What do the star ratings mean when you visit a hotel abroad?

I have found a hotel that i'd like to book but it only has two stars. I've been given mixed opinions, with some people saying the stars mean it's not a good hotel and others saying that the stars are just for the facilities the hotel has. The pictures look nice but obviously that can mean anything, I've seen a 4 star hotel that doesn't look as good and is more expensive. I can't seem to find any reviews on this hotel but we are going self catering so really we will probably have a couple of nights in and then just sleep there.





Any sensible answers would be helpful. Thanks x|||The higher the star rating often indicate hotels with a higher level of luxury available. The traditional systems usually rest heavily on the facilities provided, which can be disadvantageous to smaller hotels whose quality of accommodation could fall into one class but lack such things as maybe an elevator or swimming which would prevent it from reaching a higher rating.





In some countries there is an official body with standard criteria for classifying hotels but in others there is none.





I would suggest looking for reviews about it online, like you have done or maybe even call into some travel agents, pick up a few brochures and see if you can find your hotel in one of those and see what is written about it.





Try http://www.tripadvisor.com/ to look for your hotel, I have always found this to be useful and one of the best sources of information on hotels with reviews written by real people who have been there.|||star ratings for hotels abroad differ hugely from star ratings here. usually a 2 star rating means that it has the basic facilities required from a holiday maker. plenty of 2 and 3 star hotels abroad are perfectly fine, clean and friendly and with everything you need for self catering|||The more stars, the better.


Stars are usually controlled by a governing group, so you can't give yourself 4 or 5 stars unless you really can provide the services attached to it.


It's not a matter of looks, it's the quality of service and the options available there.





To check on a hotel, I always found this site with reviews from real users the best advisor yet :-)





http://www.tripadvisor.com/





Best of luck|||well its a rating for hotels.....in asia 5 stars is the highest and most of Europe the ratings go as high as 4 stars......4 and 5 star hotels would be the most expensive and would come with stuff like pool, free brunch, Internet access (pretty standard now).......in Asia 5 stars will get you your own personal guide, a driver for limited time, free laundry service....etc.......i think you get the point......if you got money....go with the most stars and you'll enjoy your stay. don't relly too much on pictures specially for low star hotels......chances are that your low star room will never look like the one in the picture and you'll be stuck with the crappy room.|||stars should be given by special touristic comity as a international standard


the star rating the class ( 1or2or3) level of service qualities of building furniture's food security act .|||To be honest, the ones abroad are mainly "locally applied" and as such, don't mean a lot ! - !|||Starts show the facilities they have.But more stars meanes more expensive.|||People have taken the star system to represent the quality of service you can get expect. However it represents the facilities you can expect.





The general thinking has always been the more facilities they, the better the service. This thinking is reasonable as they are providing more services thereby making your stay more comfortable and enjoyable.





Unfortunately, this is no guarantee that the staff will treat you well. I have stayed in 2 and 3 star hotels and have been treated better than some 4 and 5 star hotels I have stayed in (even though the 4 stars have more facilities).