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What do Six Stars Really Mean?

By Su Pecha, Business Development Director

It’s several years now since guests began to arrive, by helicopter or Rolls Royce, at the Burj Al Arab in Dubai — allegedly the world’s first six-star hotel. However, since there is no accreditation system that recognises more than five-star, who actually designated this hotel six-star? Well, the Hotel did, and it may have worked at the time but then along came a string of self-awarded six-star Ritz-Carlton hotels, a Park Hyatt opened in Macao that was declared a six-star and other aspirants emerged in the States. There are also at least two developments in London at the moment that are aiming to become the capital’s “first six-star hotel”. And what was the Burj Al Arab’s response to its loss of self-styled star exclusivity? It became seven-star of course!

The demand for new and more luxurious features from hotel guests together with amenity creep by operators seeking to differentiate their brand, may be inevitable but it does beg the question of what super extras a hotel can provide over and above a really good five-star offering. How can an already fabulous hotel become even more so in a way that pleases and impresses all the extremely high-paying guests all of the time? Surely, this is the issue. If guests are prepared to pay a premium to stay in a six-star hotel or put their credit card behind reception as a pledge to spend a certain sum in the restaurant, then they might be forgiven for expecting their every whim and mood to be anticipated and managed every moment of their visit.

So, six-star is not, necessarily, first and foremost about luxurious design trappings. It is about discrete personal recognition at all times and a line of communication that flows from general manager to the youngest member of staff to ensure that each guest experiences the balance of celebrity and privacy just as he or she wants it. Technology systems and staff training can help, but you would expect both of these in a good five-star hotel. The difference has to lie in the inherent attitude of the staff and there also has to be a high ratio of them to the guests. Clearly both have cost implications for the operator. There must be absolutely no hotel-induced stress, ever. No reception queues, no advanced in-room technology (which in itself is a must) that is not intuitive to use, no anxiety about checking out in time to catch the flight home. A seamless, fluid experience from the point of arrival to the point of departure and this may involve limousines to airports and helicopters to private helipads. Discrete security is a particularly important element in ultra luxury hotels and this implies assisted in-room check-in and checkout, as well as numerous security staff to constantly scrutinise elevators, stairs and all points of entry, including back-of-house.

In terms of six-star design, the guestroom experience is key. Space, it is often said, is the last great luxury, and rooms should be in the region of 45 sq metres plus with a superb bathroom that is as large as the overall envelope allows; some commentators suggest as much as 40% of the total room size. They should enjoy copious natural light and include a spa component, such as a steam room, and a huge tub, if possible with a breath taking view through a window. Luxurious materials are a sine qua non but it is those elements that guests might not see, and which therefore could so easily be ignored in design specifications, that might mark the difference between a five-star and a six. Perfectly engineered drawer slides and door hinges and other elements of hardware, for example. Lighting must be sensational, but easy for the guest to manage, and there should be a comprehensive wet bar. There are many other extras that ultra-luxury five-star hotels have been providing for sometime, from private pools to personal butlers, and so, it could be argued, these too have become essentials in a six-star hotel — and somehow they have to be bigger and better.

Perhaps, though, ultimate luxury can also be about stripping out some of these badges of conspicuous consumption. How about a hotel where in-room entertainment systems, TVs in the bathroom and fashionable cocktail bars have been designed out? Then imagine this hotel nestling quietly in the natural habitation of an exotic retreat beyond the reach of mobile phones. This could be a description of ultimate luxury for some people. The jury is still out. As Hotel Online recently noted: “Is it really possible to keep increasing the number of stars for hotels without compromising reality? What is the real difference between a five-star and a six or seven-star hotel? Or is it all in the mind of the beholder?

Email specha@reardonsmith.com to respond