How we check
Where our numbers come from, what the dates on each guide mean, and how we do the math.
Every figure in a guide should trace back to a named source and a date. This page explains how that works, and where it stops.
Primary sources first
We start with whoever sets the price or the rule: the hotel's own fee page, the rental company's terms, the regulator's text, the agency that publishes the statistic. A blog that repeats a number is a lead, not a source. If we can't find a figure at its origin, we say so or leave it out. Each guide lists the sources it relies on at the bottom of the page.
What the dates mean
Last checked is the day the guide was compared with those sources. Published appears when no check has been recorded since the guide went up. A table of prices may carry its own date, because a fee can change the week after we read it.
A date is a statement about that day, not a promise about today. Before you pay, confirm the figure with the company you're booking with. Its current terms beat anything written here.
Sample figures
Numbers in a panel marked Sample figures are made up to show the arithmetic. They are an example, not a price, and your quote will differ. Figures quoted from a company or a statistic are never labelled this way: they carry a source instead.
How we do the math
We add every charge you must pay to get the total, then keep money that is only held apart from money that is spent. A card hold can tie up your limit, but it isn't a cost unless it gets charged. Here is the method on one short hotel stay:
Example, not a price. Your quote will differ.
- Room, 3 nights at $200$600
- Resort fee, 3 nights at $40$120
- Tax, 10% of room and fee$72
The nightly rate here is $200, but the stay costs $264 a night. That second number is the one to compare. The $200 held at check-in comes back after you leave, so it stays out of the total. Tax rules differ by place, and some taxes skip certain fees, so the 10% is only an example too.
Rechecks
When we learn that a price or rule has changed, we recheck the guides that mention it and update their date. Pages built on prices go out of date fastest, so they come first. If a guide's date is more than a year old, treat its figures as a starting point.
Corrections
If something is wrong or out of date, write to contact@pilottraveldeals.com with the page and what you found. We check it against the source and correct the guide.
How the site makes money
It doesn't, for now. The site has no ads and no affiliate links, and no company pays for a place in a guide. If that changes, ads will be labelled, paid links will be marked as sponsored, and this page will explain how it works.