§ The Method
Editorial Standards & Scoring
How we score.
Every stay in our index is independently visited and reviewed against the same ten criteria. Each is scored from one to ten, weighted, and combined into a final Holiday Score. We name a weakness in every review. Hosted stays are labelled. Sponsored content is never scored.
Last revised
Signed by the Editor-in-Chief
§ I · The Ten Criteria
Ten criteria. One verdict.
The Holiday Score is the weighted sum of ten editorial criteria, each scored from one (poor) to ten (best in class). Weights are fixed for every property to ensure scores are comparable across the index. The criteria, in weight order:
i.Rooms
The bedroom, bathroom, balcony, in-suite finishes, bedding, sound insulation. The quality of the place you sleep.
ii.Service
Anticipation, recovery, staff retention, the discreet quality of being looked after without performance.
iii.Design
Architecture, interior decisions, lighting, the coherence of taste across all rooms and public areas.
iv.Location
The setting itself; access to the place worth coming for; the immediate context the hotel sits within.
v.Food & Drink
Restaurants, bars, breakfast, room service, wine list, cocktails, the integration of food into the experience.
vi.Atmosphere
The mood, the music, the energy of the lobby and pool, who else is staying, and how it feels to be there.
vii.Wellness
Spa, treatment offering, gym, pool, classes — the wellbeing infrastructure where relevant to the property type.
viii.Value
What you receive against what you pay. Value is not low rate; value is the calibration between price and experience.
ix.Experience
The activities, excursions, programming and curation the hotel offers as part of the broader stay.
x.Return-worthiness
Would we, the reviewers, return — and if so, how soon. The single most decisive editorial question.
The maximum possible Holiday Score is 10.0. In practice, we have never awarded above 9.8 — and the highest score in the 2026 list (Aman Tokyo) is 9.6. Anything 8.5 and above is, in our view, worth booking with confidence.
§ II · How We Visit
Independent stays, always disclosed.
Every property in our index is reviewed by an editor who has stayed there. Most stays are paid for at standard rate by Holiday Reviews. A small number — fewer than 15% of reviews — are hosted. Every hosted stay is labelled as such on the review byline. Hosting does not affect the score.
Reviews are based on a minimum two-night stay. Editors do not announce themselves on arrival, and book under their own name through normal channels.
§ III · Editorial Standards
The standards we hold our reviews to.
Naming a Weakness
Every review names at least one weakness. This is a non-negotiable editorial requirement. A review that finds nothing to criticise is, by our standards, an incomplete review.
Signed Reviews
Every review is signed by a named editor. Anonymous editorial does not appear on this platform.
Re-Review Cadence
All properties in the index are re-reviewed every 24 months. Scores are updated. Properties that decline are de-listed, not silently downgraded.
Hosted Stays
Hosted stays appear with a visible HOSTED STAY label next to the byline. Hosted stays receive the same scoring methodology and the same weakness clause.
Sponsored Content
Sponsored guides are labelled clearly in the header. Sponsored content is never scored, never appears in the Holiday 100, and is editorially distinct from review work.
Corrections
Material errors are corrected within 48 hours. Corrections are logged publicly on our
corrections page and noted at the foot of any amended article.
Disclosures
All commercial relationships are disclosed on our
For Hotels page. Partner properties may appear in collections, but their score and ranking is unaffected by partnership status.
§ IV · The Editor-in-Chief's Note
A signed note.
"We started Holiday Reviews because the world did not need another booking site, another listicle, or another influencer in a robe. It needed a single, signed verdict. Every stay in this index has been visited by one of our editors. The Holiday Score is what is left when the noise is removed. If we ever publish a review that does not meet the standards on this page, you have permission to email me directly."
— the Editorial team · hello@holidayreviews.com.au
