This is a well known, prestigious and very reliable guide which certainly does not sell entries. So its a genuine competition among chefs etc to get in. I like the way that a restaurant can drop out if performance dips and has to work hard to get back in again. Restauranteurs obviously take great pride in getting even one star. We buy a copy most years. If a hotel/restaurant doesn't appear in the guide, however well recommended by friends or the media, we are reluctant to go there. My only (mild)complaint is that the guide relies almost entirely on little symbols to describle what is on offer so it is without pictures or much general description.