My only two experiences of being asked by hotel management *not* to include a place in a guidebook was a five-star that was adamant it did not want to be in a Lonely Planet guide and have backpackers traipsing through (they’ve neglected to notice that backpackers get old and grown-ups use guidebooks too), and a chic Turkish Med hotel that thought it was too cool for Gulf travellers (expats & Arabs) and did not want to be included in a hotel round-up I was doing for an in-flight magazine. Snobbery and racism were the reasons in these cases, so we included the properties in both cases.

A few years ago I was flying to the city of Oaxaca, Mexico and the couple next to me were owners of a hotel. They responded poorly when I told them I write about travel. “We were included in a guidebook and the author didn’t ask our permission,” they huffed in a rather indignant manner. This gave me pause – do I ask permission of everyone I include in a list of where to stay and eat?

It seems to me that these owners are seeking control, fine if the tourism numbers are consistent but terrible once the numbers start dropping. What we saw in Oaxaca 2006-2008 was that tourism businesses thought that things would get better and better, but the social conflicts led many simply to close their doors forever.

My advice to the owners of tourism businesses – take publicity and recommendations when you can get them. My advice to media (old school, new school or next school) is to be respectful of those who provide tourism services. If they don’t want to be mentioned, then don’t mention them. My advice to all – let’s see if we can see the bigger picture: how do we encourage the type of travel that respects locals and visitors. That’s what I’d call responsible travel.

When they returned they immediately set out to see how much land had been cleared. It turned out to be roughly what could be done with a stone ax.

So they went to the headman, “What happened? Did the ax break?” to which he replied “No! The ax was wonderful. Now we can sleep two more hours every day!”

I’d definitely leave places out of a guidebook if the owner requested it. How can an owner ever be “wrong” when it comes to his or her own life and possessions? Isn’t it all about journalistic integrity? Who’d want to go where ultimately they’re not wanted? And why would I want to send them there?

james

There’s always that thrill at turning up at somewhere unknown and feeling you’re ‘discovering’ it – as a writer or as a traveller. But that’s not to say those small places in middle of nowhere with the interesting owners stop being a joy when they’re in the books. Also not everyone pushes up the prices instantly when popularity grows. I meet a lot of owners who deliberately cap their prices as they don’t want to price people out so they only attract the rich. That’s always heartening.

The irony is that the more a hotel owner succeeds in keeping her property out of the mainstream guidebooks, the more a travel hack who stumbles on the place will want to write about it. Who doesn’t want to find that mythical converted farmhouse at the end of a dirt road, with its flagstones, open fire and twinkly eyed proprietor? (Who just happens to be an unsung genius in the kitchen, rustling up impromptu late night snacks for her guests while her husband sits in the corner playing Spanish guitar.) You know what I’m talking about. How much *joy* does it give you to write about a hotel/restaurant/art gallery which has a slick PR machine?

I think David sets out a good approach and makes it clear that it’s more case-by-case than cut-and-dry. It’s worth putting some thought though. I think I’d be inclined to ask why they are against the idea. It could be prejudices against a certain type of publication or scepticism about the writer’s motivations; it could be based on a bad experience in the past; there could be staffing or money issues behind the scenes; or perhaps a place is planning to close. Now I think if it that last scenario happened to me recently.

Out of interest – can people opt out of the Michelin guides? I do agree that having a Michelin star is a huge amount of pressure (and huge rewards). A Michelin star certainly carries more weight than a passing recommendation in a one-off travel feature.

A listing without the owner’s approval, while satisfying some of your readership in the short term, may well give you and your publication a black eye in the long term. Just as readers regularly share reviews today, no doubt there will be services on the horizon that enable destinations to maintain their own white and black lists.

Why not respect their wishes, refrain from immediate publication, and if you truly believe the hotel is a find, maintain a relationship with that hotel? Sure, you run the risk that someone else is going to scoop you, but I have a suspicion that in this vague new world, people are going to know if we did something contrary to what was requested.

I can’t say I’ve had the problem you mention, but I’d do one of the following:

1. If the owners are genuinely hostile to foreigners, then I shouldn’t be recommending it in the first place. It’s out.
2. If they request to be left out, and it’s touch and go whether it’s the right place for the readership, then I’d probably leave it out.
3. If they request to be left out, but it’s dead right for the readership, it goes in. BUT, it goes in with a detailed description of what the accommodation entails, and why it might not be right for everyone. I’d also be careful not to describe it as a hot new secret hotel or anything that hype-y. I’d play it down if anything, with all manner of provisos.

I always see my obligations as to the reader first, editor second, tourist boards and accommodation providers etc a distant third. If in doubt, I’ll refer to that priority list.

Interesting dilemma, though.