How We Verify
When we say a stay is "verified," we mean it has passed a multi-step screening and scoring process before it ever appears on the site. Here is exactly what that involves -- and, just as importantly, what it does not.
What "Verified" Means Here
Every property we publish has been pulled from authoritative sources, checked for valid and current information, scored against consistent criteria, and filtered so that only the stays that clear our bar make the cut. "Verified" is our shorthand for screened, scored, and curated -- not a casual label we attach to everything we find.
What It Does Not Mean
We want to be straight with you: we do not personally stay at or physically inspect every property. No directory at our scale honestly can. "Verified" here means a property passed our data and quality screening from trusted sources -- it does not mean a SiftStay employee slept there last week. We would rather tell you that plainly than imply a level of hands-on auditing we do not do.
The Process, Step by Step
- Discovery. We identify candidate properties in each city from authoritative sources, including the Google Places API and hotels' own websites.
- Enrichment. We gather details -- location, amenities, property attributes, and imagery -- from each property's official website and public data, then structure it consistently so listings can be compared fairly.
- Scoring. Each property earns a deterministic score across location, amenities, and quality signals. The same inputs always produce the same score -- there is no hidden "pay for placement."
- Quality gates. A property is excluded if it scores below our publishing threshold or lacks a usable photo. Imagery goes through an automated AI vision review that flags logos, promotional graphics, screenshots, maps, and other non-photographs; flagged images are removed and replaced with a verified photo where one is available, or the listing is hidden. Broken and placeholder images are dropped automatically.
- Positive curation. Only properties that clear every gate are published. If a stay would not pass, we simply do not list it -- so everything you see has already cleared the bar.
Our Scoring Tiers
Properties scoring below 80 do not appear on the site. We practice positive curation: if it is here, it passed.
Sources and Independence
Property data is drawn from the Google Places API, hotels' official websites, and other public sources. Our rankings are based solely on our scoring criteria -- we do not accept payment for placement or favorable treatment. We may earn an affiliate commission when you book through our links, at no extra cost to you, but that has no bearing on whether or how a property is scored or ranked.
Questions about our process? Get in touch, or read more about SiftStay.