Who decides how many stars a hotel gets?

For any given hotel, who decides how many stars they get? Is there a way to contribute to the rating process? What about reviews at websites like Fodor's?

Unfortunately, there's no 'standard' that every guide/site/etc. uses -- each publication ranks properties however they see fit. So, theoretically, one organization may rank a hotel as a 5-star, but a different company may rank the same hotel as a 4-star, depending on their own system.

However, you'll find that most companies use the following when determing how to rank a hotel:

1 star = Economy

2 stars = Value

3 stars = Quality

4 stars = Superior

5 stars = Exceptional

Check this link over at Wikipedia for a good rundown of the ratings:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_%28classification%29#General_meaning_of_hotel_rating_by_stars

no, clubs like AAA decide