Sales-Ready Certified™: the criteria, the scoring, and how the mark is lost
A certification you can't fail is a sticker. This page publishes exactly what we evaluate, how the score works, what happens when a property falls short, and how the mark gets revoked. The fee buys the evaluation, never the outcome.
See the standard applied: the Sales-Ready Index scores 25 brands on their public commitments.
The 15 checks, published in full
These are the same 15 checks in our free self-assessment tool. There are no hidden criteria, a property can audit itself today and know where it stands before spending a dollar.
1 · Quiet & Rest
- A genuinely quiet room or floor is bookable on request, verified, not implied by reviews
- Blackout and nighttime noise control work in practice, tested overnight
- Late checkout is reliably obtainable, protecting the post-meeting debrief
2 · Connectivity
- Wi-Fi sustains a 30-minute video call without a drop, I run the call, not a speed test
- A fallback path exists: wired port, strong 5G coverage, or hotspot-friendly policy
- Signal holds in guest rooms, not just the lobby
3 · Work Surface
- A real desk and task chair support 90 minutes of work without improvisation
- Lighting is usable for video: face lit, no forced window glare
- Power is at desk height and sufficient for laptop, phone, and one more device
4 · Client Hosting
- The lobby or bar can host a business conversation at a workable sound level
- Semi-private seating can be reserved or reliably found for sensitive conversations
- Breakfast or meeting-capable space operates before 8am
5 · Admin Speed
- Express checkout produces an instant, itemized folio
- Receipts are emailed automatically, without a front-desk request
- Early check-in requests are handled through a credible, stated process
How scoring works89 words
Each check is pass or fail, worth one point, and tested in the field. We run the video call. We sleep in the room. We ask for the late checkout. We don't read the brochure. The raw score converts to a 0–100 scale. Pass: 80 or higher, with at least 2 of 3 in every dimension. A great lobby cannot buy back a dead zone: one collapsed dimension fails the whole evaluation. Marginal calls go against the property. If we have to debate whether the Wi-Fi held, it didn't.
What failing looks like, and what it costs you (nothing more)
Score below the bar and you get the full report: every check, every observation, dimension by dimension. The fee covers one re-evaluation within 90 days, focused on the failed checks. Fail again and the engagement ends. You keep the report; we keep the standard. The fee is never refunded for a failing score. The evaluation is the product, that is exactly what makes a pass worth displaying. We do not negotiate scores. We do not take payment that depends on passing.
How the mark is revoked
Annual re-evaluation
Certification lasts 12 months. Every certified property is re-evaluated before renewal. No re-evaluation, no renewal, the mark lapses and the directory listing is removed within 7 days of expiry.
Mid-cycle revocation
If revenue travelers report repeated failures on certified checks, and our desk verifies them, we run an unannounced spot re-evaluation. Fail it and the mark is revoked at once. The directory updates within 7 days. The property may not re-apply for 6 months.
The revocation clause is not fine print. A credible mark must be removable when a property no longer meets the published standard.
Portfolio pricing, for the operators who run the flags
Management companies don't buy hotels one at a time, so certification shouldn't sell that way. The evaluation, the criteria, the fail path, and the revocation clause are identical at every tier, only the economics scale.
Portfolio 5-pack, $95,000/yr
Five properties, $19,000 each. One agreement, one renewal date, five independent evaluations, each can pass or fail on its own. Charter rate; $115,000 from July 1, 2027.
Portfolio 10-pack, $170,000/yr
Ten properties, $17,000 each, a documented answer for corporate accounts asking what each property can prove against the Sales-Ready standard. Charter rate; $205,000 from July 1, 2027.
Brand-level flag pilots (15+ properties toward a brand-standard story) are scoped by conversation: rachel@thesalestraveler.com. The pass-rate pledge applies at every tier, portfolio buyers don't get a softer instrument, and that is precisely why the mark is worth buying at scale.
Reserve a portfolio evaluation → Confirmation within one business day · evaluation calendar and MSA in the first reply · no call required to reserve · or message Rachel on LinkedIn.
Quick answers
What does Sales-Ready Certified cost?
$24,000 per property per year at the charter rate ($29,500 from July 1, 2027). Portfolio pricing: 5 properties $95,000, 10 properties $170,000.
Can a property fail the evaluation?
Yes, that's the product. The bar is 80/100 with no dimension below 2 of 3, remediation runs 90 days, and revocation removes the mark from the directory within 7 days.
Does the fee influence the result?
Never. The fee buys the evaluation, not the outcome; pass rates will be published, whatever they are.
Certified evaluation: $24,000 → $29,500 · 5-pack: $95,000 → $115,000 · 10-pack: $170,000 → $205,000 from July 1, 2027. Today's price is the charter rate, held until the first annual re-score edition. Buy at charter and your rate is grandfathered for every uninterrupted renewal. Increases are announced here first, never invoiced retroactively. The step-up isn't a discount trick; it's the published cost of the desk's growing record.
The verdict is never for sale, no purchase on this page can move a score, in either direction. Corrections land in 7 days and live on the public ledger. The full protocol, including your right of reply, is published at /governance/.
Independence, stated plainly
Evaluations are booked anonymously where feasible. The desk runs them, never the property's account contact. Certification revenue and editorial coverage stay separate: holding or losing the mark never changes how we cover a property. Once ten evaluations are complete, we will publish the running pass rate, whatever it is.
Start the evaluation, $24,000/yr → Self-assess free first
$2,000/month billed annually · includes the evaluation, one 90-day re-evaluation if needed, the badge kit, verification link, directory listing, and the annual re-evaluation.