Should your hotel be on Wikipedia or Wikidata? Rules and what you can do (2026)

Updated: 10 November 2026

Many hoteliers think about creating a Wikipedia article or a Wikidata item for their hotel. First, it helps to know the rules. We read the official pages of Wikipedia (English, Spanish and Italian), Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons and the Wikimedia Foundation (links at the end). Where we could not confirm something, we say so.

First: is your hotel «notable» for Wikipedia?

Spanish Wikipedia's notability guideline asks for «significant coverage in reliable sources that are independent of the subject».

These do not count as independent: your own website, advertising, press releases or anything written by people linked to the hotel.
Existing is not enough: you need articles by others that cover the hotel in detail.
It is a presumption: even with sources, the community can decide not to include the article.
English Wikipedia's plain guide puts it simply: if that coverage does not exist yet, wait.

If it is your hotel, you have a conflict of interest

English Wikipedia's conflict of interest guideline:

It gives the literal example of an editor who owns a company and edits articles about it: that is an actual conflict of interest.
COI editing is «strongly discouraged»; with a close financial relationship, you are advised not to edit the affected articles.
Italian Wikipedia also covers promoting your own organisation, product or service, and asks you to declare it; otherwise your account may be blocked or your edits removed.

What you can do on Wikipedia

Declare your connection to the hotel on your user page and on the article's talk page.
Propose changes on the talk page (on English Wikipedia, with the {{request edit}} or {{edit COI}} templates). Other editors decide and may decline.
For a new article on English Wikipedia, the guide recommends «Articles for creation», where it is reviewed before going live.
Fix factual details (address, opening year) by offering a reliable source, always through the talk page.

If you pay someone to do it

Wikimedia Foundation Terms of Use (amendment approved on 25 April 2014):

Anyone who receives, or expects to receive, payment for editing must disclose their employer, client and affiliation.
Disclosure goes on their user page, on the talk page or in the edit summary.
If you hire an agency, ask it to do this. The same conflict of interest guidelines apply to it.

Promotional text: what we confirmed

Advertising and press releases do not count as independent sources.
Wikipedia has speedy deletion criteria, but we could not open those pages today, so we do not quote which criterion applies to promotional text.
Practical tip: write in a neutral tone, with no brochure adjectives, and only facts backed by an independent source.

Photos on Wikimedia Commons

Wikipedia's images are hosted on Wikimedia Commons, which only accepts free content:

Recommended licences: CC BY-SA 4.0, CC BY 4.0 and CC0.
Non-commercial (NC) and no-derivatives (ND) licences are not accepted: anyone may reuse the photo, including commercially.
The rights belong to whoever took the photo. If a photographer took it, you need their permission to publish it under a free licence; English Wikipedia's guide mentions a licence statement on the company's website or permission by email.
Only upload photos you can license this way.

Wikidata: different criteria

Wikidata's notability page says an item is acceptable if it meets at least one of these criteria:

It has a valid link to a page on Wikipedia or another Wikimedia project.
It refers to a clearly identifiable entity, which must be notable and describable with «serious and publicly available references».
It fulfils a structural need, for example to make statements in other items more useful.
If you create your hotel's item, add public, independent references to each statement.
Wikidata has a page on conflict of interest that we could not read: we do not state what it says.

What to do instead (or first)

Earn independent sources: local press, guides and your destination's tourist office. They are the basis of any article.
Keep your website clear and consistent: name, address, contact, services.
Check your listing on OpenStreetMap: see our OpenStreetMap guide.
We do not know how each AI assistant uses Wikipedia or Wikidata: none of this guarantees appearing in an AI.

What we could not confirm

Today we could not open Wikipedia's speedy deletion criteria, Wikidata's conflict of interest page or the rules of Portuguese and Greek Wikipedia. Nor the full Terms of Use page (we did read the resolution that amends it).

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Frequently asked questions

Can I write my hotel's Wikipedia article myself?

It is strongly discouraged: as the owner you have a conflict of interest. Declare your connection and propose changes on the talk page; for a new article on English Wikipedia, use «Articles for creation». First, check that independent sources exist.

Can I pay an agency to create it?

Wikimedia's Terms of Use require anyone paid to edit to disclose employer, client and affiliation. English Wikipedia very strongly discourages paid editors from editing articles directly.

Can I upload my photos to Wikimedia Commons?

Yes, if they are yours or you have the photographer's permission, under a free licence such as CC BY-SA 4.0. Non-commercial licences are not accepted.

Sources

More guides for hotels

More guides for hotels →

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