Listings Policies and Guidelines

Tripadvisor lists businesses, places, and points of interest that are relevant to travellers and which meet our guidelines. The guidelines for eligibility to be listed by category are below.

Last updated on October 26, 2021

Basic Requirements

Restaurants on Tripadvisor must meet all of the following criteria:

  • Must serve prepared food
  • Must serve the public; cannot require membership
  • Must be open on a regularly scheduled basis
  • Must be open for at least 12 consecutive weeks of the year
  • Must maintain a permanent location in one city/town but can deliver to multiple cities/towns. Food trucks may be listed as long as their schedule and locations are posted online. Requests must include a valid website for confirmation.

The following DO qualify as a restaurant on Tripadvisor:

  • Sit down
  • Take out
  • Delivery-only restaurants
  • Fast food
  • Cafes and coffee shops
  • Bars and pubs that serve prepared food (burgers, fries, etc.)
  • Chain restaurants
  • Sandwich shops
  • Tapas
  • Diners
  • Ice cream shops
  • Dessert/pastry shops
  • Food trucks as long as their schedule and locations are posted online
  • Restaurants that require reservations
  • Restaurants inside other businesses (e.g. a restaurant inside a retail store or a restaurant inside a hotel)
  • Supermarkets that have a prepared food section and tables where you can dine

Restrictions

The following do NOT qualify as a restaurant on Tripadvisor:

  • Delivery services. Delivery services are businesses that do not prepare their own food. These services pick up food prepared by restaurants and deliver it to customers.
  • Services that deliver ingredients or groceries.
  • Catering.
  • Personal chefs who travel to and cook at various locations.
  • Banquet/wedding venues.
  • Cooking classes (request as Things to Do).
  • Chocolate or candy stores that only sell boxed/packaged items (request as Things to Do).
  • Pop-up or short-term restaurants.
  • Private clubs that require membership.
  • Bars/pubs that only serve light bar snacks (pretzels, crackers, nuts, etc.)
  • Businesses providing pre-packaged meals that are ordered and paid for in advance.
  • Beverage establishments that serve only alcoholic drinks.
  • Places that only sell unprepared food.
  • Venues where guests eat a meal while watching a performance (request as Things to Do).
  • Venues where guests eat a meal while riding a train or a boat (request as Things to Do).

Establishment Types

Each restaurant listing is assigned an establishment type. In some cases, two or more establishment types may be assigned to the same listing.

See Restaurant establishment types for descriptions of each type.


Establishment types include:

Bakeries

Bakeries typically share these characteristics:

  • Offer bread, baked goods, sandwiches to go, coffee, tea, and soft drinks.
  • Do not offer full menus for lunch and dinner.
  • Usually do not serve alcohol.

Bars & Pubs

Bars & Pubs typically share these characteristics:

  • Serve pub-style food.
  • Have a bar section in addition to a sit-down/dine-in section.
  • Serve alcohol.

Coffee & Tea

Coffee & Tea establishments typically share these characteristics:

  • May offer light snacks (e.g. sandwiches, ready-made salads), but the main focus is coffee and tea.
  • Do not offer full menus for lunch and dinner.
  • May or may not offer food.
  • Usually do not serve alcohol.

Dessert

Dessert establishments typically share these characteristics:

  • Serve dessert foods, oftentimes sweet (e.g. chocolate shops with plated desserts, pastry shops, places specializing in cakes, cupcakes, ice cream, pies, etc.)
  • Do not offer full menus for lunch and dinner.
  • Usually do not serve alcohol.

Dine With a Local Chef - via EatWith

Dine With a Local Chef establishments typically share these characteristics:

  • Hosts need to be vetted by and listed on EatWith.
  • Meal is served at a private location (e.g. home, apartment, test kitchen).
  • Address is not publicly available and is only provided after a reservation is made.
  • Diners must pay in advance.

Restaurants

Restaurants typically share these characteristics:

  • Meal is served at a public location or delivered by the restaurant that prepared it.
  • Signage at the location shows the name of the restaurant.
  • Diners pay at the time of dining.
  • Individual/personal dining experience.
  • Diners order from a menu.

Quick Bites

Quick bites typically share these characteristics:

  • Diners pay before receiving their order.
  • Primarily a take out / take away establishment.
  • Drive through or pick up windows.
  • Does not include table service.
  • Limited seating.
  • Diners order from a limited menu.

Delivery Only

Delivery Only establishments typically share these characteristics:

  • Establishment prepares its own food.
  • Customers only order the food for delivery and cannot eat at the establishment.
  • Is not a delivery service that delivers food prepared by other establishments.

Basic Requirements

Things to Do on Tripadvisor must meet the following criteria:

  • Must be of interest to travelers
  • Must be family-friendly
  • Must abide by our Animal Welfare Policy
  • Must be currently open or taking reservations for a future opening date

A permanent Attraction/Point Of Interest (POI) is a permanent place in nature or one that is man-made that travelers may visit. Permanent Attractions/Points of Interest must meet the following guidelines:

  • Must have an official name and a permanent address.
  • Must be open and available to the general public.
  • Must be open for at least 12 consecutive weeks of the year.

Examples include, but are not limited to: shops, museums, nature areas, statues, and more. To sign up as a Permanent Attraction/Point Of Interest, go here.

Exceptions:

  • Performances must operate at one venue for at least 24 consecutive weeks of the year.
  • Events lasting less than 12 weeks must be non-travelling events happening at one location.

Restrictions

The following do NOT qualify to be listed as Things to Do:

  • Cities, towns or airports.
  • Businesses or clubs that require an application or membership to join/use the facilities

If a place or business meets our Things to Do listing guidelines, it may display in multiple categories:

Boat Tours & Water Sports

Include tours and experiences that involve boating, paddling, surfing, diving, and other water-related activities.

Casinos & Gaming

Include casinos, dog tracks, and horse tracks.

Classes & Workshops

Include single and/or multi-day classes and workshops lasting 30 days or fewer. Classes are led by a teacher or guide and allow travelers to learn, make, or build something at a permanent location.

Concerts & Shows

Include long-running shows at a permanent location. This includes plays, ballets, symphonies, operas, theatre companies, and the theatres or venues where performances are held.

The following do NOT qualify to be listed:

  • Performances operating less than 24 consecutive weeks of the year.
  • Traveling shows or shows on tour, which continuously move from one venue to another venue.

Events

Events listings are designed to show Tripadvisor travellers temporary Things to Do, such as festivals, parades, and things that happen on an annual basis in one location.

Food & Drink

Includes wineries, breweries, pub crawls, food tours, cooking classes, and farmers markets. (If the property serves food, you can request it as a Restaurant instead.)

Fun & Games

Covers a range of activities, including (but not limited to) go-karts, bowling alleys, movie theaters, mini-golf, indoor rock climbing, live-escape games, and shooting ranges.

Museums

Include art, history, science, local interest, specialty, and archival museums.

Nature & Parks

Include mountains, beaches, caves, parks, and geologic formations.

Nightlife

Includes bars and clubs. Bars include all types of bars where people go for drinks. (If the bar serves food, you can request it as a Restaurant instead). Clubs include dance clubs and comedy clubs.

Outdoor Activities

Cover a range of outdoor experiences and places, including (but not limited to) treks, bike tours, horseback riding, scuba diving, hot air balloon rides, ski areas, parks, golf courses, and beaches. Gear rentals may qualify to be listed; allowed rentals include bicycles, skis, snowboards, snowmobiles, surfboards, boats, kayaks, segways, scooters, motorcycles, ATVs, or specialty/classic/sports cars.

The following do NOT qualify to be listed:

  • Blood sports (see our Animal Welfare Policy).
  • Multi-day surf camps.
  • Car rentals.
  • Rentals of electronic equipment (cell phones, tablets, GPS units, etc.)
  • Rentals of personal items (baby strollers, beach umbrellas, cameras, etc.)

Shopping

Shopping should have specific interest to travelers. This includes malls, specialty stores, antique stores, gift shops, and flea or street markets. This includes malls, specialty stores, antique stores, gift shops, and flea or street markets.

The following do NOT qualify to be listed:

  • Businesses whose primary purpose is to provide a service such as money exchanges, banks, laundry services, electricians, plumbers, mechanics, and related services.
  • Online-only businesses.
  • Pop-up, mobile, or non-permanent businesses.
  • Businesses that sell animals.
  • Businesses whose primary purpose is selling guns.
  • Businesses whose primary purpose is selling adult-oriented, erotic merchandise.

Sights & Landmarks

Cover a range of notable points of interest, including (but not limited to) monuments, statues, boardwalks, architecturally significant buildings, religious sites, ancient ruins, and historical sites.

Tours

Includes tour operators, organizers, agencies, individuals, or businesses that operate tours, activities, classes, cruises, and experiences for travellers.

Spas & Wellness

Includes traditional spa facilities (with massages or facials), gyms or health clubs with day passes, and yoga or Pilates studios with drop-in classes. Gyms or health clubs must offer day passes to travellers and not sample passes designed to promote joining a private club or signing up for membership.

The following do NOT qualify to be listed:

  • Gyms that require membership.
  • Hair and nail salons.
  • Multi-day yoga retreats.
  • Mobile massage services.

Transportation

Includes taxi services, ferries, trams, limos, public transportation systems, private shuttles, and other non-guided options.

The following do NOT qualify to be listed:

  • Car rentals.
  • Ride-share companies.

Traveler Resources

Include visitor centers, libraries, health clubs and other facilities that provide information and services to travellers.

Water & Amusement Parks

Include permanent, large-scale water parks, amusement parks, and theme parks.

The following do NOT qualify to be listed in Water & Amusement Parks. They are listed in the Fun & Games category:

  • Children's play centers.
  • Public swimming pools.

Zoos & Aquariums

Include places where people can go to see or to interact with animals.

The following do NOT qualify to be listed in Zoos & Aquariums. They are listed in the Nature & Parks category:

  • Farms with animals to pet.
  • Animal rehabilitation centers.
  • Other properties which are not formal zoos or aquariums.

Basic Requirements

Accommodations on Tripadvisor must meet all of the following criteria:

  • Must be open to the general public.
  • Must have an official name.
  • Must have an official address at a single, permanent location.
  • Must be open for 12 consecutive weeks of the year at a single, permanent location.
  • Must have multiple rooms/units.
  • Must be able to accommodate more than one guest/group of guests at a time.
  • Minimum stay should NOT be longer than 7 nights.
  • Must be currently open or taking reservations for a future opening date.

Restrictions

The following do NOT qualify to be listed as accommodations:

  • Property management companies.
  • Reservations/booking companies.
  • Multiple units under the same company, but located in different locations (e.g. a group of cabins located over a large mountain area).
  • Any accommodation that is a section or group of rooms within another accommodation. A possible exception to this guideline: if the section is entirely separate (different building, entire floor, separate tower) and has an official name and separate business license.

Accommodation Categories

Our editors assign each accommodation listing to one and only one accommodation category:

  • Hotels - see requirements
  • B&B and Inns - see requirements
  • Specialty Lodging - see requirements

To be in a particular accommodation category, we need to verify ONE of the following:

  1. The accommodation meets the category requirements. The required services must be listed on the accommodation's official website and any reservation partner's website.
  2. The accommodation holds an official business license issued by a local governmental or tourism authority, and that license identifies the specific type of accommodation as defined by local authorities.

We do NOT accept the following as licenses:

  • Health permits.
  • Food and beverage licenses.
  • Tax documents.
  • Fire/police/safety permits.
  • Insurance documentation.
  • Any document not provided by an official governmental or tourism source.

Holiday Rentals

Tripadvisor does not list accommodations that are for exclusive use by one guest/group at a time. Such properties may qualify for a holiday rental listing.

Register your holiday rental at Tripadvisor Holiday Rentals.


To be listed in Hotels, an accommodation must meet our Accommodation listing guidelines AND meet all of the following criteria:

  • A front desk is open and staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
  • Check-in hours can have a start time, but should not have a designated end time.
  • Daily housekeeping is included in the room rate.
  • Private bathroom for each unit.
  • Minimum stay should not be longer than 3 nights.

In select countries, some specially-designated accommodations are displayed with Hotels. These accommodations are editorially selected and not available by request. Currently, these include Onsen Hotel, Onsen Ryokan, and Ryokan, all in Japan.


To be listed in B&B and Inns, an accommodation must meet our Accommodation listing guidelines AND meet all of the following criteria:

  • Daily on-site management.
  • Daily housekeeping included in the room rate.
  • Minimum stay should not be longer than 3 nights.

Note: We may, on a case-by-case basis, allow B&Bs with only one room. To qualify, the accommodation must be locally licensed to operate as a B&B, and it must be listed with local tourism authorities.


To be listed in Specialty Lodging, an accommodation must meet our Accommodation listing guidelines.

Any accommodation that offers shared (dorm-style) rooms will be considered a hostel and will be listed in Specialty Lodging.

Special interest accommodations will be listed in Specialty Lodging.


Tripadvisor is not currently accepting new airline listing requests.

In order to be listed on Tripadvisor, airlines must meet the following criteria:

  • Operate a scheduled service under their own brand.
  • Publish fares or schedules to the public.
  • Operate a service that transports a passenger from one point to another.
  • Has been in commercial operation for a minimum of 60 days.

If you are an airline representative and you wish to update contact information on your existing listing, please email us at airlinelistings@tripadvisor.com.

Note: Regional operators for larger airlines may be grouped under the larger brand. Charter air operators are not eligible. Operators of sightseeing flights or helicopters should request a listing as an attraction.


What if a business permanently closes?

Depending on the type of business, our editors may take different actions. As restaurants and attractions tend to close and reopen quite often we flag these listings as CLOSED. Closed Accommodation listings are removed from our site.

If a listing temporarily closes for renovation or seasonal closure, we keep the listing on our site, and we do not mark it as closed.

What if a place or business moves to a new address?

Depending on the type of business, our editors may take different actions. Restaurants and attractions often move within the same city. In this situation, we update the address on the original listing. If they move to a different city, even if the location is just across the city border, the experience of the travellers will be impacted so we mark the original listing as MOVED and create a new one for the new address.

For accommodations, we treat the relocation as a closure, therefore we remove the original listing from our site and create a new one for the new address.

What if a business with a new name opens at the same address as the previous business?

This frequently happens for restaurants, but can also apply to attractions. Our editors will mark the original listing as CLOSED and create a new listing for the new business. In order to update the existing listing, we must be able to verify that the business is exactly the same, other than the name change.

Accommodation names are updated to the new name.