Why we turn down most deals, and what is left

A few weeks ago, Dennis asked in a team meeting why our deal pipeline appears to grow so slowly when dozens of supplier proposals come in each week. The answer is that at Favotrip we turn down the majority. Not out of difficulty, but because we believe our offer must consist of packages we ourselves want to travel on. As editor in chief I see these rejections every week, and below I explain what we filter on and why.

Our input: about 80 proposals a month

Our deal sources fall into three channels. One: hotel chains and smaller independents that submit their own promotions. Two: tour operators and bed wholesalers (TUI Musement, Phantasialand B2B, GetYourGuide, Viator) offering us activity-plus-hotel combinations. Three: direct partner deals (wellness resorts, spas, others) where we have long-running voucher arrangements. Around 80 proposals come in per month. Of those, 14-18 actually make it onto the site, around 18-22 percent acceptance. We are strict because our offer should reflect our view, not the sum of what partners send us. A platform that takes everything is a platform without an opinion; at Favotrip we want one.

Criterion 1: hotel rating of at least 7.5 on Booking

The first filter is brutally simple: the hotel must score at least 7.5/10 on Booking.com with more than 200 reviews. Below 7.5 you sit in a grey zone with raised risk of a disappointing bed, a tired bathroom or a worn-out reception. We at Favotrip do not want the "under £60 it is fine" mentality: our customers book with us because they trust we have filtered for them. A significant share of submitted deals already fails here. Wellness package hotels in our line-up average 8.4, hotels in our German cities sit between 8.1 and 8.7, Paris partners 8.2-8.9. Below 7.5 you would get older seaside boarding houses; we do not take those, even where the margin is good.

Criterion 2: a clear activity clause

The second filter is about the activity in the package. What exactly is included? How many hours? Which guide? What extras do you pay on the spot? If the supplier is vague ("visit of about 2 hours to the brewery" without dates, guide info or detail), the deal goes back. Good example we say yes to: the Beck's brewery tour in our Bremen package. Two hours, guided tour in German or English, ends with a tasting of four Beck's variants, no on-site upcharge. We have kept that package since our first month in 2024 because the tour is genuinely good, and the operator partner behind this deal has reserved a fixed slot with the brewery. Recent bad example I rejected: a spa package where the small print said the "included Aufguss session" was a choice between 11 a.m. or 3 p.m., and if neither was available it would be "replaced by a voucher". That kind of ambiguity does not pass with us.

Criterion 3: real discount, no fake reduction

We run our own price check. Our rule: the offered deal must be at least 15 percent cheaper than booking the same components separately on Booking, Expedia or the operator's own site. A supplier who says "42 percent off" while the "original price" is a phantom room never sold at that level falls out immediately. We recalculate: two months of sampling, three dates per month. This is, incidentally, what the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) keeps an eye on, and what large OTA platforms picked up substantial fines for in 2025. We do not want to be on that list, and more importantly: we do not want to lie to our customers about what a discount actually is. Around 35 percent of proposals fall here. That is our biggest hurdle, and we deliberately keep it that way.

Criterion 4: cancellation policy must be human

A package with "no refund on cancellation up to 14 days before arrival" gets sent back from me, unless we can negotiate a softer line. Our customers often book three to four months in advance, and life happens. We want at least 50 percent refund up to 30 days before arrival, and free cancellation up to 60 days before the first night. That is not the OTA norm, but we have the luxury to demand it because we keep volume in our own hands. Suppliers who will not move on this do not get a slot. This is also a negotiation point Dennis pushes hard: he picks up the phone personally with hotel chains to bend that condition. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. If not, and the deal is otherwise excellent, we still put it online with an explicit warning in the product description. Transparency costs more than silence; we would rather pay that bill.

What we also reject: overly promotional language

Softer filter but real. Suppliers who turn up with copy stuffed with "unforgettable", "once-in-a-lifetime", "world-class experience", we ask for a factual description. If they refuse, the deal goes back. A Paris hotel tried three times to deliver a text in which the word "luxurious" appeared eight times without saying they have 32-square-metre rooms with a Nespresso machine. After three rounds we cancelled, even though the price was good. We believe our readers prefer factual description, and the return statistics bear that out. At Favotrip a product description should describe the package, not sell it. Industry bodies like ABTA have for years pushed for fair and verifiable advertising; that lines up with what we ask of suppliers internally.

What is left, and what that means for you

Of 80 proposals, 14-18 remain per month. Distribution: 4-5 new city-break packages, 2-3 wellness, 2-3 theme park/family, 3-4 road trips, 2-3 voucher renewals. The on-site portfolio currently consists of more than 280 active deals, of which 40-50 are refreshed weekly via partner APIs. For you as a visitor: what you see on our site has passed through all the filters. That is not scarcity marketing, it is the reality of a platform that refuses to put everything in the shop window. Two years ago we were less strict and the complaint rate was higher. Since then our NPS score has risen from 32 to 48. We think that is connected.

Why we are proud of this

When you see a Favotrip deal on the homepage, it has been through at least four filters before going online, plus a sample check, plus a personal sign-off from Dennis or Jeanne. That may sound unnecessarily heavy for a holiday package, but we believe that is exactly what sets us apart. Our repeat rate (booked once, books again within 18 months) sits at 28 percent, which is at the very high end for our trade. That is what selectivity produces over time, and that is what makes Favotrip. Below the packages that have actually passed these filters.