Editorial Policy

Our editorial mission

Browntravels exists to help readers understand what genuinely distinguishes the world's best hotels. Everything we publish is guided by a simple test: would this be useful and honest advice for someone deciding where to stay? Our editors' opinions cannot be bought, and no hotel can pay to change what we write about it.

How hotels are selected

Hotels appear on Browntravels on editorial merit. We look for properties that are genuinely exceptional in at least one dimension — service culture, architecture and design, dining, wellness, setting or sheer character — rather than simply expensive or well marketed.

We also aim for global balance. Our coverage deliberately spans regions, price points within luxury and styles of property, from grande-dame institutions to remote lodges, so the site reflects the breadth of the category rather than a handful of fashionable destinations. Paying for advertising, or declining to, has no bearing on whether a hotel is selected or how it is covered editorially.

Verified stays versus editorial research profiles

Not every profile on Browntravels is based on a stay, and we are explicit about the difference. A verified stay means a member of our editorial team has stayed at the property and assessed it first-hand. An editorial research profile means the write-up is based on rigorous desk research — expert sources, industry reporting, detailed property information and cross-referenced guest experiences — but not a stay by our team.

Each hotel page states which basis applies, so you always know how a profile was produced. Our Review Methodology page describes the full set of review bases in more detail.

How ratings are determined

Editorial scores on Browntravels run from 0 to 10 and are set by our editors, never by hotels. Each score reflects a structured assessment across six areas, weighed against the standards of the world's best properties rather than against local competition.

Scores are reviewed when a property changes materially — a renovation, a new restaurant, a change of management — so a number on the site reflects our current view, not a historical one.

• Service: consistency, warmth and judgement, from arrival to departure.
• Design: architecture, interiors and how well the physical property serves the experience.
• Dining: the quality and character of restaurants, bars and in-room dining.
• Wellness: spas, pools, fitness and the broader sense of restoration a property offers.
• Location: the setting itself and how well the hotel uses it.
• Value: what the property delivers relative to what it charges, judged within the luxury category.

Sponsored content and commercial separation

Browntravels carries advertising and partnership content, and we keep it visibly separate from editorial. Any placement that a hotel has paid for carries a clear on-page label such as 'Sponsored', positioned where you will see it before you read.

Commercial relationships never influence editorial scores, rankings or the substance of reviews. The editorial team works independently of partnerships, and our Partnership and Advertising Disclosure explains the commercial side of the site in full.

Corrections

We take accuracy seriously, and when we get something wrong we fix it openly. Anyone — reader, hotel or otherwise — can request a correction through our corrections page. Our Corrections Policy sets out how requests are handled, how quickly we aim to respond and how corrections are displayed with updated dates.