Ratings and reviews are a form of feedback, which is essential for any business- no matter if it’s a product or service-based business. When feedback is used to improve the performance of the business it can really gain momentum and flourish is record time. Ratings, in particular, are not only decided by reviews but awarded on the basis of meeting certain criteria that are mutually accepted by the governing standard organization that is awarding the saif rating. This is very true in the case of the hospitality business. When these businesses meet certain standards of say- room service or food or even the quality of the carpet that is laid in their corridors, they are awarded a star. Resorts and Hotels are rated all the way from no stars to seven stars while restaurants are awarded Michelin stars which judge them in a similar manner.
So what makes a resort a two-star resort? It’s certainly not just a number it means that the resort itself would most likely be bare bones and have slightly better amenities than their one-star counterparts. Maybe they have a higher quality of toiletries or the food is decent or hygiene is better than a one-star resort. What it boils down to is, there are two types of two-star resorts- the ones that take feedback and build upon it and most likely will end up being three-star or four-star resorts down the line and the second type is the one you need to be on the lookout for, take good precautions when you’re visiting and don’t have really high expectations because this type is barely scraping by, it knows it’s not going to be a three-star resort anytime soon and thus never puts in any effort in service or upgrades.
With that said, there are a few key things you need to be looking for before you ultimately visit a two-star resort. Firstly, make sure the resort is situated where they claim they are before you book a spot. It is all too common these days to go on online tourism booking interfaces and claim to be ‘close by’ to a vacation hotspot, close by might be a hundred meters or thirty kilometers so it is up to you to make sure it’s in your comfort zone of distance to your choice of place for vacation. Secondly, always look for other reviews before you visit, there are plot holes in all fabricated stories and some of them might be brought to light (with pictures probably) by other unfortunate guests that visited before you. Another seemingly common occurrence, is resorts posting images of their premium services such as spas, open-air bars, which are pretty functional in images but might not exist at all, they might be under construction or even be straight lies.
The price of booking a spot at the resort is important. You might be looking for a cozy vacation chilling at the beach and coincidentally a decent resort might pop up but it’s two stars? Who cares! It fits your budget, right? Maybe it’s sort-of overpriced but it’s in the ballpark, right? Well, the service you might receive will convince you otherwise. The food must be carefully checked before consumption because the hygiene, as well as cooking methods for it, are in question when dealing with a two-star resort, the customer base is thin for these institutions and because of the low revenue they cut corners in their service- a possibility of bad ingredients and unhealthy practices is small in number but never zero. The resort management and staff might end up being rude or unprofessional or entirely skilled and up to your standard, it is a dice roll, to be honest.
In conclusion, resorts are a tricky business and when it comes to two-star resorts- trick you they will. There could be bad room service, amenities that fall short of being useful, decor that resembles a garage sale painting, and food that won’t make you sick but just might end up taking your appetite away for good. With careful consideration and proper precautions, you can surely manage a vacation on a budget and get away with it! Who knows? You might even end up at one of these unicorn progressing resorts that are a two-star for the namesake and well on their way to becoming something better, here’s to hoping you end up in a good spot- cheer! Have a good one.