French hotels polish up their star ratings

PARIS: France, the world's top tourism destination, is polishing up its hotel star ratings and introducing a new luxury five-star category to help travelers know what to expect.

The new rating criteria will apply to 18,000 hotels across France, many of which are showing off stars awarded under the previous ranking system that dates back to 1986.

The upgraded star system went into force at the weekend when details were published in the government gazette.