Jane McLean of About.com Guide wrote an article about “What makes a hotel a
5-Star” and clarifies what this rating means. Since the 1950s, Canada and the United States have used the Forbes Travel Guide star ratings (formerly known as Mobil) and the CAA or AAA diamond ratings as indicators of hotel class and quality. The ratings are based upon actual visits by paid inspectors, who rate the hotel according to a long list of criteria. These days, the Internet and social media are major means of travel research, and hotel ratings have been driven via consumer content through websites such as; Kayak, TripAdvisor and Expedia