Good Hotel Guide

The guide's entries begin with unsolicited reports from readers describing their own stays. Where a property looks promising, the guide's editors carry out anonymous inspections, staying and dining at the guide's own expense, the guide states that it accepts neither payment for inclusion nor free hospitality. That funding model is the basis of its independence claim and distinguishes it from directories that charge for listings. The César Awards are drawn from this inspected and reader-reported base each year, with one winner per category. Pearl's venue-matching process is separate and runs after publication, linking named properties to Pearl venue profiles.

The Good Hotel Guide has assessed British and Irish hotels independently since 1977, funding its own anonymous inspections and refusing paid inclusion. Its César Awards are its annual highlight, Pearl currently maps 1 list from the guide.

The Good Hotel Guide is an independent guide to hotels, B&Bs, inns and restaurants with rooms, founded in 1977 and published from London by The Good Hotel Guide Limited. Its coverage centres on Great Britain and Ireland, with additional entries in parts of continental Europe, spans luxury country house hotels through to small owner-run guesthouses. The guide's defining commitment is that it takes no payment for inclusion and accepts no free hospitality.

Entries originate in reports written by readers about their own stays. Where a property appears promising, the guide's editors visit anonymously, paying for their own room and meals, the guide also draws on an annual questionnaire completed by hotels and on trusted secondary sources. The César Awards are selected from this inspected and reader-reported base, with a single winner named per category each year. Pearl does not take part in that judging; Pearl separately matches the properties named in an edition to Pearl venue profiles, the number of hotels visible on Pearl reflects that mapping.

The Good Hotel Guide is regarded as the leading independent guide to hotels in Great Britain and Ireland, its refusal of paid inclusion and free hospitality is central to its standing among readers and the trade. The César Awards, named after the hotelier César Ritz, are frequently described in the British hospitality press as among the most coveted recognitions available to a small independent property. Because only one winner is named per category, the awards are unusually selective relative to the size of the guide.