How the Shortlist works
We looked at more than 2,500 places to stay in Bogotá. The Shortlist 2027 will hold about 100 of them, spread over budgets, types, and neighborhoods. A place earns the word "Best" on this site only by making that list.
The gold seal above marks Shortlist places. Until the Shortlist 2027 is published, no hotel on the site carries it.
We do not publish a scoring formula. A formula invites hotels to game it, and it hides the judgment calls that matter. Instead, here are the principles we apply to every candidate.
- Guest ratings and review counts. These come from our booking partners and are updated regularly. A high rating from many guests counts for more than a perfect score from a handful.
- Location. We look at the neighborhood, the distance to the places travelers go, and the street itself.
- The Bogotá Five. Our five local checks, explained below. Our aim is a complete Bogotá Five for every Shortlist place.
- Editorial judgment. We compare candidates side by side within each category and choose. Data narrows the field; a person makes the call.
- A visit, where possible. When we visit a hotel, the page says so, with the date and the name of the person who went.
No hotel pays to be listed. Commission plays no part in the choice, as our affiliate disclosure explains.
Shortlist categories
Every budget deserves a best, so the Shortlist is split into categories. A well-run hostel competes with other hostels, not with 5-star hotels.
- Best Overall: the strongest all-round choices for a first visit.
- Best Luxury: 5-star hotels and top 4-star hotels. See luxury hotels in Bogotá.
- Best Boutique: smaller hotels with their own character. See boutique hotels in Bogotá.
- Best Value: high guest ratings at a lower price level than others in the same area.
- Best Hostel: hostels for budget travelers, judged against other hostels.
- Best Aparthotel: suites and apartments with hotel services, for stays of a few days to a few weeks.
- Best for Layovers: places near El Dorado, Bogotá's international airport. See hotels near Bogotá airport.
- Best Near the US Embassy: for Americans traveling with a partner to a visa interview, or on other consular business. See hotels near the US Embassy.
- Best in [Neighborhood]: the top choices per area, such as Best in Chapinero or Best in Usaquén. See where to stay in Bogotá.
A place can appear in more than one category. A hotel can be Best Value and Best in Chapinero at the same time.
The Bogotá Five checks
The Bogotá Five are five things that are different in Bogotá from back home, and that booking sites rarely report per hotel. Each check is a small icon in a bar at the top of every hotel page and on every hotel card.
- Safe StreetNot yet checked
- Warm RoomNot yet checked
- Quiet NightNot yet checked
- Airport MinutesNot yet checked
- Tax-Free PriceNot yet checked
This is how the bar looks before any check is done: five gray icons, each labeled "Not yet checked". Right now, that is what you will see on hotel pages.
| Check | What we look at | What "checked" means |
|---|---|---|
| Safe Street | How the block around the hotel feels by day and in the evening, whether an app taxi can drop you at the door, and how reception handles visitors. | We confirmed the street situation ourselves, by day and in the evening, and wrote down what you can do. |
| Warm Room | Heaters or extra blankets, hot water, and windows that close properly. | The hotel or its official website confirmed what is in the room, with a date. |
| Quiet Night | Whether the hotel sits on a nightlife street, which rooms get noise, and whether rooms are soundproofed. | We confirmed the noise situation and, where it helps, which rooms to ask for. |
| Airport Minutes | Travel time to El Dorado at a quiet hour and at rush hour, and whether a shuttle runs, free or paid, and from what time. | The times were measured at a set hour on a set day, and shuttle details were confirmed with the hotel. |
| Tax-Free Price | Whether the hotel applies the VAT (IVA) exemption for non-resident foreign tourists, and what it asks you to show at check-in. | The hotel confirmed how it applies the exemption, with a date. |
A check turns green only after it is confirmed, and it always shows the month and year. We never color a check green because of the area, the star rating, or the chain. An unchecked item stays gray with "Not yet checked", so you can see exactly what we know and what we don't.
Visited, Checked, or Data-checked
Every hotel page carries one of three statuses, so you know how we know what we say.
- Visited [Month Year] by [name]: a person from our team stayed or inspected the hotel, with notes and photos.
- Checked [Month Year]: one or more of the Bogotá Five were confirmed with the hotel or on its official website.
- Data-checked [Month Year]: the page is based on guest ratings, review counts, facilities, and distances from our booking partners only.
Today, hotel pages show "Data-checked October 2026". Pages will move up to Checked or Visited as that work is done, never before. If you ask us whether we have been to a hotel, you will get an honest answer.
How distances work
Distances are measured in a straight line from each hotel to the landmark, as the crow flies. We round to 0.1 km below 2 km (about 1.2 miles) and to whole kilometers above that.
A straight line is not a route. Bogotá traffic can double journey times at rush hour, so we never turn a distance into walking or driving minutes. Travel times are shown only where we've checked them, under Airport Minutes.
The yearly update
The Shortlist is renewed once a year. Guest ratings and review counts are refreshed regularly in between, and the Bogotá Five for Shortlist places are rechecked on a fixed schedule.
Places also fall off. Each yearly update includes a section called "left the list, and why", with a short reason for every place that dropped out. A rating that slipped, a check that failed, or a hotel that closed are all reasons we will name.
When we don't recommend a place
Some places to stay in Bogotá have too few guest reviews to judge fairly. We may still list basic facts about them, but we do not recommend them, and they cannot carry the word "Best".
The same goes for places outside the Shortlist in general. They get an honest description with "Book it if" and "Skip it if" notes, but no seal. If you think we got something wrong, tell us through our contact page. The background to the site is on our about page.