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 Throughout the world a great variety of
symbols is used for the classification of hotels: crowns, tridents,
alphabetical codes…but the most popular one is a star. The consistent
classification hasn’t been invented yet because there are different evaluation
criteria in each country. In the majority of the countries the five-level categorization
is assumed, where each level corresponds with the number of stars – from one to
five. Five-star hotels are the best in all respects: number and quality of
services, interior design, amenity of the rooms and surroundings.
Location is the crucial point for a
five-star hotel. A city five-star hotel should be placed in the center of the
city in a five-minute walk from the main sights.
Five-star hotels placed in resort zones
should occupy the front line and have their own beach. Sometimes one can find a
five-star hotel situated in the second or even in the third beachline but this
is rather an exception than a rule.
The identifying feature of a five-star ski
resort is the so-called «sky in, sky out» which is especially appreciated by
the well-off.
Five-star hotel is a four-star hotel and
plus additional services as follow:
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well-informed and educated personnel who are good to communicate, polite, neat
and with good language dictionary;
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references from two well-known periodic;
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24-hour servicing of rooms;
-
hotel accessories, plants or fresh flowers
in every single room;
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three telephones in every guest room and
one in the bathroom;
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CD player and stereo system;
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sterile ice holders and high quality ice
for beverages;
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shower room and bath;
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good service in the swimming pool and
availability of towels, beach beds and beverages in hot seasons.
Until recently searching for a five-star
hotel in France
was quite ineffective because there were no one of them at all, which is very
surprising. People were wondering why so famous hotels like Georges V or Hotel
Plaza Athenee have four-star status.
The Frenchmen used another classification
according to which legendary hotel Ritz in Paris had a category 4* Grand Deluxe. This
fact rather confused VIP-tourists eager to visit the capital of France for the
first time. The tour agency managers had to explain to the tourists the
peculiarities and riles regarding the classification of hotels inn France. In 2009
the Department of Tourism in France
started introduction of reforms regarding hotel classification. By now 26
hotels in France have become
five-star hotels, among them famous Negresco in Nice, InterContinental Carlton
in Cannes, Les
Airelles in Courchevel. Yet, the government hopes that the new system helps
France cope with crisis. Though experts
do not agree with such assumption. They believe that it was just a marketing
approach which means nothing from the practical point of view. The fifth star should
not be able to justify the increase in prices for rooms and apartments.
A five-star hotel includes all the services
necessary for every day life from laundry servicing to swimming pool, sauna,
hammam and up to boutiques and beauty parlours. Besides modern five-star hotels
usually have their private fitness and spa-centers. At least one restaurant
where both national and European cuisine is offered and a bar with a wide range
of drinks constitute the essential attribute of a five-star hotel.
It is frequent when the five-star level of
a hotel is determined by the fact of its membership to the famous hotel chain
such as Hilton, Marriott, Radisson, Four Seasons and so forth. In such case
they get the highest category a priori. The name of the chain is considered as the
status of the high quality to prove. Hotels constituting a hotel chain are
located everywhere in the world; they are city hotels or hotels in resort
zones.
Some owners suppose that five-star status
is not enough and they add more stars to the name of their hotels being too
vainglorious. There are 6- and even 7-star hotels in United
Arab Emirates (Al Arab), Thailand
(Grace International), Italy
(Town House Galleria) and Turkey
(Sungate Port Royal). These hotels are really fabulous and luxurious. But
actually there are no profound differences between them and other world-known
five-star hotels. The additional stars are rather a cunning and mean tool to
attract more wealthy guests. Though, such trick is also a compliance with the
ambitions of the owners of the hotels.
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