How Your Listing's Search Ranking Works
Your position in Finding Retreats search results comes from a composite score out of 100, recalculated on a nightly run. New hosts get their first score after their first full calibration cycle, so don't be surprised if your ranking page reads "not scored yet" for the first day or two after you list.
The five pillars behind your score
The composite score is a weighted sum of five categories:
- Guest Trust (37%) — reviews, guest-experience sub-ratings, and repeat bookings. The heaviest single pillar, because social proof is what actually sells a retreat.
- Operational Reliability (23%) — your cancellation rate, how fresh your calendar is, and how complete your onboarding (banking, identity verification, first listing) is.
- Host Engagement (20%) — how quickly and how often you respond to guest inquiries, plus how well your listings are optimized for search.
- Listing Quality (15%) — completeness of your host profile and listings: photos, bio, qualifications.
- Community & Contribution (5%) — programme diversity and other platform contribution.
Your ranking dashboard breaks each pillar down further. Expand any of the five to see the individual factors behind it, each with its own score out of 100 and a plain-language explanation of what's driving it, plus a 90-day trend so you can see whether you're moving up or down.
What actually moves your score
A handful of concrete actions carry real weight:
- Reply to guest inquiries within 4 hours — the most heavily weighted engagement factor.
- Verify your identity through Stripe Identity, which lifts Listing Quality.
- Keep your calendar updated at least monthly.
- Write a complete host bio (50 or more words) and list your qualifications.
- Use the listing editor's SEO tools to raise your listing's search score.
- Deliver retreats guests rate well. Guest Trust alone outweighs every other pillar combined.
What can't move it
Finding Retreats publishes what's explicitly excluded from the ranking algorithm, because visibility here is meant to be earned rather than bought:
- Commission rate paid to the platform
- Advertising spend or promoted-listing fees
- Relationship with the platform team
- Time listed, beyond the new-host grace period
- Number of external social-media followers
Tiers and safety holds
Your composite score maps to a visibility tier — Premier, Established, Active, New, or Inactive — each carrying a different level of placement in search results. Separately, a substantiated safety incident recorded against your account triggers a safety veto: your score is capped at 40 until the incident is resolved, regardless of what your other pillars would otherwise produce.
If you think a score is wrong
You can submit an appeal directly from your ranking dashboard, or through the dedicated appeal page. Describe what you believe is wrong and include supporting detail — dates, guest names, booking IDs. Appeals are reviewed by a person: expect acknowledgment within 48 hours and a decision within 5 working days.
Related help
For the complete breakdown of every pillar, tier, and factor, read the full explainer on the how-ranking-works page. The help centre also covers "Ranking page and position," "Improve ranking inputs," "Check ranking dashboard," and "Appeal a low ranking."
Frequently asked questions
- How often does my ranking score update?
- Scores are recalculated on a nightly run, so changes you make, like replying faster or refreshing your calendar, show up within a day or two.
- Can I pay to rank higher?
- No. Commission rate, advertising spend, and your relationship with the platform team are all explicitly excluded from the ranking algorithm.
- What's a safety veto?
- It caps your composite score at 40 while an open, substantiated safety incident against your account is unresolved, regardless of your other pillar scores.
- What happens if I disagree with my score?
- You can submit an appeal from your ranking dashboard or the appeal page. Appeals are reviewed by a person, acknowledged within 48 hours, and decided within 5 working days.