What do all those stars really mean?

Rating systems for hotels can be confusing, unless you stick to one system and learn its parameters. But then individual properties can muck up the works by basically claiming to be whatever number of stars they want, this globeandmail.com article points out. The U.S. doesn't have a government-run ranking system, but some countries do. France apparently has a particularly complex one. But at least it does consider accessibility. (Photo by Darren Hester via morgueFile.com)