The Crescent Ranking (CR) is a service benefiting both the supply-side ("halal-friendly" hotels) and the demand-side (Muslims wanting to have a guest experience consistent with their way of living) within the tourism market. "Halal" is a technical term in the Arabic language usually translated as "permissible from the perspective of Islamic law (sharia'ah)." This study examines the transparency of the top and bottom 10 hotels listed on the CR site. First, we compared the hotel profile as per the CR listing with the hotel's own website. Next, we examined guest reviews on a wordof-mouth proxy site (booking.com), paying particular attention to the feedback of non-Muslim guests. Following this analysis, self-styled "Islamic" hotel managers were interviewed to triangulate the data. We found "Islamic" hotels to be intransparent to their guests seeking an Islamically compliant holiday and also to those seeking a conventional hotel experience. We suggest several reasons hotels misrepresent themselves-"self-orientalization", a necessity to present "nice Islam", an "ethics gap", and/or a poor understanding of marketing and market positioning. We consider regulation of the "Islamic" hotel industry to be a mechanism policy makers, and managers could, adopt to become transparent and to protect demand-side (guests) rights. Regulation would also differentiate hotels operating an Islamic business model and those merely offering a few simple services appreciated by Muslim travellers. This paper examines the self-presentation of Islamic hotels on the Crescent Rating (CR), a reference point for Muslim travellers interested in pursuing a hotel experience compatible with their personal beliefs and observant way of life, and compares this presentation to that on their own websites. The CR differentiates hotels across areas of practice for Muslim travellers-halal food, prayer facilities, Ramadan service provision, and also nonhalal activities on site such as gambling, nightclubs, licenced restaurants, and bars-up to a maximum rating of 7. Following the comparison of the listings in these two online fora, guest feedback, also online though the word-of-mouth proxy Booking.com, is reviewed. Clarifying these insights is in-depth interviews with hotel managers, which allowed triangulation and verification of the interpretation of the data collected.Islamic hotels are in their infancy and have commonly utilized the standard language of the conventional hotel marketplace-for example, many Islamic hotels refer to a room "minibar" (but offer one that has no alcohol). This opacity can cause some misgivings from guests. Muslim travellers often prefer to stay in sharia'ah-compliant hotels [hotels operated in accordance with Islamic Law], arguing that traditional hotels contradict the moral and ethical norms of Islam (Alserhan, 2015). Conversely, non-Muslim guests, looking for a conventional hotel (e.g., where one may expect bacon to be available at breakfast), are not being informed of the values framework in place in Islamic hotels prior to their...