Why do ratings for hotels in China vary on the Internet?
Ratings on the Internet are inherently arbitrary, as there is no system of standardization in place. A review on one website might label a certain hotel as 3-star; another website might label the same hotel as 4-star. We go by the CNTA (China National Tourism Administration) star rating system, as this is a standardized system in place throughout China. Another factor to take into account when viewing Internet ratings is that hotels change ownership and management more frequently in China than they do in the US. Thus, a particular hotel may be in poor physical shape and poorly run and garner bad reviews, but in a matter of months new management renovates it and improves the quality of service, turning it into an excellent place to stay. CTT’s staff in China frequently visits the hotels we use to make sure they adhere to high standards. We base our choice of hotels both on our personal inspections and on the feedback we get from guests who stay in the hotels. Also, when you look at hote
