Trust
Editorial Standards
How we cover venues
Pearl publishes pages on Michelin-starred restaurants, award-winning hotels, notable cocktail and wine bars, and wineries that have earned recognition from the guides our editors track. Coverage is narrow on purpose. To appear on Pearl, a venue has to clear at least one of our methodology bars, which usually means a current Michelin star or recommendation, a placement on a major list (World's 50 Best, La Liste, Top 50 Bars), a Forbes Travel Guide or AAA rating at the four- or five-star tier, or a placement of equivalent standing on Relais & Châteaux, Leading Hotels of the World, the James Beard Foundation, or a recognized regional critic.
Once a venue is in scope, the page has one job: help the reader decide whether to book. We lead with a verdict, give the practical detail (price tier, booking lead time, what makes the room work or not work), and compare to the closest alternative when there is one. Every page is re-checked within 30 days of a Michelin or 50 Best refresh and on its own anniversary, so the call you read today reflects the venue's current standing.
How we research
Pearl draws on 97+ award sources to build its coverage, including the Michelin Guide, the World's 50 Best Restaurants and 50 Best Bars lists (including their regional editions), La Liste, Forbes Travel Guide, AAA, the James Beard Foundation, Tabelog (Japan's peer-rated dining database), Opinionated About Dining (the diner-rated global survey), Gault et Millau, and a long list of regional publications and city-level critics whose track records we trust. Awards and ratings are pulled from the publishing body, never paraphrased from secondary write-ups.
For practical detail, we work from the venue's own published information, government and licensing records where applicable, and notes from operators, sommeliers, and concierges in our network. Comparative claims — peer venues, price tiers, booking difficulty — are written from the data we hold across the wider category, so a typical three-week booking lead-time call reflects what comparable rooms look like, not a guess.
When sources disagree, we say so on the page rather than picking the most flattering version.
Conflicts of interest
Pearl does not accept payment for inclusion, placement, or upgrades. No venue can buy its way onto a Pearl page, raise its position in a list, or change the verdict on its own page. Editors are not assigned coverage based on any commercial relationship.
We do accept comped meals, hotel stays, tastings, and press visits where they help us write a more accurate page. When a comp materially informed a page, we disclose it on that page. A comp is never a condition of inclusion or coverage, and a venue is not promised positive coverage in exchange for access. Pearl's editors retain full discretion over the verdict, the rating, and whether the venue stays on the site at all.
If you spot something that looks like a conflict we have not disclosed, write to hello@joinpearl.co.
Corrections
If something on a Pearl page is wrong, including award status, pricing, ownership, opening hours, or any factual claim, email hello@joinpearl.co with the venue page URL and the specific claim you would like us to look at. We respond to every correction request, even when the answer is that the page is already accurate.
Confirmed errors are fixed at the source, the page is republished, and where the change affects the recommendation, the verdict is updated to match.
About the editor
Pearl is led by Sam Ellis, our Senior Editor, who oversees how every venue page is researched, written, and reviewed. Sam sets the recommendation framing the rest of the team writes against and edits the rooms where the call is closest. You can read more about his background and how he approaches Pearl coverage on his editor page. Questions about a specific page, a correction, or a comp disclosure can go to hello@joinpearl.co and will reach him or one of the editors he works with.