Silent air conditioning, king-sized beds and tea on tap: Here’s what makes a five-star hotel

A medium close up side view of a mature couple who have eaten a healthy breakfast whilst enjoying a luxury log cabin get away in Newton By The Sea in the North East of England. They are having a lazy morning and lounging in bathrobes. They are looking forward to using the hot tub on the balcony to relax.

(Image credit: SolStock / Getty Images)

If you thought a full-sized swimming pool, plethora of spa treatments or 24-hour access to wagyu steaks were what gives a hotel its five-star stripes, we’re with you. Turns out though, we’re wrong. Very wrong.

Whether or not you get a robe, a phone or even a window is up for debate – at least according to VisitEngland and the AA, two of the bodies who decide how many sparkling stars are bestowed upon any particular property.

We combed through their assessment criteria to find out just what counts when it comes to defining five-star luxury.

Who decides a hotel's star rating?

an image of the balcony and view from one of the rooms

Confusingly, there isn’t one universal body which determines a hotel’s star rating, but rather a handful of independent assessors such as VisitEngland and AA. To make it murkier, each has a different set of criteria (though VisitEngland’s and the AA’s are actually pretty similar). These companies are equipped with an army of ‘assessors’ who visit each property on their books (usually annually) to determine their quality – and therefore star rating – based on a list of benchmarks.

What factors determine a hotel's star rating?

an image of the view from one of the rooms in The Scarlet Hotel in Mawgan Porth, Cornwall

This is the big one, because as mentioned previously, it’s got nothing to do with having a rooftop pool or a well-stocked minibar. At VisitEngland, star ratings are decided almost entirely on service quality, food and beverage availability and bedroom size and amenities. Anything beyond that (aside from some communal area space requirements) has little effect on their twinkling tier. In short, for a five-star property, anything beyond a spacious room with luxury amenities and a comprehensive coffee offering is a bonus.

There’s also a significant degree of flexibility allowed when applying these criteria, which can make knowing what you’re getting at any star level – including the top – tricky to determine. For example, it might be hard to hold a Grade II-listed building in the Cotswolds to the same space and amenity standards as a new-build tower hotel in central London.

Allowances are also made for ’market need’. A hotel based in central London for example, would not be expected to offer as many dining options as a property in a more remote location, since there are endless eating options in the city.

How are hotels assessed?

According to the VisitEngland team, hotels are assessed on five key areas: cleanliness, bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen facilities and public areas, then scored between one and five on their performance (with one being poor and five being excellent). AA has similar standards, just with an extra ‘hospitality’ category. The percentage of their total score determines which star rating they qualify for: three stars: 55-69%, four stars: 70-84%, five stars: 85-100%. While there are some hard and fast rules which affect whether a hotel gets a five-star rating, a lot of this will be subject to the assessor’s individual interpretation. For example, the difference between four- and five-star hospitality is ‘very good social skills’ as opposed to ‘excellent social skills’.

Do you get a bigger bed in a five-star hotel?

Spa at Tower Bridge four seasons by architects Joseph Caspari &amp; Mio Shibuya

Compared to a three-star hotel: yes. Three-star hotels must have a minimum double bed size of 190cm x 137cm (width), while five star properties must be at least 153cm in width. Four-star hotels can stock smaller beds, but larger options must be available on request in order to push them into the four-star category.

What does spacious actually mean?

an image of one of the cosy rooms at the Pig-in the Cotswolds

Good question. For both bedroom and bathroom sizes ‘spacious’ isn’t defined by a minimum square footage, but by ‘ease of movement’ when navigating the space. If a bed was up against a wall for example, the bedroom would be marked down compared to one where both sides were accessible. VisitEngland states that "there are no minimum sizes for bedrooms” but that five-star properties should offer “excellent levels of spaciousness.”

When it comes to bathrooms, VisitEngland assessors would ask questions such as: “Can a guest freely stand and see themselves in a mirror for shaving or make-up application? Is there sufficient storage and surface space for the guests’ own toiletries? Can a guest hang their towel and/or dressing gown so it won’t get wet whilst showering?” Sadly for this writer, a bath – nor robe – is a requirement “at any level.”

What can you guarantee in a five-star hotel?

Four Seasons Hotel London at Tower Bridge Day Exterior Full

That’s still a bit of a hard one to answer definitively, but there are some safe assumptions we can make. Based on the assessment criteria, double bedrooms in five-star properties must offer noiseless air conditioning (‘mechanical ventilation or ability to cool the room with fresh air that doesn’t allow noise or pollutants in the room’), enclosed wardrobes, a safe, a ‘substantial’ writing desk, a generous array of bathroom products and ‘excellent’ levels of lighting. Evening housekeeping must also be available – though only on request, not as a prerequisite.

Somewhat surprisingly (or perhaps not), the availability of tea and coffee facilities relates directly to a hotel’s star level. Both must be available either in-room or in a communal space 24-hours-a-day in all star classes, but should be of an ‘excellent standard’ in five-star stays (a bean to cup coffee machine offering a range of drinks should be a pretty safe bet). There should also be at least one restaurant offering all meals, seven days a week during the hotel’s opening hours. 24-hour laundry, a shoe-cleaning service and a wide range of ‘high quality’ clothes hangers are also a must.

Beyond the above, superlative service, high cleaning standards and perhaps a lift, there’s not a lot you can be certain of. However, it’s fair to say that some of these factors have been known to make or break a holiday, so shouldn’t be sniffed at.

What won't I get in a five-star property?

an image of the outdoor hot tubs and saunas overlooking Mawgan Port at The Scarlet Hotel

Quite a lot. There are no provisions for having, or not having, a minibar in the room, let alone what should be inside it. Spas, pools, gyms and other wellness facilities such as outdoor spaces don’t feature in the ratings criteria at all. Providing more than one restaurant isn’t obligatory for top-end hotels, though the hours of access to food services and its general availability do count.

Most bizarrely, technically you’re not guaranteed a window – even in a five-star hotel. While it seems incredibly unlikely you’d end up in this situation, it is in theory a possibility. The VisitEngland team say this would be in ‘exceptional circumstances only’ and it’d need to be clearly advertised as such.

While it might seem that, in the end, staying in a five-star hotel isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, you should be guaranteed great service, premium products and oodles of space. Just don’t take anything for granted, as some of the best bits about going on holiday – pools, spas and plenty of eating options – aren’t a given. Thankfully, most hotel and booking websites are pretty transparent about what each property does and doesn’t offer, so if you’re diligent, there shouldn’t be any surprises.

Disclaimer: All information on this page is based on VisitEngland and AAs criteria and is not applicable to hotels rated by other bodies. These standards are only applicable to hotels; there are separate criteria for BnBs, self catering, cruise ships etc. This information only applies to hotel star ratings determined by VisitEngland and the AA, and should not be confused with stars applied by booking websites or guest reviews.