Our Story
Independent Hotels & Stays journalism, research-led.
We exist because the Hotels & Stays's marketing copy and your actual experience are two very different documents. We're trying to close that gap — one researched, source-checked recommendation at a time.
§ 01 — Mission
Our Mission
Stay Shortlist was founded on a simple premise: a major decision deserves real scrutiny. Pricing should be verified, not assumed. Claims should be checked against the source, not repeated from a press release. Trade-offs should be spelled out, not glossed over.
We're a small, independent newsroom. We don't run banner ads from the brands we cover. We publish our methodology in full so you can audit our work.
§ 02 — Methodology
How we research
The Shortlist exists to end the twenty-item listicle: we cut each category to three to five stays and name the one to book. We don't stay overnight or fake a visit — we verify published fees, pet and cancellation policies, kitchen inventories, and shuttle hours, and stamp every price band with the date we checked it. Picks are ordered by fit for a real traveler need, and each links to more than one place to compare rates.
- 01
Source research
We start from official documentation, published pricing, and current terms — the primary sources, not the marketing page. Provider claims rarely survive a close read.
- 02
User-review analysis
We read across verified customer reviews to surface what real users report: the recurring strengths, the recurring complaints, and the deal-breakers.
- 03
Like-for-like comparison
We line each option up against three to five direct alternatives on the same criteria, so a recommendation always has a "compared to what."
- 04
Editorial review
A second editor checks every claim against its source before publication. When we cannot verify something, we label it an estimate.
§ 03 — Standards
Editorial standards
The five rules every story passes through before publication. No exceptions, no carve-outs, no “just this once.”
- We research every product independently from primary sources. Brands do not get review approval — ever.
- We disclose any relationship with a brand at the top of every article.
- We do not accept sponsored placements, paid rankings, or pay-to-play "best of" inclusions.
- Affiliate links never change a verdict. Our "Not Recommended" picks have affiliate links too — and we still tell you not to buy them.
- Corrections are dated, signed, and left visible at the bottom of the article. We do not stealth-edit.
Affiliate Disclosure
Some links on Stay Shortlist are affiliate links — we earn a commission when you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. This funds the research and the salaries of the people who do it. It does not change our verdicts. See our full methodology →
Contact
Got a tip? A question? A correction?
We read every email. Pitch a story, flag an issue, or just say hi.
hello@stayshortlist.com