In general I prefer to go to a clean local hotel, and if it has extra facilities like a pool or a bar, or TV in the bedroom that's a luxury! I felt most uncomfortable in my gilded cage in Varadero a few years ago ... even Paradise has its flaws!!

well where to start.... we have been in "official" 5 star, 4 star,3 star and Greek/Cypriot apart hotels A.B.C & tourist grade

we have found in many cases official 3 star and apart A in many instances far better maybe not as plush in some respects but as they are usually family owned [not group owned] the service and staff quality is usually better

We've found in the past that with 5* comes an obligation to put on our glad rags

we have found many hotels 3star & apart A have dress codes for dinner and in so most rigidly enforced [doesn't bother me as i always go to dinner in long trousers ,collard shirt,tie and either waist coat if exceptionally hot or jacket whatever the hotel grade or even if eating out... but that is my choice ]

wiz

To answer the question as written - only if you got a 7* hotel for the money!

If one came up with an excellent price - then yes I'd go (we have done in the past). However, to answer the question, no we don't actively seek them out. We too prefer to pick & choose our drinks & food. We don't mind being waited on occasionally, especially if its just a short break, but I wouldn't want 2 weeks of it. If I was going AI, then I would want a higher star rating, as I'd be spending most of my holiday there. Some of our best holidays have been in basic SC accomodation in Greece. My BIL though wouldn't look at anything below a 4* - he likes the slippers & bathrobe etiquette - funnily enough though he always comes home with some complaint

I wouldn't choose a 5* hotel for our holiday and I certainly wouldn't think I could have a better holiday if I did stay in one. 5* hotels aren't my holiday choice at all and I feel we have a much better holiday going SC in an apartment. If I could afford it I would rather a luxury villa with it's own pool - now that would be very nice

Difficult one as there is no international standard for what a 5* actually means.

A 5* hotel in London costs big bucks and is my idea of 5*. I have stayed in a 5* in Marbella and although very nice indeed it wouldn't come close in comparison. I guess that's where you have to use the cost to give you an idea if you have nothing else to go on.

5* hotels in Dominican Republic for instance I would guess are generally of a lower standard to 5* hotels in Barbados. It's all about the customer, what they expect, what they are paying.

Again, it's subjective.

I personally am not a 5 star person. I want to be able to relax and although I am, of course, a respectable citizen and know how to behave in public and in private, I would feel like I had to be on some form of 'best behaviour' in a posh hotel. Although I know in reality you don't as we have all these 'celebs' and how they act at times as proof that you can get away with a lot in a fancy gaff.

great post, only once have we stayed in a 5 star hotel, just for a week on the costa del sol and hated every minute of it. I say this because of a lot of the guests , now, don't slate me for this !, but I found a lot of them to be either so ingrossed in their laptops round the pool ( oh yeah !) or talking business so loudly on their mobiles round the pool, that I almost felt I was in a meeting ! Then there's the fact that they're all wearing proper designer gear, made my primark stuff look a bit cheap ( !!!!!!!????????)
Having said that , we are looking at mexico 2010 and I'm liking the look of the 4 or 5 star hotels, so maybe i'll have to slum it with the posh folks !!

I have been in lots of 5 star hotels all over the world,admittedly on good deals but have enjoyed my holidays that have been in small family run hotels just as much, if not better.
As long as the hotel is clean I think its the company of lovely people that make a holiday great.

I agree jay trip, unfortunately, on this holiday I was talking about, the clientelle were more intersted in looking good and sorting out their next board meeting very loudly round the pool ! Actually think we just had a bad experience in that prticular hotel, but going back to the original post, we have ( in europe ) gone d.i.y in private apartments for the last 5 years or so and only this may went all inclusive to jamaica, ( went to a 3 star hotel) and found the guest's to be much more down to earth to that 5 star in costa del sol and enjoyed it much more, but, I'm going to contradict myself now and say that I won't be looking at the 3 star in mexico for next year, only because there isn't much in it with price between the 3 star and 5 star, mad I know !!! But I reckon I can cope with american snobs !!!!!

Simple answer NO,what makes a 5* hotel the price???.What passes for 5* in the Dominican would be 1* in Dubai,I tend to look at the Hotel Chain and Reviews from Brits not those from our freinds over the pond when looking at the Caribbean.A hoilday is to relax not look at what others are wearing.The only thing we look at is perhaps children free nothing against kids but I want to relax not be dive bomed all the time.

Going slightly, we were on holiday in August with our two young children and there were a few times when they could get in the pool because of the idiotic adults who were dive bombing in the pool and flooding everywhere so it goes both ways really. I would love to go somewhere that was idiot free

So who decides if a hotel has one, two or five stars? Does it matter? I am sure that each of us has our own criteria by which we judge things. If part of the process to achieve 5 stars is a trouser press in the room then most of the places I have stayed in this country and all of those abroad would fail. Much of it is a marketing ploy. TOs mark their own. The local tourist board do them. And then there are a variety of organisation AA and RAC for example that produces yet another list. Which of them is most accurate?

Many of the requirements by the various organisations might be important to them, but are they important to you? A heated pool might be great but if you never go in it does it matter.

Like others I have stayed in the 5 star palaces and found them wanting. I have also stayed in the 1 star and could not understand why it was rated so low. I also have known people with restaurants who definitely did not want any stars. Not that they were not good but because it would bring in clientele they did not want and spoil it for the true connoisseurs.

fwh

I must admit I don't actually look for a five or four star hotel, I look for Hotels in the Country and area to start with and then hotel by choice. If the Hotel is 4/5 and within my price range then I book it. I have in the past been in 4 & 5 star hotels and as I said I don't seek them out, just look at the hotel, location of it and services they have to offer first.

Next year the hotel we have selected is officially rated by Thomson as 5 star, but it was not the star ratings that was the deciding factor, it was location, all inclusive package, services, entertainment etc.,

Actually I'm quite happy to go five star...but at three star prices...which is what we do. A lot of our holidays have been in South East Asia where hotel prices are low but standards high. Its quite nice to have good accomodation with all the extras. Trouble is you get used to the standard and when you then do some time in Europe you get a bit dissapointed with the hotels unless you are willing to pay stupid prices. We've got round that by hiring villas with pools...which can be dirt cheap out of main seasons.

I do wish there was some internationally agreed standard on ratings though as standards vary so much from country to country...I remember going to a 4T hotel in Thailand and it was superb, then a 5T in Corfu and it was grotty in comparison...even with the same operator grading seems to vary based on the country the hotel is in.

I believe the Mobil Star Rating system is widely recognised.

http://mobiltravelguide.howstuffworks.com/about-the-rating-channel.htm

I doubt if many of the hotels that the tour operators regard as 5* would barely make 3*.

luci

a 5* hotel does not necessarily mean 5* service..

we have been to places that are 4 or 5 * and generally we have found them to be marvellous places. An example of that would be in Gran Can when we have stayed at Taurito Princess a few times ( so good we kept going back!)..but then we found that what classes as 4* in one country or 5* in one country is not necessarily the same in another. In Malta, the 4* Paradise bay was really probably only a 3 star..
In Egypt, it is different again. Some hotels were superb, others were not..yet they had the same star rating!!

We tend not to base our decision on how many stars a place has..we base it on what our needs are at the time. We have done many a DIY, especially in Malta/Gozo and found basic apartments to be satisfactory to what we want/require for that particular holiday.
Cost also has to come into it too..if you have paid a fortune for a 5* hotel, then you expect higher standards. We had this in Thailand..we had 5* hotels when we did not really need them or tbh..want them ( we did not actually sort this ourselves..it was sort of sprung on us and we had no idea what to expect..Thomas Cook..u played a blinder!)

I am not a holiday snob by any means..but generally, I want a place too be nice, have anice atmosphere, good food and provide me with a decent service...and all the better still if it is near a scuba diving school and a good base from which to explore the surrounding areas..its what I pays me money for!!

I,ve only ever stayed in one five star hotel (about 10 mins away from benidorm)- real de faula golf and health spar!

It was a fluke how we got to stay there- our original hotel was a two star (I wont name this hotel-or go into much detail- as there very very mixed opinions about it!- and some members wouldn't have a word said wrong about it) Anyway (Back on topic)- we were informed about 3 days before travel-this hotel was being closed temperally- and we would have to have a refund because no other hotels were available! After looking into this further- and with help off members on here- I found out 1 hotel was available!- the lovely 5 star real de faula!-we managed to blag a week at this 5 star hotel- As this was the only hotel available in benidorm at the time.- every where else was fully booked-

The price to stay here was unbelievable - nearly £1400 compared to the £548 we had originally paid

It was great!- you were really treat like royalty- and I did feel a bit embarrassed at times- especially when the big thick fluffy towels were brought over to your sunbed- and rolled out for you! Or if you got up to turn your sunbed- the staff would quickly come over, and do it for you! The service was second to none. To be honest I do fell more comfortable in a 3* star hotel- I just felt so uncomfortable at times- especially as every body looked like they had just stepped off a cat walk- and we looked like something the cat had dragged in!!!

Certainly an enjoyable experience though- seeing how the other half lived- especially when we had paid 2* star prices!!!

Belly

I hate hotels.

Struggling to get them to cater for my diet (especially abroad) and being marched in to eat between x and y hours

Nope, i much prefer campsites anyday

Cidermonster don't want to pry about your dietary needs, so have no idea your needs. I would say that alot of A/I cater for lots of different dietary requirements, and also there is usally catering in one form or another from brekkie time 8am till 11ish if not at the restaurants then from snack bars, that's what I have found.