In This Article View All In This Article Our Product Recommendations Our Hotel Recommendations Meet Our Team Contact Us How We Recommend Products and Hotels Product and hotel recommendations from Travel + Leisure are purely editorial and independent. Our editors occasionally have the opportunity to review a product or a hotel via a media sample or visit, respectively; however, we never agree to positively review something. We want to experience a product or a property the same way that you would so that we can give you our honest, unbiased opinion. We will always tell you what we like and what we don't like so you can trust our recommendations. If you choose to click through from our product or hotel recommendations to the retailer site or booking platform, respectively, and make a purchase, we may receive an affiliate commission. That said, we are not loyal to any one specific retailer, brand, or booking site, and we only make recommendations our experts, editors, and writers believe are really worth your money. We are also committed to ensuring that our content reflects the diversity of our audience and are committed to finding diverse sources, contributors, testers, and writers for our roundups. Read more about T+L's diversity pledge. Read more below to learn more details about the research and first-hand experience behind all our product and and hotel recommendations. Our Product Recommendations Travel & Leisure / Vicky Wasik We diligently research, test and curate our lists of product recommendations. We are constantly scouring the landscape for the latest product releases, from luggage to noise-cancelling headphones and tents. Once we've identified the best products, we'll test them, both in our labs and at home and in the real world, allowing us to give you the unbiased advice you need to decide what to buy. How We Test Products All our product recommendations are based on rigorous, hands-on evaluation conducted both in our product testing lab in New York and by editors when they're using products on trips. Our testing teams also collaborate with subject matter experts and other trusted sources to ensure that every product review is complete and unbiased. When we test, we do the work for you. First, we scour the internet to find the best options available in every product category based on our expertise, customer reviews, and more. We also interview subject matter experts to find out the products they recommend and what consumers should consider when shopping for a particular item. Then, we purchase products to test in our lab or send out for real-world testing by T+L editors. For each test, we develop a thorough methodology to make sure every product goes through the same test, allowing us to compare them effectively. As we test, we capture photos, videos, and personal insights from our editors and testers to provide our readers with a behind-the-scenes look at our process and provide readers with unbiased, honest feedback about each item. Only when we decide we really love a product (and that it offers value for your money) do we recommend it to you. How We Find Deals Our news and deals team is constantly scouring the internet to stay up to date on the latest product launches, sales, and must have sell-outs. Our writers live and breathe products, working with our product testers and lab team to share why they love a particular product, and then help you find the best deal on it. When it comes to Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Prime Day, rest assured our team is working day and night to make sure you know what’s really a bargain buy. Safety All products, including those we review and recommend, may from time to time be subject to recalls or revised use recommendations. We, therefore, urge you to monitor any official announcements from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) that may be related to products you purchase and it is always best to register your purchases with the manufacturer so you can get alerted if a recall is issued. Our Hotel Recommendations Our hotel recommendations follow a similarly rigorous process. We ensure that any property we recommend to you has been thoroughly vetted by our experts, editors, and writers. All hotel recommendations that we feature on our hotel roundups must align with T+L's Hotel Values. When determining whether a hotel is worth your time and money on a vacation, these are the criteria we use. We consider the quality of the property's rooms and on-site amenities, the level of service and standout experiences available to guests, whether (and how) the property accommodates and welcomes all travelers who may stay there, and more. Find more information here about each of the attributes we prioritize when curating our lists. We also rely on first-hand experience and knowledge from travelers who have been to these destinations and properties. Our editors and writers are constantly traveling around the world and gaining on-the-ground insights about hotels they stay at along the way; we collect those insights in a robust database to refer back to when making hotel recommendations — if a member of our staff or vast writer network didn't absolutely love a property when they visited, you won't find it on any of our lists. Our annual hotel awards are another way in which we can gain valuable insight about the best hotels around the world. For our World's Best Awards, readers have the opportunity to vote for their favorite hotels, and those nominations are then vetted by T+L editors (with the help of and external research firm Proof Insights) to curate and finalize the awards that only highlight the best of the best. Our editors also constantly keep track of the best new properties each year. We name the top 100 new and renovated hotels around the world in our It List franchise. Every winner is vetted with an overnight visit by someone on our team, and our hotel recommendation lists site-wide are updated regularly with these additions. Meet Our Team Jamie Hergenrader Commerce Director, Travel Group Jamie Hergenrader is the Commerce Director of the Travel Group at Dotdash Meredith where she leads the content strategy of product reviews and recommendations for the company's travel brands. She joined the company in 2018 and has nearly a decade of experience writing and editing for travel and lifestyle publications. Read more Susan Brickell Editorial Director, Travel Commerce Susan Brickell is an Editorial Director, leading news/deals commerce and strategy for Dotdash Meredith’s travel vertical, which includes Travel + Leisure. She joined the company in 2019 as a senior editor for Shape and Health and has more than a decade of experience writing and editing fashion, beauty, lifestyle, health, travel, and home decor content for print and digital publications. Her byline has appeared in Better Homes & Gardens, ELLE Indonesia, Fitness, Hunker, Real Simple, Runner’s World, What to Expect, Women’s Health, and more. Susan has a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing from Florida State University and a Master of Fine Arts in Nonfiction Writing from Sarah Lawrence College. Read more Morgan Ashley Parker Associate Editorial Director, Travel + Leisure Commerce Morgan Ashley Parker is an associate editorial director at Travel + Leisure where she works on commerce content and strategy. She has been writing and editing lifestyle content since 2007, traveling since birth, and shopping since she earned her first allowance. Read more Jasmine Grant Senior Commerce Editor Thirteen years of experience as a writer and editor in lifestyle, entertainment, and travel media.Graduated from The College of Mount Saint Vincent with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication.Focuses on luggages, bags, and travel accessories. Read more Lydia Price Senior Commerce Editor Lydia Price is a senior commerce editor at Travel + Leisure, where she writes and edits reviews about outdoor products in addition to hosting short-form videos across digital platforms. She earned a B.A. from Yale before starting her career at People magazine. Read more Kayla Becker Senior Commerce Editor, News and Deals Kayla Becker is a Senior Commerce Editor for Travel + Leisure, where she writes and edits stories about travel products, news, and deals. She was previously an editor at Fodor's Travel and editor for ShermansTravel. Kayla holds bachelor's degrees in English and Communications from Florida State University. She minored in Hospitality and French. Read more Jackie Cucco Commerce Testing Editor Jackie Cucco is a Commerce Testing Editor at Travel + Leisure, where she assigns, edits, and writes travel-related product reviews based on in-depth product testing. She previously worked as a travel agent, has a Master’s degree in journalism, and has over six years of experience creating gift guides and writing about various products. She has made over 100 TV appearances discussing consumer products and shopping trends. Read more Sophie Mendel Commerce Editor Sophie Mendel is a commerce editor at T+L, covering the fashion and beauty beat. Currently based in New York City, she has traveled to more than 50 countries and is bilingual in English and Spanish. Sophie has a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan and over five years of professional writing and editing experience. Read more Hillary Maglin Updates Editor Hillary Maglin is an associate commerce editor at Travel + Leisure who’s been covering travel products since 2018. Her work has also been featured in publications such as People, InStyle, and more.Travel + Leisure updates editor Hillary Maglin has written and edited hundreds of shopping articles for T+L as well as other Dotdash Meredith publications including People, InStyle, Real Simple, and Rachael Ray in Season.She was a freelance writer and reporter covering current events, pop culture, fashion, and celebrities. She was an editorial intern at Rachael Ray in Season before becoming an assistant editor, associate editor, and eventually editor at Travel + Leisure. While at Travel + Leisure, she has also worked on the brand's Webby Award-nominated social media team Read more Taylor Fox Commerce Editor Taylor Fox is the Commerce Outdoor Gear Editor at Travel + Leisure where she tests, researches, and writes about travel products. Taylor holds a Master’s in Geography and has been a writer and editor for over nine years. Read more Emily Belfiore Commerce Writer, News/Deals Emily Belfiore is a commerce writer for Travel + Leisure, covering product news and deals. Her work has also appeared in Allure, Byrdie, InStyle, Real Simple, Shape, and more. Read more Merrell Readman Commerce News and Deals Writer, Travel Merrell Readman is a Commerce News & Deals Writer, using her passion for lifestyle journalism to support the commerce team at Travel + Leisure. Merrell covered health, fitness, and commerce content for mindbodygreen. She graduated from Fordham University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. Read more Anna Popp Associate Editor Anna Popp is a New York-based commerce writer at Travel + Leisure covering all of the best travel products, from luggage to outdoor gear. She has been a travel writer and product tester for over five years. Read more Alexandra Domrongchai Alexandra Domrongchai is a food and travel writer based out of New York. With years of experience in the restaurant industry, food culture research, and as an avid traveler traveling she joins Travel + Leisure as a Commerce Writer where in addition to supporting the commerce team, she writes about all the best travel gadgets and more. Read more Contact Us If you have questions, comments, or opinions you’d like to share with our team of editors, please feel free to email us at commercefeedback@dotdash.com.