Information for Hotel Owners
This page provides information for hotel owners who are interested in buying advertising or getting reviewed on Darn Good Digs.
Getting Reviewed on Darn Good Digs
• How do I get my hotel reviewed on Darn Good Digs?
• Can hotels pay to be reviewed?
• How long does the review process take?
• Can owners nominate their own hotel?
• Why do you only review independently and locally owned hotels?
Advertising on Darn Good Digs - Go Staight to Advertising Request Form
• How do I advertise on Darn Good Digs?
• How much does it cost to advertise?
• Can I still get reviewed on Darn Good Digs if I buy an advertisement?
• Why would I want to buy an ad if I can get just get reviewed for free?
Getting Included on Darn Good Digs
How do I get my hotel reviewed on Darn Good Digs?
In order to get reviewed on Darn Good Digs, a hotel must be nominated by a traveler as one of their all-time favorite places to stay. Then our editors must select it from our list of nominations based on our selection criteria.
Can hotels pay to be reviewed?
No. As much as hotels have asked us, hotels cannot pay to be reviewed on our website. That goes against the entire purpose of Darn Good Digs. We want 100% editorial rights to select the world's best independently owned hotels for our guide. However, hotels can purchase ads on Darn Good Digs if they want to gain exposure to our readers without going through the nomination process.
How long does the review process take?
We are meticulous researchers. We try to learn as much as we can about each nomination we receive. If we decide that a hotel meets all of our selection criteria, then we spend several hours editing and fact-checking the nomination before we publish our review. As a result, we usually take anywhere between two and six months to turn a nomination into a published review - sometimes even longer.
Can owners nominate their own hotel?
Owners should use our Owner Form to nominate their own hotel, or clearly identify their relationship to the hotel on our Nomination Form. We look closely at every submission we receive from owners - and sometimes we learn about a place that we think should be reviewed on Darn Good Digs. If we see something we like, based on our criteria, we get in contact with the owners and encourage them to ask their guests to nominate the hotel on Darn Good Digs. We highly frown upon owners who use our Nomination Form without disclosing their relationship with the hotel they are nominating.
Why do you only review independently and locally owned hotels?
Please read our blog post about why we only publish reviews for locally and independently owned hotels.
Advertising on Darn Good Digs (NEW!)
Go straight to Advertising Form.
How do I advertise on Darn Good Digs?
Advertising on Darn Good Digs is easy, and starts at very affordable prices. If you are interested in advertising, just fill out our Advertising Form.
How much does it cost to advertise?
We have three levels of advertising to match with your budget and goals. The chart below outlines the different options:
(under 15 rooms)
(15 rooms or more)
Basic Ad
(See Example)Listing with Hotel Name, Location,
and 60 Character Description (1 line)
in Appropriate Region, Country, or City SectionUS$30
Standard Ad
(See Example)
(4 lines)
Standard Ad with Link
(See Example)
to the Standard Option
Can I still get reviewed on Darn Good Digs if I pay for an advertisement?
Every time we receive an advertising request, we will automatically do research on your hotel. If we feel that your hotel might be a good fit for an official Darn Good Digs review, we will contact you to encourage your guests to nominate your hotel using our Nomination Form.
Why would I want to buy an ad if I can get just get reviewed for free?
Our review process is free, though the process takes between two and six months - and sometimes longer. We only end up reviewing a small percentage of hotels from all the nominations we receive. For example, we usually have about 50 hotels in our queue, and we only publish a new review every 1-2 weeks. We spend hours researching each nomination, and then several more hours editing and fact-checking the reviews we publish. If you buy an ad on Darn Good Digs, you can still get reviewed - and we will credit any money you paid to us for your ad toward purchasing a Business Listing, which includes your website link and contact info as part of your review.