Most of us are obsessed with stars. It's the first thing we look for while considering a hotel to book, or the search criteria we use while sifting through travel booking engines. But did you know that the services and amenities available in a hotel of a particular star rating vary wildly from country to country? For instance, if you are used to staying in two- and three-star hotels in India, the comparative hotels in Malaysia and France are sure to feel more cramped, while many motel rooms in the US will be spacious.
Similarly, hotels in Thailand, where lifts are mandatory only in buildings with more than four floors, will come as a shocker for Indian and European guests. What causes such discrepancy in hotels boasting an identical number of stars? The lack of a universal hotel rating system. Most countries, including India, have a nationally standardised rating system, either laid down by the tourist boards or implemented by their respective hotel associations. In other countries, the hotel ratings are conducted by private organisations, as the AAA does in the US. Unfortunately, a one-size-fits-all classification is a pipe dream because citizens of different countries have different yardsticks to measure comfort. If the French can't do without bidets in the bathrooms, the Scandinavians will give a thumbs down to small beds, while Indians aren't fussy about any of these. So your best bet for a shock-free holiday is to know beforehand exactly what you'll get for a particular star rating at your destination. To get you started, here is the lowdown on five countries. According to the latest Hotel Price Index report by Hotels.com, Indians like to frequent Bangkok, Dubai, London, Kuala Lumpur and New York, which rank among the top 10 outbound hotspots. That's how we zeroed in on the countries featured below. Lastly, we've limited ourselves to three-star hotels as this is the most affordable option without compromising on quality.
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Similarly, hotels in Thailand, where lifts are mandatory only in buildings with more than four floors, will come as a shocker for Indian and European guests. What causes such discrepancy in hotels boasting an identical number of stars? The lack of a universal hotel rating system. Most countries, including India, have a nationally standardised rating system, either laid down by the tourist boards or implemented by their respective hotel associations. In other countries, the hotel ratings are conducted by private organisations, as the AAA does in the US. Unfortunately, a one-size-fits-all classification is a pipe dream because citizens of different countries have different yardsticks to measure comfort. If the French can't do without bidets in the bathrooms, the Scandinavians will give a thumbs down to small beds, while Indians aren't fussy about any of these. So your best bet for a shock-free holiday is to know beforehand exactly what you'll get for a particular star rating at your destination. To get you started, here is the lowdown on five countries. According to the latest Hotel Price Index report by Hotels.com, Indians like to frequent Bangkok, Dubai, London, Kuala Lumpur and New York, which rank among the top 10 outbound hotspots. That's how we zeroed in on the countries featured below. Lastly, we've limited ourselves to three-star hotels as this is the most affordable option without compromising on quality.
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