Book excerpt: The Mobil Travel Guide star ratings are a 45-year-old consumer advocacy concept originally developed following the introduction of the interstate highway system. The goal of the Guide is not to identify and rate every property in the country, but to recommend only the best in each category, ones that we would send our customers to. We look at the stars from a consumer's point of view, rating lodgings and restaurants across North America from the perspective of the average traveler.The Guides feature new enhanced descriptions for 2004. Listings include lodgings, restaurants, attractions, and events in established travel destinations, as well as cities and towns on the way to established travel destinations. Our new easy-to-use format makes the Guides even more indispensable to travelers. Each regional guide is organized alphabetically by state, with introductory information about the state followed by city listings in alphabetical order. For each city, the guide lists sites and attractions, lodgings, and then restaurants. One of the features that sets the Mobil Travel Guide apart from its competitors is its proprietary Mobil star rating system. Forty-five plus years of publishing experience and the oldest non-biased rating system in North America make the Mobil Travel Guide series a must-have for travelers wanting up-to-date ratings of hotels and restaurants.