‘I’m a travel guru – two-star hotels are far better than four-stars’ | Travel News | Travel

A travel influencer insists that many holidaymakers are missing a trick by succumbing to ‘star snobbery’.

The TikToker dubbed as ‘The Travel Mum‘ actually claims that two-star hotels are often better than four or five stars.

Taking to social media, she said: “Here’s why you should be staying at two-star hotels. I was shocked to the core when I did a recent poll and found out three quarters of you wouldn’t stay in a two-star hotel.

“Now, a lot of you felt that two-star meant it was a poor quality hotel but let’s look at this two-star hotel with good reviews.” The content creator first zooms into a two-star hotel in Ibiza.

Its rooms were filled with natural light and clean furnishings, with views overlooking the sea. “Looks really clean and modern, it’s definitely somewhere where I would stay,” she continued.

“Now, let’s have a look at this four-star hotel [in Portugal] that has bad reviews, it’s the customer reviews we really need to focus on. So, it looks really outdated as you can see, yet it has a pool and a restaurant these are things that are going to contribute to the star rating, not the quality. I would much rather stay at this two-star hotel when comparing this with the four-star.”

Star rating systems serve as globally recognised benchmarks of a hotel’s quality, cleanliness, or overall standards. Attaining more stars signals to guests an increased luxury experience.

Yet, perceptions can sometimes deviate from what classifications like ‘two-star’ truly represent. SiteMinder, the world’s largest hotel commerce platform, describes two-star accomodation as ‘basic’ and ‘comfortable’ with a focus on the essentials.

It adds: “The streamlined services ensure a pleasant, hassle-free stay, making it an economical option. This combination of comfort and value makes two-star hotels a suitable choice for short stays or business trips.”

Meanwhile, four and five-star hotels are more about ‘top-tier amenities’, decor and attention to detail. For a five-star in particular you can expect an ‘unparalleled level’ of ‘indulgence’ and ‘comprehensive, personalised services’.

So, if the purpose of your trip isn’t centred around a hotel’s level of luxury, the Travel Mum insists that staying in a two-star won’t make a lot of difference. She emphasised: “Hotels will need certain facilities to get a certain star rating. Size of the rooms matters, is there a telephone in the room? Is there air conditioning in the common areas? Is there a pool?

“It’s the facilities that are going to decide what star rating is given to a hotel. So, if you don’t need a gym, a spa, 24-hour reception, you could be missing out on some absolute bargains by not looking at two-star hotels.”