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. Still, Mobil does give some detailed guidance to the well-dressed army of travel critics it sends out each year to review anonymously some 22,000 candidate properties. Everything from how their car is handled to how their reservation is handled to how their shoes are shined. And when a property is being added to the list or taken off the list, it is visited more than once, even more than twice.
Signage is visible and free from chips and fading.
The public areas overall present a level of elegance and exude excellence. Staff use service elevators only. The quality of furnishings and decor is high, custom designed, 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.