Crown Hotel to be 5 Stars?

Crown likely to have five not six stars The Standard writes that though Melco International Development is busily building what it describes as Macau's first six-star hotel, the HK$1.5 billion Crown Macau casino hotel is likely to officially bear just five stars. Star ratings in Macau are governed by statute and must be displayed prominently. Five stars are the most a hotel can claim under the law. The "one- star" rating was abolished nine years ago, but there has been no move to add new stars at the top end. Traditionally, star ratings are supposed to serve as a guide for travelers and travel agents as to the relative quality, facilities and price level of an area's hotels. Macau's star classification regime, however, ranks hotels solely on their facilities and features, and hoteliers say the local ratings give vague guidance as to price and quality. Of Macau's 42 hotels, nine officially carry five stars. Guestrooms in five-star hotels must be at least 14 square meters and the hotels must have meeting halls, a hair salon and an on-site travel agency, among other features. Nonetheless, said industry veteran Markland Blaiklock who is directing Wynn Macau's hotel operations, "within a given rating, there can exist quite a range of facilities and services." Both the Westin Macau and the Hotel Royal Macau are five star, but the Westin's room rates run about triple those of the Royal. The rating may not even be much guide to a hotel's facilities. Hotels report their star rating to the Macau Government Tourist Office but inspections may take several years to happen. The Sands Macau casino boasts 48 hotel suites that are among the plushest in town, but officially the property carries just three stars as it lacks a swimming pool or a conference room, among other facilities. The rooms are reserved for high rollers and not offered for sale to the public so the Sands escapes association with its budget-hotel peers. The HK$3 billion Grand Lisboa will offer rooms that are larger, bathroom facilities that are the largest in town with massage showers and a separate [dressing] area. The law says such hotels must feature either a Portuguese or Macanese restaurant and a warm-water pool, among other amenities. Melco is developing the Crown hotel through a joint venture with Publishing & Broadcasting of Australia, which operates the Crown Entertainment Complex in Melbourne. Australian hotels star themselves and by PBL's reckoning, its complex is home to the five-star Crown Towers and the 4 star Crown Promenade hotels.