In Spain a hotel can have one to five stars. The region where the hotel stands awards them, not the national government and not Booking. Each region sets out in a decree what every category needs: room size, reception hours, a lift or a bar. Some add a label above five stars, such as “Gran Lujo” in Andalusia or “Lujo” in Madrid.
Hostales and pensiones, Spain’s smaller guesthouses, have their own shorter scale. Below you’ll find what each level requires, with the real rules of Madrid and Andalusia as examples. You’ll also see how a category is requested and what you can improve to move up.
What hotel classification is
Hotel classification is a property’s official category. It is almost always shown in stars. It tells guests at a glance which minimum facilities and services they will find.
You don’t pick the category by eye. Your property gets the one its facilities qualify for, and the plaque at the entrance must show it.
How many stars a hotel can have
A hotel can have one to five stars. No Spanish region uses six or seven stars. What does exist is an extra label for some five-star hotels: “Gran Lujo” (grand luxury) in Andalusia and “Lujo” (luxury) in Madrid.
| Category | What it usually implies |
|---|---|
| 1 star | Basic, functional accommodation, minimal services |
| 2 stars | Slightly larger rooms and more comfort |
| 3 stars | Reception always staffed, a lift and a lounge |
| 4 stars | Larger rooms, reception and concierge staffed at all times |
| 5 stars | Luxury, personalised attention and a full range of services |
| Gran Lujo | Five stars with an extra label granted by the region |
In Andalusia, a five-star hotel earns “Gran Lujo” if it reaches the score set in a separate annex of the decree. In Madrid, the regional tourism directorate may grant “Lujo” to a five-star hotel for the quality of its facilities and services.
Requirements by star rating: the Madrid example
Every region asks for different things, so there is no single table for all of Spain. Madrid is a useful example because its decree is recent, from 2023, and gives clear figures.
| Category | Double room | Single room | Reception |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 stars | 17 m² | 10 m² | Reception and concierge, always staffed |
| 4 stars | 16 m² | 9 m² | Reception and concierge, always staffed |
| 3 stars | 15 m² | 8 m² | Reception always staffed |
| 2 stars | 14 m² | 7 m² | Reception |
| 1 star | 12 m² | 7 m² | Reception |
Other requirements change with the category:
- Lift. It is required from three to five stars. With one or two stars, only if the hotel has three or more floors, counting the basement.
- Bar and lounges. A five-star hotel needs its own bar and lounges. A three-star hotel needs a lounge and a bar, which can be outsourced.
- Wi-Fi. It is required in every category, free and throughout the building.
Andalusia works differently: with points. The hotel meets a set of fixed minimums and adds points with requirements it chooses. The total decides the stars. On top of that, each water or energy saving measure adds 5 points, up to 20.
Who awards hotel stars in Spain
The autonomous community awards the stars. Tourism is a regional power in Spain, so there is no national standard. A three-star hotel in Seville and one in Madrid meet different lists.
The process starts with you. You file a declaración responsable, a sworn statement to your region’s tourism authority saying you meet the requirements of the category you request.
- In Madrid, filing the statement gives you the category straight away. Inspectors can check it afterwards.
- In Andalusia, the statement includes the points tables you fill in yourself, which form part of it.
If you stop meeting the requirements, the region can open proceedings against you. Check the decree whenever you renovate or drop a service.
Hostales and pensiones: a separate scale
Hostales and pensiones are not hotels. They offer fewer services and have their own, shorter star scale:
| Region | Hostales | Pensiones |
|---|---|---|
| Madrid | 1 to 3 stars, silver | 1 to 3 stars, silver |
| Andalusia | 1 or 2 stars | Single category |
In Madrid, a hostal is a pensión with more than 20 beds and at least 10 rooms. Its plaque shows silver stars; hotels get gold ones. Casas de huéspedes (boarding houses) have no category.
Whatever its category, every property must send the traveller report for each guest. A single-category pensión has the same duty as a five-star hotel.
How to move up a category
Moving up doesn’t always mean major building work. Start with your region’s decree and compare, point by point, what you meet with what the next category asks for.
1. Measure the gap against the decree
List what you’re missing: room size, reception hours, a lift, a bar. Some gaps can’t be fixed without building work, like room size. Others can, like longer reception hours or, in Andalusia, extra points from water saving measures.
2. Align your services with expectations
Check what guests expect from your category and the next one. Often the jump comes from specific services, such as longer reception hours, a better breakfast or staff who speak several languages.
3. Digitise arrival and departure
An online check-in avoids queues on arrival. A smooth check-out removes paperwork at departure. Neither earns stars on its own, but both improve reviews without adding staff.
4. Invest in sustainability
Energy efficiency and water saving cut costs. In Andalusia they also add points towards your category.
5. Train the team
Facilities set the minimum. The team’s service is what guests remember and what keeps review scores up.
Classification, guest experience and online reputation
Guests book for the stars, but they come back and recommend you for how you treat them. Look after the whole journey: from a well-built hotel listing that honestly reflects your category, to a departure that ends in positive reviews on Booking.
The review score works as a second classification. Travellers compare the official stars with the average score before deciding.
How digitisation helps you live up to your category
Paperwork is where friction piles up when it’s done on paper. That includes the traveller register and the report to the authorities.
In Spain, every property must send each guest’s report to SES.Hospedajes (Royal Decree 933/2021). If you host as a business, as every hotel, hostal or pensión does, you also keep the traveller register and store the data for three years. Non-professional hosts only send the report. Digitising that process frees up the front desk and removes queues on arrival.
Frequently asked questions
How many stars can a hotel have? One to five. Some regions give an extra label to certain five-star hotels: “Gran Lujo” in Andalusia and “Lujo” in Madrid. There are no official six or seven-star hotels in Spain.
Who awards the stars to a hotel in Spain? The autonomous community where the hotel stands. The owner files a sworn statement with the tourism authority, and the region can inspect later to check it.
How are hotels classified by stars? Each region sets the minimum requirements for every category in a decree: room size, reception, lift, bar or lounges. Madrid uses a list of minimums per category. Andalusia adds up points: the mandatory and optional requirements together decide the stars.
What does a 3-star hotel need? It depends on the region. In Madrid, a three-star hotel needs 15 m² double rooms, 8 m² single rooms, a reception that is always staffed, a lift, a lounge and a bar. Check your region’s decree before applying.
Does classification affect the price? Yes. The category is one of the first price signals for travellers and sales channels. Many OTAs let guests filter by stars.
Details and sources
- Madrid: Decreto 19/2023, de 15 de marzo, on the regulation of hotel establishments (BOCM no. 69, 22 March 2023). Groups, categories and the “Lujo” label: article 4. Sworn statement and classification: article 11. Requirements from five stars to one: articles 22 to 26. Free Wi-Fi: article 40. Plaque and star colours: annex.
- Andalusia: Decreto-ley 13/2020, de 18 de mayo, consolidated text published by the Junta de Andalucía. Categories and “Gran Lujo”: article 9. Points system: article 12. Points for water and energy saving: article 12 bis.
- Traveller register: Real Decreto 933/2021. Three-year retention: article 5.3. Non-professional hosting is exempt from the register and retention, not from reporting: article 5.4.
- Checked on 13 October 2026. Other regions have their own decree: check yours on its tourism website.