The Unlisted Index™
One transparent score, out of 100, for every hotel in our selection. We don't charge for ratings or invent reviews: we research every hotel and label first-hand stays separately.
How a stay earns its score
Singularity
How rare and irreplaceable the place is.
Is there anything like it within an hour's drive? We look at the building's history, the concept and what can only be experienced there.
Scored out of 20.
Design
Architecture, interiors, and material honesty.
Architecture, interiors and materials: whether the hotel has an idea of its own, whether it fits the place and how well it is kept.
Scored out of 20.
Setting
Location, views, and sense of place.
Location, views and access: what is within walking distance, whether you need a car, how much noise there is and what surrounds it.
Scored out of 20.
Service
Care, anticipation, and warmth.
How you are looked after: anticipation, warmth, food and the ability to fix things. Recent guest reviews weigh most here.
Scored out of 20.
Soul
The intangible reason it stays with you.
What never appears on the list of facilities: atmosphere, character and the reason people go back.
Scored out of 20.
Example: how Hostal de la Gavina scored.
- Singularity18/20
- Design18/20
- Setting19/20
- Service19/20
- Soul18/20
How to read the score
The score is the sum of the five pillars, each out of 20. Only hotels that clear our bar make the selection, so published scores are high by definition: today they run from 80 to 97.
Within that range every point counts. Look at the breakdown too: two hotels with the same score can be very different if one stands out for its setting and the other for its service.
Where the information comes from
We cross-check each hotel's official site and current booking conditions, recent guest reviews and reliable editorial coverage. When an editor has stayed, the page says so with the ‘We slept here’ label; otherwise it is an editorial assessment.
Every hotel page shows the month it was last checked. Prices, policies and opening dates change, so always confirm them before you book.
Two tiers, always labelled
Every stay is either ‘Editor-vetted’ (assessed in depth from official sources, guest reviews and reporting) or marked ‘We slept here’ once an editor has actually stayed. We never blur the two.
We pay our own way
When we stay, we book and pay like any guest, so the score reflects the real experience — not VIP treatment.
We disclose everything
Affiliate links and any sponsored placement are labelled. The methodology is public and the score is never for sale.
Run a hotel that belongs on the Index?
Apply for an Unlisted Index review. We assess on merit — the score is editorial and can't be bought.
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