Methodology
How we measure hotel freshness
Trust is our product. Every number on HotelChrono can be traced back to a source — and one rule governs everything: no quote, no data.
The Chrono Score formula
The Chrono Score is a 1–10 measure of freshness only. It is deliberately kept separate from star ratings — a 5-star hotel can be tired, and a 3-star can be brand new.
10+ years = 0 points · just renovated = full 60
rooms, lobby, facade, systems
newer construction earns a small bonus
mentions of dated rooms / fresh refurbishment
Hotels marked under renovation are flagged separately. Low source reliability lowers the displayed confidence — never the score itself.
Score bands
Fresh
8.0–10
Ageing
5.0–7.9
Tired
0–4.9
Where the data comes from
Every fact carries the weight of its source. When two sources disagree, the higher weight wins; if the conflict is too close to call, a human decides.
The rule: no quote, no data
For every year we record, the AI must return the exact sentence it was extracted from. If there is no verbatim quote, the data is discarded — full stop. This is our strongest guard against hallucination, and the reason every hotel profile shows its sources in full.
“Following an 18-month, full-property renovation, the hotel reopened in March 2023.” → built into the timeline, with the source attached.
A living, self-maintaining pipeline
Seed
One-time import of open data (OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, public accommodation registries).
Enrich
An AI worker reads the hotel's official 'About / History' pages and extracts structured facts.
Monitor
A daily job scans industry media and chain press rooms for new renovations — the database breathes.
Confidence
Each fact is weighted by its source. On conflict, the higher weight wins; close calls go to review.
Review
Humans check only conflicts plus ~2% spot samples. Quality without bottlenecks.
Publish
Pages regenerate the moment a fact changes — always fresh, always fast.
Sources & licensing
We build only on legitimately obtained data: OpenStreetMap (ODbL), Wikidata (CC0), public registries and permits, official hotel communications, and industry news. Photographs are used only with a clear licence (Wikimedia Commons, hotel-provided, or user uploads).
We never scrape content or photos from booking platforms. We respect robots.txt and rate limits. Attribution is given where licences require it.
See it in action.
Open any hotel profile and you'll find its timeline, Chrono Score and every source behind it.
View a sample profile →