The more stars the better – at least for the hotels. The problem is that there is no global organization that would systematically determine how many stars each hotel should have. As a result, there are differences in the quality of hotels with the same number of stars in different countries. Hotels generally receive stars according to the facilities they provide, like swimming pools or restaurants.
The traditional scale goes up to five. However, there is a growing number of hotels that present themeselves as six star hotels. So far there is only one seven star hotel. It is Burj Al Arab (Tower of the Arabs) in Dubai. The hotel is 321 meters high and it stands on an artificial island. This hotel, nevertheless, will not be the only seven star hotel for ever.
The world’s second seven star hotel is planned for Chinese city of Sanya in Hainan Province. Chinese real-estate company Antaeus Group and Canadian company Fairmont Hotels and Resorts have signed the agreement to build the facility. The Antaeus Group is going to invest up to US$292 million into the project. The hotel will be designed by UK-based W.S Atkins plc, the very same company that designed the Burj Al Arab in Dubai. The construction of the world’s second seven star hotel will start later this year and its completion is scheduled for 2011. The hotel will be 120m high and it will border a luxury yacht club, a seaside golf course, and Asia"s largest ocean park.
It is apparent that the number of the seven star hotels will rise in the same fashion as the number of six star hotels did. The question is, whether the stars still provide relevant information about the quality. Some believe it has changed in a mere marketing tool.
