Payment cannot purchase a conclusion.

Decisions that are never sold

• Whether a place is researched or published in Hotels or Restaurants.
• Whether a hotel, restaurant or cruise meets the requirements for a GEM, Fork or Anchor distinction.
• Whether a place is eligible for The World’s Best 100.
• Whether a place appears in the final one hundred, and in what position.
• Whether a correction, clarification or status review is published.
• When an editorial decision or result is released.

What may be sold

The World’s Best may sell clearly identified advertising, partner content, mark licences, reprints, research services, private standards work and other commercial products. Scope, deliverables and fees are agreed separately from editorial consideration.

Where a mark licence follows a published result, the public record remains available on the same terms whether or not the eligible organisation purchases a licence.

Commercial labels

Commercial labelling appears prominently and must be understandable before a reader engages with the material. A commercial label is not replaced by vague wording that obscures who paid for the work.

Advertisement

Paid display or placement supplied by, or placed for, an advertiser.

Advertisement Feature

Paid material created to an advertiser brief and subject to the advertiser’s commercial requirements.

Partner Content

Funded content produced under a disclosed partnership. The label names the partner where that relationship is material.

Separation in practice

• Commercial proposals do not include promises of editorial coverage, a rating or rank.
• Advertisers may correct factual statements about their own organisation but cannot approve independent editorial conclusions.
• Confidential rating and ranking material is not provided as a commercial benefit.
• Paid clients receive no preferential correction, review or appeal route.
• Any material relationship connected to a published subject is disclosed where the reader needs it to judge the work.