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What is the difference between 一流 and 五つ星 in the context of hotel
classification?

They both mean "5-Star" or "Luxury" but is there a subtle nuance that
differentiates them for native Japanese speakers?
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2014-01-21T23:09:58.910
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2014-01-21T23:55:50.453
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question
word-choice
The difference between 一流　and　五つ星 in hotel classification
As in English, `５つ星` gives a feeling of a more objective assessment (as in
awarded by an independent and normalized entity), while `一流` is as subjective
as "high-end" can be. Said otherwise, `５つ星` sounds more "it is said that / TV
or magazine / everybody around me said that it is that good", while `一流`
sounds more "I think / feel / had the experience that it is that good".

As for the stars though, I'm no expert but there are several (private)
entities delivering stars on their own criteria, and it seems everything
called "5-star" hasn't necessarily been awarded them by one such entity...

As a general rule though, only the very best hotels are likely to be referred
to as `５つ星`, while pretty much anything could be referred to as `一流`,
especially `一流` is also more likely to be used by the institution itself.
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2014-01-21T23:55:50.453
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2014-01-21T23:55:50.453
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