As an international traveller, the first thing to be aware of when choosing and booking UK Hotel accommodation is that there is no universally recognised star rating standard for hotels. This means that a hotel with a 3 star rating in the USA could be vastly different in terms of service and the quality of accommodation when compared with a 3 star rated hotel in the UK. In fact, even within the UK, although Visit Britain (the official tourism organisation for Britain) has tried for many years to introduce a consistent ratings scheme, this does not yet exist and there is no consistent ratings reference for UK Hotels.

What currently exists for classifying UK Hotels

As in many other countries, hotels in Britain are rated from one star to 5 stars. The national tourist boards – Visit Wales, Visit Scotland, Visit England and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board – are responsible for the current grading scheme. There have been some efforts made to harmonise these schemes towards achieving a certain level of consistency. The major flaw, however, is that there is no regulation and enforcement within the sector that ensures all hotel accommodation is rated and certified according to the same criteria.

Regardless, what do the Star Ratings mean?

A One Star hotel indicates simple and basic accommodation with an acceptable overall level of quality. This level, however, typically falls well below our own standards and we do not offer any hotel accommodation in London or the UK that is rated as one star.

Two Star hotels are typically small independently owned properties which offer a satisfactory level of quality and convenience. Services may be limited but the accommodation should be well maintained.

Three Star hotels are typically larger than those above and offer a greater range of services and amenities. Bedrooms should be comfortable and include more facilities.

Four Star hotels are probably the most common on the StayinUK website – there are many thousands of these throughout Britain. Visitors should expect a more formal service, dinner available every night of the week as well as a room and laundry service.

Five Star hotels should offer a very high standard of luxurious accommodation and services – typically with room service available 24 hours a day. StayinUK offers many hundreds of Five Star hotels in London and the rest of the UK where bedrooms should be designed for comfort and quality. Many of the boutique hotels fall into the 5 star category with individually furnished rooms.

StayinUK reviews – opinions from other visitors

Almost every hotel on offer on the site has one or more reviews posted by visitors who have stayed at the particular establishment. These are very useful to get an objective view of the accommodation you may be interested in and should be considered alongside a star rating.

If you’re interested in finding our more or booking one of our London or UK Hotels but still have unanswered questions, why not speak to one of our customer care team in person on 087 803 0009. Our call centre is based in York in the North of England and is staffed with experts who are familiar with most areas within the UK and will be happy to answer any questions you have about the hotels we have on offer.