RANKING & SEARCH METHODOLOGY

Travellin — Search Results, Ranking, Sorting, Personalisation, Sponsored Placement & Transparency Policy

Last Updated: 24 August 2026
Effective Date: 24 August 2026

1. Purpose of This Policy

This page explains, in clear and consumer-facing terms, how Travellin may determine the order in which travel offers and services appear following a search.

It applies to search and comparison results for, including but not limited to:

• flights;
• accommodation;
• hotels;
• apartments;
• villas;
• cruises;
• activities and experiences;
• tours;
• attractions;
• car rental;
• bicycle rental;
• equipment rental;
• transfers;
• restaurants;
• travel vouchers;
• packages and combinations of travel services;
• and other travel-related offers.

EU consumer rules require information about the main parameters determining search-result ranking and their relative importance to be made directly and easily accessible from the search-results interface. The law does not require publication of the underlying algorithm or commercially sensitive technical details. (EUR-Lex)

2. What “Ranking” Means

For Travellin, ranking means the relative position or prominence given to an offer in search results.

Ranking can be affected by:

• relevance to the search;
• availability;
• price;
• dates;
• destination;
• customer preferences;
• quality indicators;
• customer ratings;
• supplier performance;
• commercial arrangements;
• and other applicable signals.

The precise factors can differ depending on the type of travel product and search performed.

3. Travellin Is a Travel Comparison and Referral Platform

Travellin may obtain offers from different suppliers, booking systems, affiliate networks, APIs and other authorised sources.

Travellin does not necessarily control:

• supplier inventory;
• supplier pricing;
• availability;
• cancellation conditions;
• room availability;
• flight inventory;
• activity capacity;
• or supplier-specific service quality.

Consequently, ranking is performed using the information available to Travellin’s systems at the relevant time.

4. Main Ranking Principle

The principal objective of Travellin’s default search ranking is:

to present offers that are relevant and useful to the customer’s stated search, while maintaining transparent treatment of commercial and other ranking factors.

The ranking system is not intended to guarantee that the first result is the cheapest, highest-rated, or objectively “best” offer.

5. Search Relevance

Search relevance is generally one of the most important ranking considerations.

The system may assess whether an offer corresponds to:

• destination;
• departure location;
• arrival location;
• travel dates;
• number of travellers;
• room requirements;
• passenger requirements;
• activity type;
• accommodation type;
• vehicle type;
• cruise characteristics;
• requested facilities;
• or other search inputs.

An offer that does not sufficiently match the customer’s search may receive lower prominence.

6. Availability

Actual or indicated availability can influence ranking.

An offer that is unavailable for the customer’s:

• dates;
• passenger configuration;
• room configuration;
• participant number;
• or selected service

may be excluded or receive reduced prominence.

Availability can change rapidly.

7. Price

Price may be an important ranking factor, particularly where the customer searches for:

• lowest price;
• cheapest;
• best value;
• or similar criteria.

However, default ranking does not necessarily mean “lowest price first.”

Where the customer selects a price-based sorting option, Travellin may reorder results according to the applicable price methodology.

8. Total Price

Where sufficient data is available, Travellin may consider the total price relevant to the customer’s selected:

• dates;
• travellers;
• rooms;
• passengers;
• duration;
• and configuration.

Where mandatory charges are known, Travellin aims to present them transparently.

Additional supplier charges may still arise where they cannot reasonably be calculated in advance or depend upon customer choices.

9. Price Comparison

A price displayed by Travellin may depend upon:

• supplier;
• currency;
• date;
• occupancy;
• passenger composition;
• fare conditions;
• availability;
• taxes;
• fees;
• selected options;
• and time of search.

Therefore, ranking based on price may change as supplier data changes.

10. Customer Search Inputs

The customer’s own search parameters can materially affect ranking.

These may include:

• destination;
• dates;
• number of travellers;
• age of children;
• budget;
• accommodation type;
• number of rooms;
• number of stops;
• preferred departure airport;
• duration;
• activities;
• amenities;
• and filters.

A different search can therefore produce a different ranking.

11. Filters

When a customer applies filters, Travellin may remove offers that do not satisfy the selected criteria.

Examples include:

• price range;
• star rating;
• accommodation type;
• number of stops;
• baggage;
• cancellation;
• amenities;
• accessibility;
• activity type;
• vehicle type;
• and supplier characteristics.

Filtering is different from ranking: a filter may exclude an offer altogether rather than merely move it lower.

12. Sorting Options

Where available, Travellin may provide sorting options such as:

• Recommended;
• Best match;
• Cheapest;
• Price: low to high;
• Price: high to low;
• Highest rated;
• Most reviewed;
• Shortest duration;
• Fastest;
• Earliest departure;
• Latest departure;
• or other category-specific options.

The available options depend upon the type of search.

13. “Recommended” Results

Recommended or Best Match is a composite ranking.

It does not mean:

• cheapest;
• highest-rated;
• most luxurious;
• or objectively best.

It generally means that the system considers the offer to provide a strong overall match to the customer’s search and applicable ranking signals.

14. Customer Reviews

Where available and relevant, customer reviews may contribute to ranking.

Possible review-related signals include:

• average rating;
• number of reviews;
• recency;
• verification status;
• and relevance to the service.

Review data may originate from Travellin or an authorised third-party source.

Travellin does not treat a review score as a guarantee of future service quality.

15. Verified Reviews

Where a review has been verified as originating from a customer who completed or used the relevant service, its verification status may be considered in applicable ranking systems.

This does not necessarily mean that verified reviews always receive greater ranking weight.

The precise weighting may vary by product category.

16. Supplier Quality Indicators

Where reliable information is available, ranking may take account of objective or platform-derived quality indicators.

Examples can include:

• supplier reliability;
• cancellation rate;
• booking success;
• availability accuracy;
• customer complaint indicators;
• service responsiveness;
• or other relevant performance signals.

Such indicators are not necessarily available for every supplier.

17. Booking Success

Where legally and technically appropriate, historical booking performance may contribute to ranking.

This can help distinguish offers that:

• consistently return valid availability;
• successfully complete bookings;
• or frequently fail during the booking process.

Past booking performance is not a guarantee of future availability.

18. Content Quality

The quality and completeness of information supplied for an offer may affect its presentation.

Relevant information may include:

• accurate descriptions;
• images;
• facilities;
• room information;
• cancellation terms;
• location;
• transport information;
• activity details;
• and other relevant attributes.

This is intended to improve usefulness and reduce incomplete results.

19. Image and Content Availability

Where appropriate, offers with sufficient reliable content may be easier for customers to evaluate.

However, Travellin does not automatically equate:

more photographs = better service.

Content-related ranking signals are intended primarily to improve search usefulness.

20. Location Relevance

Location may be an important ranking signal.

For example:

• accommodation closer to a requested location;
• activities closer to the selected destination;
• car rental locations matching the customer’s pickup point;
• or airports matching the customer’s requested departure point

may receive greater relevance.

21. Date and Time Relevance

Certain searches depend heavily on:

• exact dates;
• departure time;
• arrival time;
• activity time;
• check-in/check-out;
• opening hours;
• or seasonal availability.

The ranking system may use these factors to determine relevance.

22. Flight Ranking

Flight ranking may consider:

• route match;
• departure/arrival airports;
• departure time;
• arrival time;
• duration;
• number of stops;
• baggage;
• fare conditions;
• price;
• availability;
• and other customer-selected criteria.

Where the customer selects Cheapest, price becomes the principal sorting criterion subject to the displayed fare methodology.

23. Accommodation Ranking

Accommodation ranking may consider:

• search relevance;
• location;
• availability;
• total price;
• accommodation category;
• guest rating;
• number and quality of reviews;
• facilities;
• cancellation conditions;
• room availability;
• and other relevant signals.

24. Activities Ranking

Activities may be ranked using:

• destination relevance;
• activity type;
• date/time availability;
• price;
• duration;
• rating;
• reviews;
• popularity;
• supplier reliability;
• and match with selected filters.

25. Cruises Ranking

Cruise results may consider:

• destination;
• itinerary;
• departure date;
• duration;
• cruise line;
• ship;
• cabin availability;
• price;
• rating;
• and customer-selected preferences.

26. Car Rental Ranking

Car-rental results may consider:

• pickup location;
• dates;
• vehicle category;
• availability;
• price;
• supplier;
• rental conditions;
• mileage;
• insurance conditions;
• and customer-selected requirements.

27. Personalisation

Where technically and legally appropriate, Travellin may use information from the current search session to improve relevance.

For example, the system may remember:

• filters selected during the current search;
• destination;
• dates;
• traveller configuration;
• or sorting preferences.

Personalisation should not be interpreted as a guarantee that the customer will always see the same results.

28. Personalised Ranking

If Travellin uses personal data or previous interactions to materially personalise search results, the relevant privacy and transparency requirements apply.

Personalisation may include:

• previous search interactions;
• selected preferences;
• language;
• currency;
• location information;
• or other permitted signals.

Travellin should not use prohibited or unlawful criteria.

29. Location-Based Relevance

Where the customer permits location functionality, Travellin may use approximate location information to improve:

• destination suggestions;
• nearby activities;
• nearby airports;
• nearby accommodation;
• currency;
• language;
• or other relevant services.

This does not necessarily mean that location determines ranking.

30. Language and Currency

Language and currency preferences may affect:

• displayed information;
• availability of suppliers;
• local relevance;
• price presentation;
• and search experience.

These factors may indirectly affect which results are displayed.

31. Device and Technical Factors

Technical characteristics may affect the availability or presentation of results, including:

• device type;
• screen size;
• browser;
• language;
• network conditions;
• or technical compatibility.

Such factors should not be used deceptively to manipulate consumers.

32. Supplier Commercial Relationships

Travellin may have commercial relationships with suppliers, affiliate networks or booking partners.

These relationships may include:

• affiliate commission;
• referral fees;
• booking fees;
• marketing arrangements;
• or other remuneration.

Commercial relationships must not be presented in a misleading manner.

33. Remuneration and Ranking

Commercial remuneration may be one of the ranking factors where applicable.

Where a supplier pays or provides remuneration for preferential placement, this must be clearly disclosed where required by applicable law.

EU consumer rules specifically require transparency where payment affects search-result prominence. (European Union)

34. Sponsored Results

A result that is paid for or commercially promoted may be labelled, as appropriate:

Sponsored

Advertisement

Promoted

or another clear equivalent.

A paid placement must not be presented deceptively as an ordinary organic result.

35. Sponsored Placement Is Not a Quality Guarantee

A sponsored result does not mean that Travellin considers the supplier:

• better;
• safer;
• cheaper;
• more reliable;
• or higher quality

than non-sponsored suppliers.

It means that commercial consideration may have affected its prominence.

36. Affiliate Commission Does Not Automatically Determine Ranking

The existence of an affiliate relationship does not automatically mean that the associated offer will appear first.

Commission may be one factor in a commercial ranking model where lawfully used, but relevance and customer usefulness remain central to Travellin’s search experience.

37. Higher Commission Does Not Mean Better Service

Customers should not interpret a higher-ranking offer as evidence that:

• the supplier pays more commission;
• the supplier is better;
• the supplier has been endorsed;
• or the service is superior.

Where remuneration materially affects placement, the relevant commercial nature should be made clear.

38. Price and Commission

Travellin may receive different remuneration from different suppliers.

This does not necessarily mean that the customer’s price differs because of Travellin’s commission.

The displayed price is determined by the applicable supplier, booking system, taxes, fees, currency and selected travel conditions.

39. Availability Can Override Commercial Ranking

A commercially promoted offer cannot be meaningfully presented as available if the supplier’s current inventory indicates that it is unavailable for the customer’s selected search.

Where availability changes, the result may disappear or move.

40. Dynamic Ranking

Search results may change dynamically because:

• prices change;
• inventory changes;
• bookings occur;
• suppliers update data;
• flights sell out;
• rooms sell out;
• activities reach capacity;
• or ranking signals change.

Two searches performed minutes apart may therefore produce different results.

41. No Guarantee of Static Position

Travellin does not guarantee that a particular supplier will remain:

• first;
• second;
• on the first page;
• or in any particular position.

Ranking is dynamic.

42. External Supplier Data

Travellin may receive information from external systems.

External data can contain:

• delays;
• stale availability;
• incorrect descriptions;
• price changes;
• missing fields;
• or technical errors.

Travellin may attempt to identify and correct such problems but cannot guarantee that every supplier data field is continuously error-free.

43. API and Aggregated Results

Where Travellin aggregates results from multiple APIs or suppliers, the systems may return different:

• fields;
• currencies;
• cancellation information;
• availability;
• room types;
• baggage information;
• and pricing structures.

Travellin may normalise available information to make results comparable.

44. Comparable Prices

Where offers are compared by price, Travellin seeks to compare equivalent or reasonably comparable configurations.

For example:

• same dates;
• same number of travellers;
• same room occupancy;
• same flight itinerary;
• same vehicle category;
• or same activity configuration.

If configurations differ, the displayed prices may not be directly equivalent.

45. Taxes and Fees

Travellin aims to present prices transparently.

Where taxes and mandatory fees are known and applicable, they should be reflected appropriately.

Where a charge depends on:

• local law;
• supplier policy;
• customer choice;
• payment method;
• or circumstances not known at search stage,

the relevant information should be disclosed where required.

46. Search Results Are Not an Endorsement

A high ranking does not constitute a recommendation that the customer should purchase the offer.

Customers should review:

• price;
• terms;
• cancellation;
• inclusions;
• supplier identity;
• reviews;
• and other material information before booking.

47. Algorithmic Decision-Making

Travellin may use automated systems to:

• retrieve offers;
• filter results;
• calculate relevance;
• sort results;
• identify duplicate offers;
• detect fraud;
• normalise data;
• or improve search performance.

These systems may operate dynamically.

48. No Publication of Proprietary Algorithm

Travellin is not required to publish:

• source code;
• mathematical formulas;
• proprietary scoring systems;
• confidential supplier data;
• security mechanisms;
• or technical details that would enable manipulation.

EU guidance expressly recognises that ranking transparency requires disclosure of the main parameters and their relative importance, not disclosure of detailed algorithms or trade secrets. (EUR-Lex)

49. Anti-Manipulation Measures

Travellin may use fraud-prevention and anti-manipulation mechanisms to detect:

• fake bookings;
• artificial clicks;
• automated manipulation;
• fraudulent reviews;
• duplicate offers;
• malicious activity;
• or other attempts to distort results.

Detailed security mechanisms are not publicly disclosed because doing so could undermine their effectiveness. EU guidance recognises this principle in relation to ranking systems. (EUR-Lex)

50. Demotion and Exclusion

An offer may receive reduced visibility or be excluded where:

• it is unavailable;
• required data is missing;
• the supplier has technical problems;
• the content violates applicable requirements;
• the offer is suspected to be fraudulent;
• the product is legally unavailable;
• or another legitimate operational reason applies.

51. Supplier Performance

Where reliable data exists, Travellin may consider supplier performance indicators such as:

• booking completion;
• availability accuracy;
• cancellation frequency;
• customer complaints;
• responsiveness;
• or other service-performance indicators.

These are signals rather than absolute determinations of quality.

52. Popularity

Popularity may be used as a ranking signal where appropriate.

Possible indicators include:

• number of bookings;
• number of searches;
• clicks;
• saves;
• views;
• reviews;
• or other interactions.

Popularity does not necessarily mean quality.

53. Recency

Recent information may be prioritised where freshness matters.

For example:

• recent availability;
• recent prices;
• recent reviews;
• recently updated supplier information;
• or recent booking performance.

54. Review Recency

Where reviews are used in ranking, recent reviews may be relevant because they can better reflect current conditions.

Older reviews may still remain relevant and should not automatically be treated as invalid.

55. User Feedback

Where customers interact with:

• favourites;
• saves;
• clicks;
• searches;
• filters;
• or other permitted features,

those signals may help improve future relevance.

Any use of personal data remains subject to Travellin’s Privacy Policy and applicable law.

56. Default Ranking vs User-Controlled Sorting

Travellin distinguishes between:

Default ranking

The Platform’s general Recommended / Best Match order.

User-selected sorting

An explicit choice such as:

Cheapest, Highest Rated, Shortest, or another available sorting method.

When a customer chooses a sorting method, that selected criterion may become the principal ordering factor.

57. Why the Cheapest Result May Not Be First

Under the default Recommended ranking, an offer may appear above a cheaper offer because it may provide a stronger overall match based on other relevant signals.

If the customer wants the lowest displayed price, the customer should select the relevant price-sorting option where available.

58. Why the Highest Rated Result May Not Be First

A highly rated property or activity may not rank first because ranking may also consider:

• location;
• availability;
• price;
• relevance;
• review volume;
• dates;
• and other factors.

59. Why Results May Differ Between Customers

Two customers can receive different results because they may have different:

• destinations;
• dates;
• traveller configurations;
• filters;
• languages;
• currencies;
• availability;
• locations;
• or permitted personalisation signals.

60. Ranking Parameters — Relative Importance

Travellin’s general default hierarchy is intended to operate broadly as follows:

Important: This is a general explanation, not a promise that every category uses exactly the same weighting.

61. Category-Specific Ranking

Travellin may use different ranking models for:

• flights;
• hotels;
• activities;
• cruises;
• car rental;
• restaurants;
• and other categories.

This is necessary because the relevant characteristics of each product differ.

For example, number of stops is highly relevant to flights but is not normally relevant to hotel ranking.

62. Search Methodology Can Change

Travellin may modify its ranking methodology to:

• improve relevance;
• improve accuracy;
• incorporate new supplier data;
• prevent manipulation;
• comply with law;
• improve accessibility;
• improve performance;
• or respond to changes in the travel market.

Material changes to consumer-facing disclosures should be reflected in this methodology where appropriate.

63. Technical Errors

If a technical error affects ranking, Travellin may:

• correct the error;
• remove incorrect results;
• re-run the search;
• update availability;
• or otherwise restore normal functionality.

A technical ranking error does not automatically create a contractual right to purchase an incorrectly displayed offer.

64. Price Errors

If an offer is displayed at an obviously erroneous price due to a technical or supplier error, Travellin may be unable to honour that price.

The applicable booking and consumer-law rules determine the consequences.

65. Search Transparency

The Ranking & Search Methodology information should be accessible from or directly associated with the search-results environment.

This is consistent with EU requirements that ranking information be available in a specific section directly and easily accessible from the page showing search results. (EUR-Lex)

66. Commercial Transparency

Where an offer receives preferential prominence because of payment or another commercial arrangement, Travellin will use an appropriate disclosure such as:

Sponsored

Advertisement

Promoted

or an equivalent clear label, where required.

67. No Hidden Paid Ranking

Travellin will not intentionally present a paid placement as an entirely organic result where doing so would be misleading or contrary to applicable law.

EU consumer guidance specifically identifies non-transparent sponsored ranking as a consumer-protection concern. (European Union)

68. Relationship With Customer Reviews Policy

This methodology should be read together with Travellin’s:

Customer Reviews Policy.

Where reviews influence ranking, Travellin should make the relevant review-related methodology sufficiently transparent.

EU guidance recognises consumer reviews as a potential main ranking parameter where they are used in ranking. (EUR-Lex)

69. Relationship With Affiliate Disclosure

This page should also be read together with:

Affiliate & Referral Disclosure.

Travellin may receive remuneration when a customer books through certain suppliers or partners.

The existence and nature of commercial relationships should not be concealed where disclosure is legally required.

70. Relationship With Privacy Policy

Where ranking uses personal data, the relevant processing must comply with Travellin’s:

Privacy Policy

and applicable data-protection law.

Customers should consult the Privacy Policy for information concerning:

• categories of personal data;
• purposes;
• legal bases;
• retention;
• rights;
• and applicable automated processing.

71. No Guarantee of Search Completeness

Travellin does not necessarily display every travel product available in the market.

Search results depend upon:

• participating suppliers;
• API connections;
• affiliate relationships;
• inventory;
• technical availability;
• destination coverage;
• and other commercial or technical factors.

Therefore:

Absence from Travellin’s search results does not necessarily mean that a product is unavailable elsewhere.

72. No Guarantee of “Best Price”

Unless expressly stated under a separate price-guarantee programme, Travellin does not represent that the highest-ranked result is:

• the cheapest available anywhere;
• the cheapest available from every supplier;
• or the best market price.

73. No Guarantee of “Best Product”

Likewise, “Recommended” or “Best Match” does not mean that Travellin guarantees that the offer is objectively the best available product.

It means that the system has ranked the offer highly according to the applicable methodology.

74. Consumer Choice

Customers remain free to:

• change filters;
• change dates;
• change sorting;
• compare offers;
• inspect supplier conditions;
• read reviews;
• and choose another provider.

The ranking system is intended to assist comparison, not remove consumer choice.

75. Final Transparency Statement

Travellin’s ranking system is designed to balance:

Relevance
Availability
Price/value
Customer preferences
Quality indicators
Reviews
Supplier performance
Content quality
Commercial considerations where applicable

The precise ranking may differ by product category and search.

Travellin does not disclose proprietary algorithms, source code or security-sensitive mechanisms. This does not prevent Travellin from providing consumers with the legally required general information concerning the main ranking parameters and their relative importance. (EUR-Lex)

76. Mandatory Consumer Protection

Nothing in this methodology is intended to:

• mislead consumers;
• conceal paid placement;
• manipulate reviews;
• disguise advertising as organic results;
• remove statutory consumer rights;
• or restrict any mandatory legal remedy.

Where applicable law provides a higher level of protection or transparency, mandatory law prevails.

CONTACT DETAILS

BETZONE s.r.o. — Travellin
Maletín 9
789 01 Maletín
Czech Republic

IČO: 28802471
DIČ: CZ28802471

General enquiries: info@travellin.info
Booking enquiries: bookings@travellin.info
Privacy enquiries: privacy@travellin.info
Telephone: +420 732 844 855