Star Ratings for Hotels: Are They Self-Administered

[Jackknifed Juggernaut]

My friend is going to Recife, Brazil. I've been there and told him where to stay. But he already booked a room at a 4-Star Hotel. So I got to thinking. Who determines the star rating for hotels? Is there an international organization, or is it country-specific? Even worse, are the ratings just self-administered?

[Mr. Slant]

In Europe, I was under the impression that Michelin did hotel ratings.
In the US, I know that the AAA hands out ratings, although they aren't always stars, sometimes they give "2 Diamond" ratings.

[pravnik]

Many of the 1-5 star ratings are handed out by Zagat's, an organization that puts out a guide to restaurants and hotels.

[TWOTfan]

It definitely varies from country to country. In France you only have 1 to 4 stars but in other countries you see 5 star hotels.

[pravnik]

Here's an article I ran across called Making Sense of Hotel Ratings (http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m0CXQ/2002_June_1/88701090/p1/article.jhtml).