The myth of 7-star hotels: the truth about hotel star ratings

The United Arab Emirates are so wealthy that they have managed to produce a second 7-star hotel. The Emirates Palace Hotel Abu Dhabi is an unparalleled luxury palace, both inside and out, and even better rated by its guests than the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah. Its features include a private beach, a marina and guestrooms which, with their exclusive Arabic furniture, create an atmosphere like in The Arabian Nights.

However, the hotel’s website merely advertises that the hotel offers more than five-star luxury. No official mention is made of seven stars here either.

The Burj Al Arab Jumeirah in Dubai, with its striking silhouette in the shape of a sail, is probably one of the most famous hotels in the world and a landmark of the city. It is a symbol for extraordinary luxury and therefore also as expensive as you’d expect. One night in a double room costs well over 1,000 euros. A “small” suite is already 170 m² here – much bigger than most people’s entire apartment. You can even book a Rolls Royce with a driver if you wish.

The hotel would clearly deserve seven stars and has often received this categorisation in the press or in subjective review ratings on rating platforms. Bu the term “7-star hotel” is nowhere to be found on the official website.

After its opening in 2007, the TownHouse Galleria Hotel in Milan was given the title of the world’s first 7-star hotel. It received the corresponding certificate from SGS Italy (Société Générale de Surveillance) – a Swiss-based testing group that offers inspections, tests, certification services and verifications.

So it was the only official 7-star hotel in the world and for a while advertised this fact in the hotel name:Seven Stars Galleria. However, this term has since disappeared from the hotel website. The only thing reminiscent of the seven stars today are the Seven Stars Suites.

The Shangri-La Bosphorus is centrally located in the Besiktas district, right on the Bosphorus. As usual for the Shangri-La hotel chain, this is a luxury hotel extraordinaire that makes guests’ wishes come true. Guestroom sizes start from 42 m². Many of them offer fantastic views over the Bosphorus from a private terrace. You can also visit the Chi Spa to relax in a Turkish hammam and enjoy a massage to loosen up those tight muscles.

Even before the construction of Shangri-La Bosphorus began in 2010, it was praised by many websites and journalists as the first 7-star hotel in Turkey. Meanwhile the hotel is finished, but on its website you won’t even find a single mention of “seven” in connection with the hotel star rating.

One might wonder whether the owners of the Pangu 7 Star have picked their stars from the sky. Because it’s completely unclear where the seven stars in the hotel name have come from.

But apart from that, this luxury hotel certainly doesn’t have to hide. The interior was created by the famous Italian designer Ricardo Bello Dias. He skilfully combined oriental and western elements. The hotel is the top address for all luxury lovers travelling to Beijing. Even the richest man in the world – Bill Gates – is said to have spent the night here during the Olympic Games.

Experts have long referred to the Karkloof Safari Villas near Pietermaritzburg in South Africa as a 7-star hotel. What is offered here would even deserve eight stars – for example, individually designed private villas sure to amaze you, your own vehicle for safari trips and an exotic spa with views of the natural landscape and the surrounding gardens.

However, the hotel itself only advertises with the official five stars.

The Laucala Island Resort is a real island paradise in the South Seas. It took three years to build the hotel on Laucala Island, which is dotted with tropical rainforest and sugar-white sand beaches. Only very few guests stay in the 25 villas at the same time and a 300-strong team takes care of them. The Hilltop Residence on the mountains of the island offers 11,000 m² of privacy! In addition, there are a private panoramic pool area, two spacious guest houses as well as a private chef, driver and nanny. It’s almost impossible to get more luxury.

No wonder that the term “7-star hotel” is used in the same breath as the hotel name. Officially, however, this hotel is “only” a five-star hotel.