And that, apparently, is what makes the five-star difference, according to Mobil, the oil company that has been rating hotels and restaurants since early in the automobile age. Like pornography, five-star quality is hard to define, but you know it when you see it. Everything from how their car is handled to how their reservation is handled to how their shoes are shined. Signage is visible and free from chips and fading. The public areas overall present a level of elegance and exude excellence.
Staff uses service elevators only.
The quality of furnishings and decor is high, custom designe, and congruent with the establishment overall. There used to be alligators in the fountains of the Jefferson lobby. The first pair was abandoned by some early-century guests returning from Florida, and reptiles lounging around the Palm Court became a tradition that lasted almost 50 years. There aren't any gators here now . . . nor any fountains, for that matter . . . It's a high, colored space under stained glass, a sort of cathedral canopy over a towering full-size statue of Thomas Jefferson.