria for the ratings you're looking at. My problem with AAA is their system lacks the upper end resolution that Mobil has.

No TxTravelPro...they do not pay to be rated. Period. They pay to advertise further in the book and they pay to USE the AAA logo, but they do not pay to appear in the book and in the rating system. You want to use AAA in your brochure, you will pay them for it. You want their symbol to appear next to your name, even in their book, you pay. You want more space in the book, you pay. Otherwise you do NOT pay!

Ok... have it your way.
But hotels that do not pay to be listed or to use the logo are not rated or 'approved'.
Either way it comes down to the same thing. AAA has to get some money from you or you are not part of the program.

When Fodors and Frommers review hotels and restaurants, do they visit every year, or do they just carry on their reviews from prior editions?

Great Scott....what's the deal? OK...here is a cut and paste from their website:

Who is served by the rating information? AAA's rating system is maintained as a service for members; members do not pay for hotel and restaurant information, and <b><font color="red">properties do not pay for evaluations, ratings, and basic listings</font></b>.

Here's the complete URL.
http://www.aaa.com/aaa/aaadiamonds/faq.html#same

I have been very upfront right from the get go as to who my husband is, what he does and where I am getting my facts. Will you be as well?

Dis-information really is a dis-service! The information presented in the past few months about AAA has been very misleading and I was misled too before reading their website during the last go around, seeing in several places that there is no fee for rating, then confirming that with my DH. All done, I should add, for no other reason, than that it really bothers me to see errors hanging out there being perpetuated! We have to be responsible for the things we post! I thought this had already been put to bed, but I'm not sure you were on that last thread TxTravelPro. Gail was part of that one as well, however, so if I sound frustrated it is because I spent a fair amount of time then researching what was fact and what wasn't, then posting the same, only to find that we are still at square one after all!

Then tell me the difference between the Marriott on Michigan Ave which is a 3 Diamond property and the Marriott Chicago Medical District which is only &quot;AAA Approved&quot;.
According to my sources, the Medical District property has not paid enough to LIST the ratings. Again, call it what you like, but even if they do not charge to do the actual ratings, they are not displayed unless the hotel pays.

Or, have a look at the Marriott and Renaissance LAX. Both just &quot;AAA Approved&quot;
The difference between displaying your AAA Rating and AAA Approved is the cost.

Aww shut it already Tx. Maybe the &quot;Approved&quot; hotels did not like their rating and are working to improve it but still want the marketing benefits of AAA.
Would you want to list your 2 diamonds if you felt you were a 3?
I work in the hotel industry and sometimes AAA will not rate a hotel because renovations are being done or are planned.

...and your sources are whom again? I'm sorry, I missed that.

Malesherbes - I have given up commenting on the substance of this post - I have had enough bickering. But, as I am sure you know, just because someone posts something here and says they KNOW something, does not make it right, as you have pointed out on several occasions about what I have posted.

So it works both ways - do not expect someone to take on faith that you are who you say you are and have have correct information. The reality of the internet - a great source of lots of information quite easily - and it is still up to us to sort it out as to what is legitimate and what it not.

My two cents worth is that:

I could care less how many drawers there are in the armoire (geesh!), since I don't use the drawers 99.9% of the time I'm in a hotel.

I have my own ratings method: I rate how loud the vending machines/ice machines are; how thin the walls are; how good the doors are at sealing out noise; and, above all, how clean the rooms are. Oh yes, and the staff, they don't have to gush friendliness, but professional courtesies go a long way with me. I've stayed in one star (AAA rated) hotels in remote parts of the US and Canada and have been able to put up with the deficiencies because of a friendly greeting at the check-in desk. (Mohawk Hotel in Mohawk, Canada, comes to mind).

All the information I need comes from Your Average Joe who bothers to write a review online. Therefore, I hardly ever look at the &quot;professional&quot; ratings. I go to Tripadvisor, biddinfortravel, Mytravelguide, etc. for the average joe reviews. These give a far more accurate picture of a particular property than any &quot;professional&quot; rating.

I have been an AAA member for mucho, mucho years and used to use their travel guides a lot. No more. The information online is far more accurate and certainly far more timely.

As for whether AAA charges or not for including a hotel in their guidebooks, just ask yourself how come if two hotels both are rated 3* by AAA, one is in red and the other in black? And also how come every hotel in some cities is not listed - why are some hotels not listed by AAA?

Just MHO :)

Amen Easy...

Easy Traveler, the reason some hotels are NOT listed is because they haven't &quot;applied to AAA for evaluation.&quot; From their website:

&quot;How are properties selected for evaluation? Hotels and restaurants that meet AAA's basic rating requirements may apply for evaluation by AAA. AAA considers all valid applications, giving priority consideration to those that offer the highest degree of member value.&quot;

And, as has already been explained, the red listings are paid for, the very very plain black ones (without the little symbol) are not.

Either way, although I'm a AAA member, I don't use their recs either anymore. It used to be the only way to gauge a hotel, but now we have up-to-date internet opinions, which trump the written book every time.

Bunkhedena: As far as Fodor's listings, I can tell you there are many many restaurants in the Tampa Bay area which have closed but remain on the website listing for up to a year (ex: Adobo Grill). And some fabulous new places which, although open for several years, have still not shown up (ex: Cafe Ponte). Give me Travel Talk over the published listings any day!!!!