Our Grading Criteria
We evaluate boutique hotels based on design, usability, booking experience, mobile optimisation, and storytelling to ensure they create an exceptional first impression online.




1
Website Design & Aesthetics (20%)
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Visual appeal and branding consistency
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Modern, clean, and high-quality layout
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Professional photography usage
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Ease of reading (fonts, colour contrast, spacing)
Scoring:
1 – Outdated design, cluttered, no branding
2 – Basic design with minimal branding
3 – Average, standard template with minor customisation
4 – Attractive design with clear branding
5 – Exceptional, visually stunning, aligned with hotel identity
2
Navigation & Information Accessibility (20%)
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Menu clarity and logical structure
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Key information (rooms, pricing, amenities, contact) easy to find
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Minimal clicks to reach booking page
Scoring:
1 – Confusing navigation, broken links
2 – Poor structure, takes effort to find information
3 – Acceptable but not intuitive
4 – Clear and user-friendly navigation
5 – Effortless, intuitive, and logical navigation
3
Booking Experience & Functionality
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Ease and speed of booking process
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Transparent pricing with no hidden steps
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Integrated real-time availability
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Secure, professional booking engine
Scoring:
1 – No direct booking, only phone/email
2 – Booking system clunky or redirects to external unbranded site
3 – Functional but lacks smoothness or clarity
4 – Smooth, professional, clear process
5 – Seamless, fast, and user-centric booking flow
4
Mobile Optimisation (20%)
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Fully responsive design on smartphones and tablets
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Booking process accessible and easy on mobile
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Fast loading times
Scoring:
1 – Not mobile-friendly
2 – Partially responsive, poor usability
3 – Adequate but slow or cluttered
4 – Good responsiveness, minor issues
5 – Fully optimised, fast, and intuitive mobile UX
5
Content Quality & Storytelling (20%)
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Clear, engaging descriptions that reflect the brand personality
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Highlights unique selling points authentically
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Effective use of storytelling to attract guests
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Consistent tone across pages
Scoring:
1 – Generic, uninspiring text
2 – Some details but lacks uniqueness
3 – Informative but basic
4 – Strong brand voice and storytelling
5 – Compelling, emotive storytelling that captivates
