By hosting on MiniStays, you agree to abide by our terms and policies, including our Terms of Service, which we reserve the right to enforce at our sole discretion. In the event of repeated or severe violations, we may suspend or permanently deactivate a person’s account.
In order to protect our community and business, the following behaviors are prohibited:
Taking people off of the MiniStays platform for new, partial, or future bookings
- Contacting potential guests prior to booking on MiniStays to move the booking off of MiniStays. (ex: offering discounts to book off of MiniStays)
- Asking guests to fill out forms, or call, email, or otherwise contact you via a non-MiniStays communications service prior to accepting booking requests.
- Canceling existing full or partial reservations and having guests rebook off of MiniStays
- Asking or encouraging guests to book outside of MiniStays for repeat or future bookings
- Including links or embedding buttons that take people off of MiniStays to another website in any messages to guests. (ex: footers, headers).
Asking guests for, or using, contact or identity information in ways unrelated to their stay, or that compromise the quality of their stay
- Asking guests for contact information prior to booking; all guest communications prior to booking must be on MiniStays
- Soliciting guests for their email, mailing address, or other communications channels using the MiniStays messaging system or email alias after a booking
- Asking guests to send photos of their government ID prior to arrival except where required for legal or compliance reasons as outlined below
- Asking for or using guests’ contact information to settle additional payments outside of MiniStays’s platform. All payments related to a guest’s stay, including extensions of a stay, must go through MiniStays. (besides exceptions identified below)
- Using contact information provided by MiniStays for other purposes that violate our Terms of Service
- Selling, sharing, or using guest contact information for marketing communications or signing guests up for contact lists
Exceptions
- You may require additional contact/identity information if it is required for legal or compliance reasons and can be verified by a Host upon request by MiniStays (such as local laws, HOA rules, building security rules). In such instances, Hosts must include information about what is required and why in their listing description, so guests understand this additional step is a requirement prior to booking. Hosts are responsible for ensuring compliance with applicable data privacy laws.
- After accepting a booking, you may ask a guest to confirm that the contact information provided by MiniStays is an appropriate way to get in touch during their trip or if the guest requests an alternative or communication after booking
- You may use an alternative means of communicating with a guest if requested by a guest after booking. However, you must ensure such communications comply with the other requirements of this policy
Taking people off of the MiniStays platform for feedback and reviews
You may not ask guests to review a MiniStays stay on a non-MiniStays website or fill out a survey regarding a MiniStays stay on a non-MiniStays website unless you are an approved hotel partner. These actions take valuable input about a guest’s stay away from the MiniStays community. We want guests to share their feedback directly on MiniStays so that other guests may benefit from their insights.
Requiring guests to use other websites or apps to physically access their listing
- Asking guests to create a separate account or register on another website besides MiniStays.com for purposes of gaining entry to a listing
- Asking guests to install a third-party app to access a listing. All listings on MiniStays should be accessible to a guest without requiring they have another app or account
Exceptions
- Additional registration or installation of additional apps is permitted where it’s required for legal or compliance reasons. A Host can verify in writing upon request by MiniStays (such as local laws, HOA rules, building security rules). In such instances, Hosts must include information about what is required, and why, in their guest-facing listing description, so guests understand this additional step is a requirement prior to booking.
- Keyless entry apps and apps that facilitate a guest’s experience during the stay (ex: Sonos, Nest, concierge apps) as long as they are optional
