I. Subscription
 What do I get
when I subscribe to STAR Service Online?
How much does
it cost to subscribe?
I have
registered and sent in my payment. How can I check on the status of my account?
Where can I find a copy of the Subscription Agreement for STAR Service Online?
What is the Subscriber Advantage Plan? How do I sign up to be a part of it?
II. Using the Site
I am a
subscriber. How do I sign in to read the reviews?
The
administrator of our STAR Service Online account has changed. How do I change
his/her password?
I forgot my
password and cannot get into the reviews.
I cannot log
in to read the reviews.
I can’t find a
hotel I’m looking for.
I can’t find a
ship I’m looking for.
I can view
only a few lines on the search results window and keep having to scroll down.
What can I do to improve the display?
III. Content
What do the
star classifications mean?
How do you
decide which hotels are designated as SUPER STARS?
IV. Contact Us
How do I send
you feedback about the site?
I’d rather
talk to a living, breathing human being.
I. Subscription
Q. What do I get when I subscribe to STAR Service Online?
A. STAR Service Online gives you direct access to highly critical
reviews of some 10,000 hotels and 250 cruise ships worldwide. Our
correspondents inspect the properties and then provide in-depth reviews that
assess the quality of the property, its amenities and its value. .
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Q. How much does it cost to subscribe?
A. The cost of a subscription is based on how many users you have.
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Q. I have registered and sent in my payment. How can I check on
the status of my account?
A. If you mailed in a check, credit card number or bank draft, please
allow 10 business days for your payment to be processed. If you have not
received an e-mail from us after 10 days, call our Customer Service department
at 888-238-0043 (US) or 336-714-3164 (outside the US).
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Q. Where can I find a copy of the Subscription Agreement for STAR Service Online?
A. Click here to review the Subscription Agreement for STAR Service Online.
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Q. What is the Subscriber Advantage Plan? How do I sign up to be a part of it?
A. The Subscriber Advantage Plan allows uninterrupted access to www.starserviceonline.com for subscriptions renewed by credit card. Click here for more
Information or call our Customer Service department at 888-238-0043 (toll-free).
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II. Using the Site
Q. I am a subscriber. How do I sign in to read the reviews?
A. You will be prompted to log in when you attempt to access any of the
subscriber-only areas of STAR Service Online. Once you have logged in at one
computer, you will not need to log in at the same computer again as long as
your subscription is current.
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Q. The administrator of our STAR Service Online account has
changed. How do I change his/her password?
A. To change the administration information, including the password, you
will need to be signed on as the administrator. If you do not have the current
administrator’s password, please call Customer Service at 888-238-0043 (US) or 336-714-3164 (outside the US) to have this information changed.
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Q. I forgot my password and cannot get into the reviews.
A. Click on the Login button on the navigation bar at the top of any
page and click on Forgot Password. We’ll send you an e-mail with a reminder.
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Q. I cannot log in to read the reviews.
A. Please confirm with your account administrator that your account is
current. If the account needs to be renewed, please call Customer Service at 888-238-0043 (US) or 336-714-3164 (outside the US). Each User ID is designed for use by one person and
concurrent use of the same ID is not permitted. You may purchase additional
User IDs from Customer Service for a nominal fee, if necessary.
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Q. I can’t find a hotel I’m looking for.
A. If you typed in the hotel name, try using just one word in the name
and exclude the word "hotel" and "the." Also, try searching for the hotel by
destination.
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Q. I can’t find a ship I’m looking for.
A. The best way to search for a ship is to select the ship name from the
Ship Name drop-down list. If your ship is not listed, please
e-mail the editor for the ship to be considered for inclusion.
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Q. I can view only a few lines on the search results windows and
keep having to scroll down. What can I do to improve the display?
A. STAR Service Online is best viewed with the display resolution
setting of 1024 x 768. You may change your settings by going to Control Panel,
Display.
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III. Content
Q. What do the star classifications mean?
A. Properties in STAR Service are classified from one to five stars
based on the personal inspection and assessment of our correspondents. This
classification is unique to STAR Service and does not correspond to any of the
numerous-and inconsistent-classification and rating systems used in the travel
industry. As STAR Service neither accepts advertising nor charges hotels for
inclusion in the book, it remains entirely impartial, and the classifications
reflect the objective criteria that all our correspondents use when
evaluating hotels.
The classifications are based on the hotel''s character and its range of
facilities, amenities and services. The classifications—that
is, the number of stars assigned—
are not an evaluation of quality. They serve only as
guidelines for categorizing the hotels according to their type and the breadth
of their offerings. Those within each category are required to meet a specific
number of the criteria set for the category, and these criteria vary relative
to the location and type of property. For example, a pool is essential for a
three-star resort in Palm Springs but an option in a five-star hotel in London.
The classifications are no substitute for reading the individual reviews, for it
is only within the reviews themselves that you can ascertain how good or bad a
property is.
A property offering the widest range of public areas and the greatest variety
of services. A five-star hotel will customarily have a multilingual staff and a
high staff-to-guest ratio, luxurious public rooms and accommodations, refined
decor and appointments, at least one restaurant, one lounge, some meeting
space, suites or other multiroom accommodations, and round-the-clock room
service.
An above-average property, usually one of the better ones that attract
conventions and families but do not provide the personalized attention, plush
appointments, or fine detailing of a five-star hotel. Public rooms and
accommodations are likely to be either more commercial in tone or more limited
in scope than their five-star equivalents.
A middle-grade property with standard facilities, amenities, and guest
quarters. These are generally commercial or transient hotels, or inns with few
offerings. Restaurants are not always on the premises of the hotels, but food
service of some sort is available. The guest quarters typically have private
baths.
A budget operation with limited facilities and services. Public areas may be
limited to a reception desk; TVs, phones, and private baths may be lacking; and
service is likely to be minimal.
As a rule, one-star properties are not reviewed in STAR Service. Those that are
included generally represent the best available accommodations in a given area.
Facilities tend to be spartan and service minimal.
NOTE: Accommodations in three- to five-star properties provide phones, cable
or satellite TVs with remote controls, one or two double, king or queen beds,
and private baths with showers, tubs or both unless otherwise noted.
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Q. How do you decide which hotels are designated as SUPER STARS?
A. SUPER STARS are those properties that, in the judgment of our
correspondents, are warranted to be truly outstanding. They are so
designated regardless of their classification (that is, the number of stars
they have), but they all demonstrate a level of excellence that greatly exceeds
that of most properties sharing the same classification. Few in number, SUPER
STARS all have something extraordinary to offer.
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IV. Contact Us
Q. How do I send you feedback about the site?
A. Contact us using this e-mail
form.
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Q. I’d rather talk to a living, breathing human being. How can I
do that?
A. Please call our Customer Service department at 888-238-0043 (US) or 336-714-3164 (outside the US). A customer service representative will be available from 9:00 am
to 5:00 pm Eastern Standard Time.
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