From luxury properties to boutique hotels to hostels, there are always star ratings associated with hotels in Bali, Indonesia and the wider world. But what do they really mean? And can you rely on them to guide your hotel bookings for your holiday?
We asked our team to dig deep and find out exactly what the ratings mean here on the island, so that you can book your next hotel stay with confidence.
What Hotel Rating Systems Are There In Bali?
There are five main rating criteria for hotels that are widely used in Indonesia, and they are:
- Star Ratings – these are typically given from 1 star to 5 stars and are meant to be based on the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism’s standards. They are meant to reflect an assessment of physical facilities, amenities, service quality, etc. However, they may not be as accurate as they intended to be and are often best used as a guide that is combined with other rating systems (like those listed below) to get the most realistic picture of a property.
- Travel Agency Ratings – some places may also refer to their Booking.com, Tripadvisor, Agoda, etc. ratings. These are usually a reflection of the scores given to the property by guests who have stayed in the property. These rankings are usually on a scale from 1 to 10. Because grade inflation is very common in customer reviews, an 8 or more on these scales tends to indicate a good property, and 9.5+ is excellent.
- Forbes Travel Guide – this is an independent guide that reviews luxury properties such as hotels, resorts, and villas. It has only three grades: 5-star, 4-star and “recommended”.
- PROPER (Program Penilaian Peringkat Kinerja Preusahaan) – this is an Indonesian government standard that is focused on assessing the eco-friendliness of a venue based on compliance with a standard. Properties graded “red” have failed to comply with the standard and are considered to be currently unsustainable.
- Michelin Guide – while the Michelin Guide does not assess restaurants in Indonesia (which is why Bali has no Michelin-starred restaurants, even though many of the best restaurants on the island have chefs with Michelin stars from other countries), it has recently started to review hotels, and some properties in Bali have won Michelin Keys. The Key system ranks hotels from 1 key to 3 keys. There are only 22 Michelin key recipients in Bali in 2026.
How Does The Star Rating System Work In Indonesia?
Without a doubt the most common hotel rating system here in Bali is the star rating system. The ratings are each built around fulfiling a series of expectations regarding both the room and the wider facilities at any given property.
A star rating is dependent on fulfiling nearly all of the criteria at any given level:
- 1-star – a 1-star rating is given to any hotel, villa, etc. that fails to provide any of the other star levels expected amenities.
- 2-star – 2-star hotels are expected to have most of the following: private bathrooms, air-conditioning, heating, TV, daily housekeeping, an on-site restaurant, a gym, 24/7 reception, some security cameras, a limited laundry service, and limited accessibility features.
- 3-star – these hotels are expected to deliver everything at the 2-star level and most of the following in addition: a minibar, swimming pool, room service, good security camera coverage, a ful laundry service, an elevator, some accessibility features, limited business facilities and meeting rooms, as well as basic but considered decor and design.
- 4-star – these places are expected to build on the 3-star rating and have a concierge service, spa, fully business facilities and meeting rooms, as well as upscale decor and design
- 5-star – the top tier of star awards is expected to build on the 4-star platform with upscale decor and design, higher levels of personalised services, exclusive amenities such as private pools, fine dining and food, shops, etc., a higher level of staff to guests, premium room features as well as a higher standard of privacy.
Tourists should understand that these star ratings are mainly self-awarded though they may be required to reduce these ratings after a visit from the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism’s inspectors. We don’t have any insight into their budget or how often they can reasonably check things like the service quality of any given property.
If a star rating has been awarded by an international body (and some hotel chains are audited by such bodies so that they can ensure consistency whether you’re staying in Ubud in Bali, or in Japan, Europe or America) then there may be an offsite review of the website, then an official inspection, followed by a ratings assignment and then they will be subject to ongoing evaluations and if, for example, the service quality slips then they may be downgraded.
How Do Travel Agency Ratings Work In Indonesia?
Travel agency ratings are based on reviews left by guests. At least, that’s true in theory. While some travel agents like Booking.com only allow for reviews by guests who used their service and are confirmed to have stayed in a hotel, others, like TripAdvisor or Google, allow for an open review system.
The open systems are meant to encourage people to leave reviews where they feel most comfortable to do so, but the relaxed criteria mean that the “romantic getaway” the reviewer claims to have been on, is in fact a fantasy provided to help boost the hotel’s grades.
There is also a genuine issue with “grade inflation”. As with all systems open to the public to leave their input, there is a tendency for people to leave top marks for everything. So, reviews based ranking systems need to show high ratings in order for them to be trustworthy.
8.0/10 is a minimum score to be considered “good” in most locations and 9.5/10 is “excellent” but it’s always making sure that it’s real guests who are leaving reviews and that there have been enough guests for the reviews to make up accurate ratings of the property.
There’s a big difference between a hotel with an average rating of 9.5 that’s only had three guests rate their suites, compared to another with the same rating that has had hundreds or thousands of ratings from their guests. The hospitality of the latter property is almost guaranteed to be excellent.
Notes On The Forbes And Michelin Guide Systems
The Forbes and Michelin Guide ratings, rather like our own on this website, are derived from professional reviewers visiting the properties in question and then presenting their opinion as a rating number.
We aren’t privy to exactly how many hotels they visit that don’t make the grade at all, as neither system incorporates 1 or 2 star properties and in the case of Michelin, the objective is to identify the very best of the best, at a grade above other review systems. All of the Michelin list is essentially 5-star properties but there are many other 5-star properties in Bali that didn’t make the Michelin list.
In general, if your tastes align with either guide’s reviewers’ tastes, you’re going to be fairly happy with trusting the ratings. With the proviso that these ratings are a snapshot in time and can’t capture any significant changes until the next visit. So, it’s best to use these ratings in conjunction with current reviews from customers.
About The PROPER Rating System
This initiative is not well-publicised and you’re going to have to hunt around to find out if a hotel is “red-listed” or not.
While we respect the Indonesian government’s commitment to eco-friendly travel, it’s hard to use a rating system to accurately gauge this commitment when there’s no easy access to PROPER grades for hotels.
If you do discover that a hotel is “red listed”, you might choose not to book if sustainability is important to you, but you might decide if eco-friendliness isn’t a priority to you, to book anyway as a PROPER grade bears no reflection of the quality of the experience offered by the property.
FAQs
Is A 2-Star Or 3-Star Hotel Better?
In general, a 3-star hotel is usually better than a 2-star. However, because a star rating is an assessment of amenities, it is possible for a 2-star hotel to provide a better service quality or individual aspects of the stay than a 3-star hotel does.
We’d always use the star rating as a guideline rather than something set in stone. We find user reviews to be as useful in choosing a property as the star rating.
What Makes A Hotel 5-Star Vs 4-Star?
A 5-star hotel and 4-star hotel have very similar amenities but the 5-star will be more luxurious than a 4-star, in general, and offer a more tailored system of service for their guests.
However, we’ve stayed in 4-star hotels that absolutely punch above their weight and which are on a par with some of the island’s 5-star hotels.
And we’ve stayed in the occasionally disappointing 5-star which probably needs to drop down a star rating.
What Is The Hotel Rating System?
There is no universal hotel rating system, if you scroll up, you’ll see that there are 5 systems used to rate hotels in Bali and that none of them are infallible in this respect.
What Are The Top Hotels In Bali?
We’re still conducting reviews of the hotels in Bali, so it’s too early to provide a concrete answer to this question but some of the very best would include: Mandapa, A Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Ubud, Amankila in Manggis, Raffles Bali in Jimbaran, COMO Shambala Estate, Chapung se Bali, Lost Lindenberg, Amandari, Viceroy Bali, Bisma Eight, Nirjhara, Blue Karma Village, Capella Ubud, Soori Bali, The Purist Villas & Spa, REVIVO Wellness Resort Nusa Dua, Jimbaran Puri – A Belmond Hotel, Samsara Ubud, The Legian Seminyak, Bvlgari Resort Bali, Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay, and Four Seasons Sayan.
What Is The Nicest Part Of Bali To Stay In?
It very much depends on what you want from your holiday. Nusa Dua and Sanur are both very popular with families who intend to spend most of their time staying in the resort and enjoying the beach nearby. Canggu is the most varied and exciting part of the island and, by far, the most popular. Ubud’s central location means no beaches, but a very different vibe and so on…
Where Do Most Aussies Stay In Bali?
Most Australians who visit Bali will stay on the South Coast of Bali in places like Canggu, Seminyak, Kuta, Jimbaran, Legian, Uluwatu. But you’ll find plenty of Aussies everywhere on the island. They are the largest single group of international visitors here.
Is $1,000 Enough For A Week In Bali?
Firstly, it depends on the currency we’re talking about. $1,000 USD is more than enough to stay in a mid-range hotel and eat out every day and enjoy some days out.
$1,000 AUD is a bit tighter, but with careful budgeting, it’s certainly possible to have a good week in Bali assuming that your flights are not included in that figure.
But if you’re talking Zimbabwe Dollars? $1000 is probably not going to cut the mustard.
Final Thoughts On The Hotel Rating System, Bali
Hotel rating systems can be useful, but we’d recommend combining the ratings with the user review scores on sites like Agoda and Booking.com. These scores are relatively trustworthy as the sites require guests to have booked and paid for a stay at that property before they can leave a review.
The more data you have before you book, the easier it is to make an informed decision. Star ratings don’t always accurately reflect anything beyond the decor and amenities and things like service quality may be better or worse than expected.
You may also find our guide on how to get a hotel room upgrade or on the minimum age to rent a hotel room in Bali, useful.
