The Methodology

35 Checkpoints.
Zero Mercy.

You want to know how I judge your hotel? Fine. Here's every single thing I'm looking at, how I score it, and why your remote control without batteries makes me twitch.

The Ideal Stay Is One Where You Never Call the Front Desk

This isn't a luxury audit. I don't care about your rooftop infinity pool or your artisanal welcome basket. I care about whether I can walk in and start living comfortably within minutes.

Can I connect to the WiFi without a PhD? Does the shower produce hot water without me flipping mystery switches behind the bathroom mirror? Is there a trash can in the room, or am I supposed to just... hold my garbage?

These are not high standards. These are minimum standards that an alarming number of properties somehow fail.

The Rule If it's in your listing, it better be in my room. A kitchen without dish soap is just a counter with delusions. A TV remote without batteries is modern art, not hospitality.

Every Checkpoint Gets One of Three Scores

No decimal points. No weighted algorithms. No "adjusted for market segment." Each of the 35 checkpoints gets scored on a dead-simple 3-point scale.

0
"Complaint Filed"
It caused a problem. Something was broken, missing, or actively made my stay worse. Zero points. Zero sympathy.
1
"I'll Allow It"
It was there, but it took figuring out. Maybe the WiFi needed a portal login. Maybe the AC remote was in a drawer. You made me work for it.
2
"Chef's Kiss"
It just worked. No friction. No questions. Walked in, used it, moved on with my life. This is how everything should be.
35 checkpoints × 2 points each = 70 points maximum

The Full Rubric, Unredacted

Every audit follows the same 9 phases, in the same order, every time. From the moment I message you before arrival to the moment I have to call the front desk (if I have to). Here's all of it.

Phase 01 Pre-Arrival Signal 4 checkpoints
"I'm testing you before I even arrive. The pre-arrival message is both a courtesy AND an evaluation."
  • Communication channel accessible — WhatsApp/LINE, not email-only
  • Pre-arrival request acknowledged and confirmed
  • WiFi credentials provided before arrival
  • Request actually fulfilled when you walk in
Phase 02 Arrival & Check-In 3 checkpoints
"I just dragged my bag through an airport. This better be smooth."
  • Check-in is smooth — ID, keys, minimal friction
  • Help offered with bags without asking
  • Room is ready: cool, fresh, AC already on
Phase 03 First 10 Minutes 11 checkpoints
"This is where most hotels lose me. Ten minutes. That's all you get."
  • WiFi: direct login, connects first try (no portal)
  • WiFi speed adequate (record test results)
  • All remotes work — fresh batteries, intuitive controls
  • TV: Netflix/streaming ready or HDMI accessible
  • Light switches intuitive — you know what controls what
  • Warm lighting: floor lamps, desk lamps, bedside lamps
  • Blackout curtains — clean, smooth to operate, actually dark
  • AC: intuitive controls, runs quietly
  • Power outlets sufficient and accessible (bed, desk, not behind furniture)
  • Drinking water clearly provided on arrival
  • Black coffee and kettle in-room
Phase 04 Bathroom 5 checkpoints
"I have a very simple bathroom philosophy: hot water, good pressure, and for the love of god, a trash can."
  • Hot water works without figuring out switches
  • Water pressure adequate
  • Bidet or bum gun available
  • Trash can present
  • Tissues available
Phase 05 Bedroom & Living 4 checkpoints
"If I'm paying $200 a night, the pillows shouldn't be trying to kill my neck."
  • Pillows comfortable — not too high, won't break your neck
  • Bed genuinely comfortable for nightly use
  • Tissues in bedroom and living areas
  • Trash cans in every room
Phase 06 Kitchen, Laundry & Daily 4 checkpoints
"The Rule applies hardest here. If you listed 'fully equipped kitchen,' I expect to actually cook in it."
  • Kitchen usable: sink has sponge + dish soap
  • Kitchen equipment matches listing — stove, fridge, cookware
  • Laundry: if offered, detergent is provided
  • Grab/delivery can reach the room (not lobby pickup)
Phase 07 Noise & Environment 2 checkpoints
"I can hear your hallway karaoke through these walls and I am documenting it."
  • Room quiet — no persistent noise from hallways, street, construction
  • Housekeeping doesn't interrupt without warning — DND works
Phase 08 Gym 2 checkpoints
"If you put 'gym' in your listing, it needs to be more than a treadmill from 2003."
  • Clean
  • Set up intuitively — walk in and use it
Phase 09 The Lifeline Call 1 checkpoint
"The goal is zero calls. But if I have to call, you get ONE chance. One."
  • Phone intuitive, answered promptly, issue resolved in one go They get one free chance. A second call for the same issue is when points drop.

What Your Score Actually Means

The raw score out of 70 gets converted to a percentage. Here's how I read it.

80%+
Chef's Kiss
"This place gets it."
60–79%
It'll Do
"But I have notes."
40–59%
We Need to Talk
"Sit down. This is going to take a while."
<40%
Absolutely Not
"I want my money back."

The Audit in ~30 Minutes

Every audit follows the same capture process. Arrival happens once — you can't re-do a first impression — so I record everything as it happens.

Step 1
🎤
Voice narrate the entire arrival — every observation, out loud, in real time
Step 2
📷
5–8 photos of the room — bathroom, kitchen, bed, desk, outlets, curtains
Step 3
📶
WiFi speed test screenshot — actual numbers, not vibes
Step 4
🤖
Feed to AI with the rubric — transcript + photos + speed test = scored review
Step 5
✍️
Edit & publish — ~30 minutes captures 30 of 35 checkpoints. Remaining 5 observed over the stay.
On Using AI Yes, I use AI. No, I don't feel bad about it. The AI doesn't care about your remote batteries — I do. It just helps me write faster. The observations are mine. The opinions are mine. The disappointment when your "fully equipped kitchen" has no dish soap? Very much mine.

Context Items That Don't Get Scores

These 11 items are observed and noted but don't contribute to the 70-point score. They're context. The kind of things you only notice after a week — or the kind of things that don't have a clean "pass/fail" but still matter when someone's deciding where to book.

Listing accuracy
Room smell / freshness
Storage space
Temperature consistency
Extended stay rates
Extension flexibility
Billing transparency
Cancellation policy
Local recs quality
Staff warmth
Other (catch-all)

These show up in the written review as qualitative notes. They won't tank your score, but they might tank my recommendation.