Five-star hotels are luxurious properties catering to those searching for an over-the-top experience. Most business travelers and celebrities visit these properties on a luxury vacation or business trip. Five-star deluxe hotels, on the other hand, are for royalty and billionaires, people for whom money is no object.

A 5-star deluxe hotel is a category that goes beyond the standard luxury of a 5-star rating, often catering to "ultra-high-net-worth" individuals where service is deeply personalized. While a standard 5-star hotel offers high-end amenities and 24-hour service, a deluxe property often provides a 1:1 staff-to-guest ratio, private butlers, and "ultra-premium" features like Rolls-Royce airport transfers or gold-leaf interior finishes. These hotels are sometimes unofficially referred to as "6-star" or "7-star" properties, such as the Burj Al Arab in Dubai. In a 5-star deluxe hotel, the staff usually researches guests' preferences before they arrive, ensuring that everything from the pillow firmness to the brand of bottled water is tailored specifically to the individual's history and tastes.