This page explains how we choose hotels, whether we have stayed at each one, our affiliate relationships, and how affiliate revenue does and does not affect rankings.
How we choose hotels.
We consider location relative to the pier and beach (walk times in minutes), price transparency across seasons, sea-view honesty, dog-policy specifics, spa detail where applicable, room-type variety, and real guest reviews aggregated from Booking.com and Tripadvisor. Editorial rankings are set independently of affiliate commission rates.
Have we stayed there?
Every review discloses on the page whether the editor has stayed at the hotel, visited on a walkthrough, or reviewed on verified sources (Booking.com and Tripadvisor aggregates, hotel press materials, trusted local sources). Stayed-at reviews carry a first-hand badge. Verified reviews carry a verified-sources badge and note the sources.
How we make money.
Affiliate commission on Booking.com Partner Program (primary), Hotels.com / Expedia via EGAP (secondary), Sykes Holiday Cottages via Awin (self-catering pages), and LateRooms via Awin (last-minute intent). No cost to the reader; we earn a small percentage of what the OTA earns on the room night. We do not accept sponsored posts, paid rankings, or display advertising in year one.
What we do not do.
- No paid rankings.
- No sponsored posts in year one.
- No display advertising.
- No affiliate-first ordering (rankings do not change with commission rate).
- No AI-generated hotel photos (misleading), no AI-generated Bournemouth Pier (locals notice).