How can we help?
Short, honest answers to common questions about the index, booking and our data.
Reality Index
What is the Reality Index?+
It is a single score from 0 to 100 that we calculate for every hotel from real signals: guest reviews, their candid photos, the consistency of ratings and the tone. More on the “How we count” page.
Can a hotel buy a high index?+
No. The index cannot be bought, lifted through advertising or swayed by commission. This is the core principle of RawStay — otherwise the product loses its meaning.
Why does a hotel with a high Booking score have a low index?+
Most often because there are no candid photos and few reviews. A high number on a platform, with nothing to back it up, is no proof for us. That contrast is the heart of the product.
What does the “low data” badge mean?+
The hotel has too few reviews or photos to judge with confidence. We show the index as approximate and honestly warn you about it.
Booking
Where does the booking happen?+
On Booking.com. We do not take payment or make bookings ourselves — the button leads to the hotel page via an affiliate link.
Is the price higher through RawStay?+
No. The price is the same as directly on Booking. The platform pays the commission, not you.
How do I change or cancel a booking?+
Through the Booking account where you booked. RawStay has no access to your reservations.
Data and photos
Where do the candid guest photos come from?+
From public reviews with photos that guests uploaded themselves. We group them by the tone of the review — “from the happy ones” and “from the unhappy ones”.
How often is the index updated?+
Regularly. New reviews and photos change the picture, so the index is a living value, not a one-off rating.
I run a hotel — how do I fix my data?+
Write to us via contacts. But please note: we do not adjust the index in favour of hotels — we only correct factual mistakes.
General
Is registration required?+
No. Search, the index, matching and comparison all work without an account.
Which languages does RawStay support?+
Right now Russian and English. We will add more languages as we grow.
Didn’t find an answer?
Write to us — we reply like humans, no templates.