How do we select hotels? What type of room is the most convenient for you?

 As pleasant though it may be, preparing a trip is also a little stressful when it comes to booking a room in a hotel. Something which is very important for the progress and the success of the trip. What is that one should know well in order to limit the possible misunderstandings or unpleasant surprises?

How do you evaluate the hotels?

What does it mean when we say that a hotel is a “five-star hotel”? Who decides what will be the class of the hotel we visit? What’s the difference between a “five-star” hotel and a four one? The answer is more complicated than you might think.

The truth is that there is no international standard classification of hotels, at least not yet. With stars, diamonds, or keys, that means that each country uses its own system so we cannot be sure what ever each category matches with. Can, for example, a 3-star hotel in one country be better than a four in another?

The attempt to harmonize rules in recent years, led to the creation of a common European system of assessment, the Hotelstars Unionpoy, that came into force in 2010 in some countries and later in more (Greece (2013)

The “Hotelstars” system of the European Union is based on a classification system with five stars and a Superior sign for an extra flag. Instead of a minimum size room and shower facilities (e.g. a bathtub into a four-star hotel), there is a list of criteria with 21 skills, including 270 items, where some are mandatory in order to get a star and others optional. The rating is the following:

100 % of the rooms with shower/WC or bath tub/WC Daily room cleaning (with opt-out possibility) 100 % of the rooms with TV service and with remote function WIFI internet access in the public areas and in the rooms Table and chair Soap or body wash Offer of sanitary products on demand (e.g. toothbrush, toothpaste, shaving kit) Bath towels Reception service Cashless payment Extended breakfast Beverage offer in the hotel Deposit possibility	Breakfast buffet Reading light next to the bed Body wash or shower gel Linen shelves Bath and hand towels Bilingual staff Sewing kit and shoe polish utensils on demand	10 hours staffed reception service, available via digital communication or telephone 24 hours Lounge suite at the reception area, luggage service on demand Beverage offer in the room Device for internal and external communication on demand Audio or multimedia entertainment Hair-dryer, cleansing tissue Dressing mirror, adequate place or rack to put the luggage/suitcase Laundry and ironing service Additional pillow and additional blanket on demand Systematic complaint management system Bilingual, hotelown website	16 hours staffed reception service, physically available via digital communication or telephone 24 hours Lobby with seats and beverage service, hotelbar or lounge area Breakfast buffet with service or equivalent breakfast menu card Minibar or maxibar or 16 hours beverages via room service Comfortable seating (upholstered armchair/couch) with side table/shelf Bath robe and slippers on demand Cosmetic products (e.g. shower cap, nail file, cotton swabs), vanity mirror, large storage surface in the bathroom International TV channels	24 hours staffed reception service, physically available via digital communication or telephone 24 hours Valet parking service Concierge Shuttle or limousine service Luggage service Personalized greeting for each guest with flowers or a present in the room Minibar and food and beverage offer via room service during 24 hours Internetdevice in the room on demand Safe in the room Ironing service (return within 1 h), shoe polish and sewing service Turndown service in the evening Breakfast menu card via room service

For an indicative list of criteria look here: (https://www.hotelstars.eu/greece/criteria/)

In fact, what you need to know is this: In each case the hotels are evaluated based on the comforts and the services they offer, but also the quality of these. Before you travel be sure to check if the hotel you selected offers services that you consider necessary. Moreover, the problem is not to be in need of something. The surprises of extras that weren’t expected are always welcome!!! And something else … … A hotel with a star doesn’t mean that it will be dirty or neglected. It may just mean that it’s a small or medium building with minimum staff e.g. a family business.

Make sure well before you make the booking that the rooms are clean. How? By reading as many customer reviews of the hotel as possible emphasizing on the latest. Do the same with the other amenities: breakfast, etc.

As for the types of rooms there are differentiations.

There are 2 kinds of categorization of rooms you might encounter in a hotel or accommodation. One is the kind of room (e.g. standard, studio, deluxe etc) and the second the number of people that can be accommodated per case: (single (single), double (double), triple (triple), quads (quadruple).

The STANDARD rooms of a hotel usually represent the basic room type a hotel is offering, including the basic amenities.

The SUPERIOR rooms (some hotels use the term executive) are defined as better (superior) from the standard and usually outweigh the standards in size, quality furnishings and service. A further differentiation that is quite common among superior and standard rooms is the provided view from the room.

The DELUXE rooms are the third and the superior category of rooms you can find in a hotel which usually excel in size, furnishings, services etc. from all rooms.

Apart from the rooms, several hotels provide suites (suites). The suites are divided into JUNIOR SUITES and SUITES. The Junior Suite is usually a larger room with separate living room where in some cases the bedroom is separated by a door and others with some separator which separates the two spaces completely. The suite (SUITE) which is usually a fairly large room which has 2 separate rooms (1 bedroom and 1 living room) which are separated by a door. Many hotels define as suite any room that has a sofa or a sofa bed so you need to take this into consideration while selecting.

The Studios are rooms which are similar in layout to other Junior Suites, with much simpler rooms though and a kitchen/kitchenette along with cooking equipment. This type of room is mostly encountered often in lower class hotels, rooms and beachfront accommodation.

The Apartments are similar rooms with Studios and feature 1 or 2 bedrooms, whose number is usually stated in the room description (e.g. 1 bedroom apartment, 2 bedroom apartment) and a living room.

It is important to note that the above descriptions apply generally but in many cases the interpretation of the above terms depends on the hotel, its category and location. So, for example, a standard room at a five-star hotel might offer a better service than a superior 3 -star hotel.

Regarding to the second categorization in (single, double, triple, quads (quadruple), to add that there is also differentiation between double room (double room with a double bed) and twin room (twin room with two single beds). If the hotel cannot guarantee you that the double room will have specific types of beds, then in the room type description it will be indicated by the term “double/twin”. You may indicate your preference but the service depends on the availability of the date you make the check in.

In a double room you might encounter some variations such as: a double room for single use which in fact is a double room which is offered at a lower price (intermediary usually between standard single and standard double room) for exclusive use by 1 person.

My opinion is that the stars do not guarantee the atmosphere, charm or other subjective criteria that make you remember for a long time afterwards how much you enjoyed your stay at a hotel. That’s why, whenever possible, consult friends whose judgment you trust, and they have stayed in a hotel at the place you plan to visit. It is safer! And then tell US , please! That’s why we’re here! To spread the word …!