Useful before pretty
Writing serves decisions first. Elegance comes from clarity, not ornament.
How we write
Editorial principles for every hotel page we publish.
GoHotelly pages follow the same voice, structure and standards whether the hotel has four rooms or four hundred. These are the rules our editors, writers and partner contributors follow.
Content principles
What every GoHotelly page should feel like.
Before a page is published, it should pass these four checks.
Specific over generic
"A short walk to the market" beats "perfectly located". Distances and details win.
Voice over volume
One honest paragraph beats three marketing ones. We cut before we add.
Independent stance
Copy is written from the traveler's side, not the hotel's marketing team's side.
Accuracy & clarity
A claim earns its place or it comes out.
Every factual statement on a hotel page — facilities, check-in times, distances, inclusions — is traceable to a verifiable source. If it can't be verified, we leave it out rather than hedge.
Hotel information standards
What belongs on a hotel page — and in what tone.
These rules apply to every hotel module: hero, facilities, rooms, neighborhood, and beyond.
Structured copy
Short sentences. Concrete nouns. A reader should be able to skim and still leave informed.
No superlatives for their own sake
"World-class", "luxurious", "unbeatable" earn their place only with a concrete reason behind them.
Neighborhood realism
We describe the street and the feel, including noise or quiet, not just nearby landmarks.
Photo honesty
Images must represent the current property. No stock fillers, no unrelated destination photos.
Review & insight presentation
How we translate review data into insight.
When we summarize reviews for a page, these are the rules we apply.
Patterns, not outliers
A single five-star or one-star review is anecdote. A pattern across dozens is a signal worth surfacing.
Drawbacks stay in
We don't soften real drawbacks to make hotels look better. Both sides of the pattern are shown.
Recency weighted
Summaries weight recent reviews more heavily so a renovated or newly-managed hotel is presented fairly.