A Note of Caution:.............................................................(Back to top)
Discount Hotels Hawaii has proven in the past to be more strict than other entities in the process to assign Star ratings to Hotels and is not uncommon to find these hotels with better ratings under other organizations.
We have seen travel guides that rate 3 Stars a Hotel that for Discount Hotels Hawaii is clearly a one Star.
We are not trying to second-guess the reasons for this difference but we believe that is because these organizations operate at a National level and is simply too difficult to keep track of thousands of Hotels. Discount Hotels Hawaii on the other hand operates only at a local level which allows Discount Hotels Hawaii to keep track of all the changes (the good ones and the bad ones) that take place in each Hotel over the years and inspect them on a regular basis.
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Basic amenities for all Hotels from 1 to 4 Stars:................... (Back to top)
Most hotels from 1 to 4 Stars will have the following amenities under our Star rating system:
- Private bathroom.
- Color TV.
- Telephone
- Air Conditioning.
- Small refrigerator
- Safety deposit box (normally at a small daily rental fee).
- Daily maid service
- 24 hours front desk
- Swimming pool
Note: Some hotels may not have one or more of these amenities, if Discount Hotels Hawaii makes a reservation for you, we will disclose the lack of such amenity at the time of the reservation or when we propose the Hotel for your consideration.
If you decide to make a reservation through another Travel Agent or directly with the Hotel, make sure to ask all the necessary questions to ensure that you will have all the facilities and services that you expect.
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Four Stars Hotels:............................................................(Back to top)
Besides the basic amenities for all Hotels from 1 to 4 Stars , the Hotels in this category can be expected to have:
- Spacious ground floor lobbies.
- Availability of room service.
- Concierge.
- Valet parking.
- Bar(s) and Restaurant(s) in house.
- Dry cleaning
Other services and amenities that may me be available on a Hotel by Hotel basis are:
- Fitness Center.
- Business Center.
- Jacuzzis
- Sauna
- Massage service
One of the most important features in this category is that the Hotel must have a degree of sophistication and a sense of "Grandeur" besides the normal high level of service associated with the category. Service alone does not make a Hotel qualify as a 4 or 5 Stars, it must "feel" 4 Stars.
.Three Stars Hotels:..........................................................(Back to top)
There is a fine line between the 3 and 4 Stars Hotels.
When described in a catalog, internet site or other kind of marketing/information material, they can very easily be confused with a 4 Stars Hotel.
Even though the description of amenities and services may "sound" like a 4 Stars, some part or parts of the 4 Stars equation is normally missing.
These are, very often, previous 4 Stars Hotels that have the infrastructure but have seen better times or decided to save money by providing a lower level of service and therefore drop in category, that this doesn't mean however that you shouldn't go to a 3 Stars, as rule of thumb you should book the best category you can afford.
The only risk is to "confuse" these Hotels as 4 Stars and overpay for them.
This the category where you will start to find some kitchen facilities, be aware however that "kitchen" is a very misused word in the Hotel industry. If you need any kind of kitchen facilities make sure to find out exactly what the "kitchen" will have.
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Two Stars Hotels:...........................................................(Back to top)
This is the typical Hotel for the traveler that doesn't want to pay for luxury, extra service, beautiful spacious lobbies or room service availability but still wants to have a fairly decent, clean and safe place to stay. This is the category that has the biggest selection of Hotels and also is the most popular one.
Besides the basic amenities for all Hotels from 1 to 4 Stars , the Hotels in this category can be expected to have other amenities on a Hotel by Hotel basis like:
This is the category where most of the apartment type Hotels are, with more complete kitchens.
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One Star Hotels:............................................................(Back to top)
These are the most basic Hotels you will find, they will have all the basic amenities for all Hotels from 1 to 4 Stars but very little more, the rooms tend to be small and the type of bedding is normally either one Queen bed (sometimes is only a double bed) or 2 single beds. A few one star Hotels don't have a refrigerator and /or a safety deposit box in the room so if that is important to you make sure to ask specifically for one when you request a Hotel in this category.
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Budget hotels (below 1 star):...........................................(Back to top)
There are quite a few Hotels and "almost Hotels" in this category, it is very important that you do your homework very well when you decide to book one of this places.
They are obviously the least expensive ones, but money becomes less relevant when the place in question is not clean enough, safe enough or doesn't have something that you consider essential for your stay and the price difference with a One Star Hotel (booked at a discount through Discount Hotels Hawaii) is very small.
A few (very few) however are acceptable enough, they may not qualify as a One Star Hotel because they lack one or more of the basic amenities for all Hotels from 1 to 4 Stars but if you make sure that the things that they don't have you don't mind it might be all you need for your vacation.
Just keep in mind that these Hotels are very basic.
