Finding Retreats rewards excellence, not spend. Every ranking factor can be improved through genuine effort. None require paying more commission.
Your composite score is a weighted sum of these five categories.
Completeness of your listing and host profile — photos, bio, qualifications, identity verification.
Guest reviews, guest experience sub-ratings, and repeat bookings. The most weighted pillar because social proof is the largest driver of retreat purchase decisions.
Response speed, response rate, and how findable your listings are in search (SEO quality).
Host cancellation rate, calendar freshness, and onboarding completeness (banking, verification, first listing).
Programme diversity and platform contribution — small positive weight.
Your composite score maps to a visibility tier.
| Tier | Score | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Premier | 85–100 | Featured placement, homepage, category top |
| Established | 65–84 | Strong organic placement in search |
| Active | 45–64 | Standard search placement |
| New | 25–44 | Lower placement, "New" badge shown |
| Inactive | 0–24 | Deprioritised, listing review recommended |
The following are explicitly excluded from the algorithm. We publish this list publicly so there's no ambiguity.
If you believe a factor score is wrong, you can submit an appeal. Appeals are acknowledged within 48 hours and decided within 5 working days. Force-majeure cancellations, vexatious disputes, and platform errors are all legitimate override grounds.
Contact supportThe ranking system is deliberately published because transparency is the point. If anything here is unclear or feels unfair, we want to hear about it.