What is the meaning / definition of a 5 Star Hotel in the hospitality industry?

A 5 Star Hotel is a hotel that provides a luxury service through all its means of operation. Luxury (*****)

A 5 Star Hotel is geared towards catering to guests at the highest level. Therefore everything from the exterior of the hotel down to the tableware should display excellent quality and high attention to detail. The service staff is meant to be highly trained and the attention should be focussed on providing the guest with the best experience possible. Exceptional levels of proactive service and customer care are essential. The term 5-star can be used for various hotel types including large-scale hotels, boutique hotels and resorts.

Staff working in the food outlets must demonstrate excellent levels of food, beverage and wine product knowledge and service skills. The restaurant menu must boast an extensive range of dishes of outstanding quality, presented in immaculate menus. All outlets must have staffing levels with well-structured and dedicated teams with depth in management levels. This enables them to provide services that exceed the norm. Such as valet parking, escort to bedrooms, proactive table service in bars and lounges and at breakfast, ‘concierge’ service, 24-hour reception, 24-hour room service, full afternoon tea.

Room service when ordered, is delivered and cleared in a highly professional and efficient manner. The Room size, layout allow a delivery method that ensures the highest guest dining experience for room service.The significant majority of bedrooms is very spacious, allowing generous ease of use for movement, comfort, dining and relaxation. Beds and headboards are of excellent quality. Spacious, luxurious and numerous toilet facilities and with refinements such as individual hand towels, high quality toiletries and accessories, serviced very regularly during the day.

The hotel must boast additional facilities e.g. secondary dining, leisure, business centre, spa, etc. All of the facilities are included in the price and guests can expect a personalised treatment and service. The hotel must have at least one restaurant, open to residents and non-residents for all meals seven days a week.

The hotel must have at least one permanent luxury suite available (comprising three separate rooms – bedroom, lounge and bathroom).

All areas of operation should meet the Five Star level of quality for cleanliness, maintenance, hospitality, and for the quality of physical facilities and delivery of services. These hotels show excellence, which make them worthy of the five star classification.

Hotels receive star ratings to help people identify standard and level of services, without having to see the hotel for themselves. They thereby enable trust between people and facilitate trade. Hotel categorisation is based on a scale from 1-5, one being the lowest and five the highest standard. The level of service, facilities and hotel design should always be appropriate to the hotels star rating.

The level of stars a hotel has, varies across the world, and may not necessarily be awarded by a particular organisation.

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