Editorial standards

What money buys, and what it doesn't.

We take advertising. We also publish a directory people rely on to decide where to go, so the line between the two has to be visible and fixed. This page is that line, written down, so advertisers know it before they ask and readers know it without having to.

What advertising buys

  • Display placement in a labelled slot
  • A named sponsorship on a city page
  • A newsletter unit
  • A sponsored guide, written by our editorial team and labelled Sponsored
  • A distinct, labelled pin on the map

What it never buys

  • A verification badge
  • A last-checked date, or a fresher one
  • Inclusion in an editorial selection or a “best of”
  • Removal of a factual correction
  • Removal of a closure report
  • Suppression of another venue
  • A listing tier without the human claim verification step
  • Any influence over our secrecy policy

How paid content is labelled

Every sponsored unit carries a visible Sponsored or Featured label at the top, in the same visual weight as the surrounding type. Not a footer line. Not a tooltip. Every advertiser link carries rel="sponsored".

Sponsored guides are excluded from editorial selections and from any “best of” roundup. An advertiser approves their own brand mentions and nothing else — they do not get approval over factual content, and that is in the terms.

Editorial independence

Our editorial picks are made by the editorial team and are never for sale. If a venue we have recommended becomes an advertiser, the recommendation does not get louder. If an advertiser closes, their listing says so on the same day as anyone else’s.

If you think something on this site reads like it was bought, tell us. That is a correction and we will answer it.

Send a correction