Are 5-star Hotels Really That Much Better?

J

Jackie

Member
In all of my research region by region, I see prices for hotels organized by star-rating. There's a really big price jump from a three star hotel to a five star hotel, regardless of location. Are five star hotels really that much better than three star hotels in India?
 
I can't speak for India, but I have stayed at a 5 star hotel and I did find it better - better quality rooms, nicer amenities - but I guess to me I would be asking the question "how long are you really going to be spending inside the hotel?"

Yes, it's nice to stay in a fancy hotel, but my question would always be "is it worth it?"

I think if I'm there to sightsee, I would rather stay in a clean but inexpensive hotel, and spend money on experiences!
 
Four star would be just as good. It's true that you basically just sleep in the hotel and spend more time out and sightseeing. I also think it's what you are used to. I've stayed in a five star once and that was my honeymoon. Now I check to see if the hotel is clean, affordable and has good ratings.
 
RBean said:
Four star would be just as good. It's true that you basically just sleep in the hotel and spend more time out and sightseeing. I also think it's what you are used to. I've stayed in a five star once and that was my honeymoon. Now I check to see if the hotel is clean, affordable and has good ratings.
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Yup, that's basically my strategy too! One of the best hotels I've stayed in was a 3 star hotel in Vietnam that was highly rated on Trip Advisor. It was clean, functional and in a good location, with lovely staff and free breakfast - it just didn't have all the bells and whistles that a 5 star hotel had. And that was fine by me, especially for the price! It was only around $25-30 US dollars a night!!
 
amelia88 said:
Yup, that's basically my strategy too! One of the best hotels I've stayed in was a 3 star hotel in Vietnam that was highly rated on Trip Advisor. It was clean, functional and in a good location, with lovely staff and free breakfast - it just didn't have all the bells and whistles that a 5 star hotel had. And that was fine by me, especially for the price! It was only around $25-30 US dollars a night!!
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Wow! That's a fantastic deal. I feel bad now for only insisting on 5/4 star hotels when I visited India, as I thought that the rest were going to be shabby buildings ridden with squalor. Man, how I was wrong.

Although I did find that a 3 star hotel that a friend was staying in had no sort of cooling system whatsoever! For the entirety of the trip he couldn't get any sleep because it was simply too hot - so remember to ensure that your room has A/C, etc!
 
Antonr5860 said:
Wow! That's a fantastic deal. I feel bad now for only insisting on 5/4 star hotels when I visited India, as I thought that the rest were going to be shabby buildings ridden with squalor. Man, how I was wrong.

Although I did find that a 3 star hotel that a friend was staying in had no sort of cooling system whatsoever! For the entirety of the trip he couldn't get any sleep because it was simply too hot - so remember to ensure that your room has A/C, etc!
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I think that's why I always tend to really read as many reviews as I can online - I think for the most part, if there's a lot of reviews you tend to get a reasonable impression of a hotel/accommodation and what it should be like!

I also love using Trip Advisor because people can upload pictures of exactly what the hotel looks like, instead of just the standard fancy looking hotel pictures that often seem to look far more glamorous than real life!
 
I actually do spend some time at the hotel, so I usually look for places that have the extra amenities and opt for four or five stars. My husband and I often go back to the hotel in the middle of the day to relax. We're night owls, so a little downtime in the afternoon is sometimes required.
 
There's always a difference, but it depends on what you accustomed to and how much time you plan on spending in the hotel. If I'm not going to be there for anything other than sleep (which is normally the case), I'll settle for a three star as long as it has decent reviews.

As long as they have cable and internet access, I'm fine.
 
Simply put, yes they are. That is why they are called 5 star hotels and you basically get what you pay for. But, you don't have to break the bank because you want some luxury. You canget some really nice 3 or 4 star hotels that would meeet a reasonable standard of the luxury you require, and the fees are less back breaking. So, take time to consider your options.

I have actually slept in some 3 star hotels that would give 5 stars a run for their money. Infact if I wasn't told I would have thought it was a 4 star hotel. At the end of the day, it is your comfort that matters. If you are comfortable staying in an hotel, and you know you can afford it, then you are good to go. You don't neccessarily need a 5 star hotel.
 
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I never stay in 5 star hotels. I like hotels off the beaten path and not so close to the city and all the noise. I find them much more friendly and enjoyable. After a day or so the people who work there know your name. They are always there to welcome you when you return.
 
If you mean the stars from rating guides like Forbes and the auto clubs, those ratings are very complicated and sometimes not relevant for everyone. (For example, I like a clean room, but I don't care if I have designer soap and shampoo provided.) I prefer to go by the personal user reviews on the popular travel sites because you can read them and find out what people liked and didn't like.
 
Well, if you want to sleep on a fancier looking bed and look at artworks on the wall, five-star hotels are indeed different. But if you are visiting a place for sightseeing and will be spending only 6-7 hours in the room with your eyes closed, does the larger-than-normal plasma TV and the king-sized bed matter? I for one, agree with most of the people in this thread that a clean, affordable hotel with good customer service and customer ratings is the way to go if you are visiting a place for tourism purposes. Because the purpose of your visit is to intake the beauty of the place, not the experience of your staying in a hotel room.
 
Andre said:
I never stay in 5 star hotels. I like hotels off the beaten path and not so close to the city and all the noise. I find them much more friendly and enjoyable. After a day or so the people who work there know your name. They are always there to welcome you when you return.
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I have to admit I enjoy that too. I've stayed at a five star place once. Because I'm fairly young, I think the staff there didn't take me seriously like they would for someone that they assume was a rich person...whereas I've stayed at 3 star places where they treated me like a queen and were so friendly and all-around awesome!
 
I have stayed at 5 star hotels and I'd say the experience was worth it. But would I always spend that much money for travelling? If I will be out of the hotel most of the time, I'd go for decently priced and clean hotels. When we stayed at 5 star hotels, it's because we spent the day and night there. It's not for travels but just for relaxation. When we're travelling, we're okay with 3 star hotels as long as they are clean and complete with amenities.
 
I've stayed in a 5 star hotel once and that was on my honeymoon. It's nice and the service is fantastic but from an economical perspective it's not worth spending all that money when you are already paying so much to travel.
 
you can't really trust the Trip adviser, they could rate bad hotels high. and I don't think 5 stars really worth it because I don't care about luxury, I think motels in the country or beside a beach are the best.
 
A five star hotel will have more bells and whistles but essentially they are the same. Besides, a five star hotel may have a pool also which is useful if you would like to swim while you are staying at the hotel. As far as standards go, there is a difference between the two but not much.
 
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