Star ratings on Hotels

marliejaneca

Bronze
Oct 7, 2003
980
10
0
3 star

Check out the resorts' reviews on Debbies Dominican Travel site, there are some mixed feelings.
All in all - you get what you pay for !
 

Gringo

Bronze
Jan 1, 2002
1,314
58
0
1/2 * Dorada Club (Like the man said you get what you pay for)

I passed a guy one day who was standing at the top of a ladder that was leaning up against a Hotel in Playa Dorada......He had a paint brush in one hand and a paint bucket in the other, I asked him what he was doing?
He told me that he was going to paint the STAR RATING on the wall outside this Hotel.
So I said how many stars is this Hotel? He took a quick look in his paint bucket and said, oh I think I have enough paint left to make this one a 4 STAR.
 

marliejaneca

Bronze
Oct 7, 2003
980
10
0
Like I said - a 3 star

Before I replied the first time to this post I did a little research to find out what the rating was - took all of 3 minutes but hey I guess I must be bored!!!
It is definitely a 3 star - that is what they advertise it as.
Gringo - marliejaneca is a woman !!
 

ricktoronto

Grande Pollo en Boca Chica
Jan 9, 2002
4,837
0
0
da_rottweiler said:
Hi everyone

Please can somone out there inform me what the STAR RATING is for THE DORADA CLUB HOTEL in Playa Dorada 2* or 3* ?

Since there is no official rating system and the tour companies self-rate the resorts who knows what it is? I think if you look at the correlation between cost and star ratings you'll see the tour companies use their own star ratings to justify higher costs of hotels wtih more of them.

One thing is clear - vs. North American Standards, 2 and 3 star joints are pretty bottom of the barrel as even 5 star joints have enough idiosyncracies and problems to make them maybe 3 AAA diamonds at best in N. America.

You should rely on outsiders who have no interest in the ratings. Unfortunately you seldom see AAA or Mobil doing places other than the Jaragua and similar large hotels.
 

marliejaneca

Bronze
Oct 7, 2003
980
10
0
Absolutely right

Ricktoronto is right about the ratings, they don't even have a rating system in Ontario anymore, maybe even the rest of Canada as well. (Sorry, I haven't worked in the travel agency business for awhile, so I am not completely up to speed) The last resort I worked at here in Canada, although it had a 5 star rating for 13 consecutive years, is only allowed to market it as a "recommended" status resort which means it meets all the criteria of the new system.
Also, in my experience, whether it be Mexico, Cuba, Venezuela or any Caribbean destination, I would definitely rely on a travel agents report or a handful of reviews (as everyone has different ideas of what they want in a resort) whether it is a 2 star or a 5 star. Travel agents do a fair bit of fam trips for this exact purpose so they can give you first hand knowledge of the resort and location. When I did my fam trip to the DR, we toured each and every hotel in Playa Dorada, POP and Cofresi and had to prepare a full report, along with pics, stats and personal feelings about each and everyone of them so that everyone in the office was knowledgable.
I don't know if this is helpful to you, or if you have booked already, but just remember, booking a holiday is like any other major purchase you would make, whether buying a stereo system, a new TV etc, wouldn't you research a little first to get the best bang for your buck?
Good luck and enjoy your trip.
Marlie
 

trishdeyar

New member
Oct 16, 2002
98
0
0
www.hiddenhilltop.com
star ratings

The first time we went to DR we stayed at a 3-star and found it to be great - the next time we went we stayed at a 4-star and a 4.5-star - I still found the first place we were at the best in that it was the most relaxing - the second place we stayed at was soo big, almost too big, but still was nice. In my opinion, any place where there is +30 instead of -30 weather is a 5-star in my books these days!!

Trish
 

Gringo

Bronze
Jan 1, 2002
1,314
58
0
hollywood north said:
Is that the hotel that used to be a Holiday Inn a looong time ago before the time of the AI invasion? Just curious.........I know the name changed but I always forget which hotel is which there!

The one that you are thinking about is now called the Hotel Playa Dorada and yes it used to be the old Holiday Inn long before the AI's got here.