Our curation process is meticulous, rigorous, and entirely transparent
Deep Research: We begin by scouring multiple sources, generating an initial list of 50-150 candidates per destination.
Initial Screening: Filtering for location, design sensibility, checking with other Fora advisors, and evaluating guest comments (the ones we think are real at least) narrows our choices.
Personal visits before booking the hotel weeds out 40-60% of contenders; often we feel weird vibes, or maybe spot that highway in front of the hotel that mysteriously never made it onto the hotel’s website pics.
Hotels passing the initial screening undergo a full test-stay. We scrutinize every detail – from pillow comfort to the “you know it when you feel it” vibe check. Why so rigorous? Because we’ve been burned too many times, and we believe you deserve a hotel that truly matches your expectations.
Only those few exceptional hotels earn our final recommendation—when we say “stay here,” we mean it without hesitation. But let’s be real; there’s no perfect hotel for anyone… we all have different budgets, are at different stages in life, maybe have small kids or want an adults only retreat… so we tell you who each hotel is for.
When you book through Swank, you don’t just save time—you consistently get a better deal than booking yourself. You also help sustain independent hotels, our editorial independence, and sustainable tourism. Here’s why our travelers keep coming back:
Founder Don’s path to The Swank Guide was unconventional. As a kid, he dreamt of architecture and made movies with friends. Though sidetracked into law, a stint in the corporate world, then entrepreneurship in clean energy and sustainable housing, his passion for travel, film, and architecture never faded. Born in Italy, growing up in Paris until he was 5, and living in China for 17 years and Australia for 3 (where he attended architecture school for fun in his 40s), and traveling to over 60 countries, Don channeled his experiences into Swank: a platform built around authenticity, design, and discovery. He gets you because he’s lived your travel frustrations—and triumphs—firsthand. His perfectionist tendencies mean he’s been known to rearrange hotel furniture for better feng shui before filming—leaving confused housekeeping staff in his wake.
A Chicago native, Margaret began studying Chinese at 15—an early curiosity that eventually carried her across the ocean to live in China for five years. Her path through luxury hospitality took her from global hotel brands to independent outdoor resorts in remote corners of the world, shaping a deep appreciation for place, people, and the craft behind unforgettable travel. Along the way, she logged half-marathons across Asia—an endurance that mirrors the way she approaches building the Swank platform: with curiosity, discipline, and a sharp eye for detail.
Brazilian based in Spain, Andressa brings curiosity, warmth, and a thoughtful eye to the world of travel. Although she studied Ancient History, her path naturally led her into the hospitality industry, where she quickly discovered how much she loved shaping meaningful travel experiences.
She’s drawn to the subtle details that give a place its soul, the atmosphere of a beautiful hotel, the rhythm of a neighborhood, the long dinners that stretch late into the night. Travel, for her, lives somewhere at the intersection of art, food, and culture.
Always attentive to the details that shape a journey, Andressa believes the best trips are the ones that feel personal, thoughtful, and effortlessly memorable.
Born in Poland, Zofia is part of the creative force of Swank Guide. Her friends once described her as a “free electron,” and if you spend five minutes with her, you’ll quickly realize she has the energy of someone trying to live three lives at once. As a child, she dreamed of becoming a ballerina, a dream she only finally made real at 21, when she started to learn classical dance.
Her love for art, food, and the slow rhythm of southern Italy and Spain shapes the way she approaches life, work, and the people she loves talking to. She speaks four languages and occasionally forgets which one she’s supposed to be using.
Cape Town-based video editor Duan blends stunning visuals with a sharp eye for detail, bringing each location to life with elegance and style.
Together, we're redefining travel—not just as another website, but as your trusted insiders committed to transparency, authenticity, and unforgettable experiences.
Our goal: To be the world’s most trusted boutique travel recommendation service.
We experience hotels exactly as regular guests do—think Michelin restaurant reviewers: undercover, anonymous, and receiving no special treatment. Every hotel stay is paid from our own pockets. We turn down countless partnership opportunities that would compromise our standards.
Our promise: We only recommend places we’d book for our own families and pickiest friends.
After way too many “but the website looks so different” check-ins, we asked: why isn’t anyone showing what these places are really like—on video? Our solution: grab cameras and document the truth, one perfectly (or imperfectly) designed hotel room at a time.
We’re unapologetically truthful—even our favorite hotels have quirks, and we’ll let you know about those too. No glossing over the flaws that might ruin your precious vacation time.
Our recommendations come solely from our testing process, not commercial relationships. We’re here to cut through the internet quagmire—saving you time, eliminating stress, and ensuring you never waste precious vacation days on disappointment.
We partner with Fora Travel who handles the hotel relationships while we focus solely on curation. This separation is intentional – we’re travel curators and critics, not hotel salespeople. We handle the booking through Fora’s platform, which gets you exclusive perks without compromising our independence.
Our recommendations come solely from our testing process, not commercial relationships. We’re here to cut through the internet quagmire—saving you time, eliminating stress, and ensuring you never waste precious vacation days on disappointment.
