Ranking and Promotion Terms

This document explains how listings are ordered on Zonbook and on what terms a host may buy promotion. It is published under Article 5 of Regulation (EU) 2019/1150 and forms part of the Host Agreement.

1. What ranking means

Ranking is the relative order in which listings are presented in search results, platform listings and landing pages.

2. Main ranking parameters

The order of results is chosen by the guest through the sort control. The parameters are the following and there are no others:

Newest (default order): listings are ordered by publication date, most recent first. It is the default because it depends on no commercial characteristic of the host and gives new accommodation initial visibility.
Price ascending and price descending: ordered by the published price. For long-stay searches the monthly price is used, because that is the figure shown on screen. Listings with no published price are placed last.

Filters applied by the guest (dates, location, capacity, amenities, property type) determine which listings enter the list, not their order within it.

Relative importance: within each criterion, the parameter the guest selected is the only thing determining position. No quality score, average rating, response rate, conversion rate or host seniority is applied.

Direct or indirect remuneration: as at this version, no payment influences ranking. There is no paid placement product and no payment is accepted in exchange for a better position in results. Should that change, this document will be updated before launch and with the notice period in clause 6.

3. Collections and editorial selection

Zonbook publishes themed collections and featured selections on the home page and landing pages. These selections are editorial: the Zonbook team decides them on guest-interest criteria (theme, location, season, catalogue variety). They are not sold, not paid for, and do not alter the order of search results. A host may propose a listing for a collection, which creates no right to be included.

4. Paid promotion

Where Zonbook offers paid promotion products, they will be governed by the following terms, as specified in the relevant order:

Identification. Any paid placement will be clearly and legibly identified as advertising or promoted content, distinguishable from organic results.
What it buys. Promotion buys visibility — a placement for a period or a number of impressions. It does not buy bookings, revenue, clicks or a guaranteed position, and it does not change the order of the organic results described in clause 2.
Price and invoicing. Price, pricing model and period will be stated before purchase. Amounts are invoiced with applicable tax and are separate from the booking commission in the Fees Schedule.
Eligibility. Only published listings may be promoted, holding a valid licence where one is required, with a current calendar and no measures in force under the Service Policy.
Suspension. If during a campaign the listing is unpublished, loses its licence or becomes subject to a measure, the promotion stops and the unconsumed proportion is refunded.
Cancellation. A host may cancel a running campaign; the unconsumed proportion is refunded, except fixed-date placements already reserved and not resellable.
Content. Promoted content must comply with the Service Policy and advertising law. Zonbook may reject or withdraw a promotion that does not, refunding the unconsumed part.
Metrics. Zonbook will provide the campaign metrics available to it. Impression and click figures come from Zonbook's systems and may differ from third-party tools.

5. Prohibited practices

Manipulating ranking by any means is prohibited: fake bookings, duplicate accounts, bought or exchanged reviews, publishing the same accommodation repeatedly as separate listings, or bait pricing that is not actually available. Such conduct is handled under clause 5 of the Service Policy.

6. Changes to ranking

Any change to the main ranking parameters or their relative importance, and the introduction of any paid promotion that influences the order of results, will be notified to hosts and reflected in this document at least 15 days before it takes effect.

7. Questions

Questions about the ranking of a specific listing may be sent to [email protected] and will be handled through the internal complaint-handling system in the Service Policy.