system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Can someone explain the hotel rating system?

My parents always go for the max but is 1-3 star really all that bad?

Edit: wow this has gotten crazy attention thanks for all the replies :)
gpt
No it's not. If you're talking about the widely used "star" system and not some ranking process that some website made up recently for its own purposes, it doesn't directly *and only* represent the place's quality.

The number of stars in "official" ranking systems has to do with the number of amenities and services offered by the hotel. If it includes a valet, a concierge, a day spa, a pool, a restaurant and bar, room service, great decor and so on, all of these perks add up to the star rating associated with the hotel. If on the other hand it's a small but very clean place that only offers you a small room and an ice machine down the hall, despite being run by the nicest staff in the world that'll do just about anything for you to ensure your stay is pleasant, it'll still only be a two-star establishment.

There's absolutely a *correlation* between the number of stars and the quality of the place though. It takes a LOT of money to run a five-star hotel, and they can't afford bad reviews or pissed off customers so they usually try and train their staff very well. So five stars usually means a great and comfortable stay... usually. And you pay a lot more for it.