Privacy Policy

GaiaStR collects information you provide directly to us, including:

• Account information: name, email address, password, and role selection.
• Contact information: phone number (when provided for bookings, applications, or support).
• Payment information: processed securely through Stripe; we do not store full card details.
• Identity verification: government ID and tax forms (for hosts) to comply with verification requirements.
• Booking information: check-in/check-out dates, guest count, special requests, Adventure Pass status, scheduling/redemption activity, and related trip/service records.
• Communication data: messages between guests, hosts, and support.
• Usage, device, and verification data: search history, listing views, journey events, browser/device information, IP address, and information collected through cookies or similar technologies. When you choose to use arrival, check-in, checkout, pickup, or completion features, we may also collect event time and device/browser location-verification evidence used for operations, safety, fraud prevention, disputes, and payout evidence. GaiaStR does not intend these trip-verification features to continuously track your background location.

We use your information to:

• Create and manage your account.
• Process bookings, payments, refunds, Travel Credits, Adventure Passes, redemptions, and payouts.
• Facilitate communication between guests, hosts, agents, and support.
• Send required operational platform/dashboard and email communications about bookings, payments, safety, refunds, payouts, account activity, and support.
• Send GaiaStR Phone Alerts / Web Push to devices where you grant browser/device notification permission. Push is separate from SMS consent.
• Send optional promotional email, marketing SMS, and promotional Push only according to the separate preferences/consents applicable to each channel.
• Verify identity, check-in/check-out or service-completion events where enabled, and prevent fraud or misuse.
• Comply with legal obligations.
• Measure platform traffic and performance, understand how users interact with GaiaStR, and improve our platform, listings, and services.

GaiaStR may send SMS text messages to the mobile number you provide. SMS messaging is divided into two categories, each requiring separate optional consent. GaiaStR Phone Alerts / Web Push are a different channel controlled by browser/device notification permission and do not constitute SMS consent:

GaiaStR does not share, sell, rent, transfer, or provide mobile phone numbers, SMS opt-in information, text messaging originator opt-in data, or messaging consent records to third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. All categories described elsewhere in this Privacy Policy exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes.

Mobile information may be shared only with service providers that help GaiaStR operate its messaging program, such as telecommunications, messaging, security, hosting, and customer-support providers. These service providers may use the information only to perform services for GaiaStR and may not use it for their own marketing or promotional purposes.

GaiaStR may disclose information when required by law, to protect legal rights, prevent fraud or abuse, enforce platform rules, or respond to valid legal process. These permitted disclosures do not include sharing SMS consent or mobile information with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes.

Mobile information we collect: mobile phone numbers, SMS opt-in preferences, messaging consent records (informational and marketing, collected separately), and message delivery data.

How we use mobile information: for account verification, reservations, customer support, security notices, payment and refund updates, Host or Traveler communications, check-in and check-out notifications, cancellations, damage claims, important trip alerts, and optional promotional communications (only with separate, explicit marketing consent).

Message frequency varies based on your activity and consent selections. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Promotional SMS consent is optional and SMS consent is not a condition of purchase, booking, registration, applying, or using GaiaStR. You may withdraw consent at any time by replying STOP or updating your preferences in your account dashboard.

GaiaStR is a marketplace, so some information must be shared to provide the service you request. We disclose personal information only for legitimate platform, transaction, safety, legal, user-directed, or service-provider purposes, including:

• Between renters/travelers and Hosts or providers: information reasonably necessary to request, confirm, schedule, communicate about, provide, check in to, complete, redeem, support, or resolve a booking or service. Depending on the transaction, this may include name, contact information, reservation details, trip/service information, and necessary operational messages. GaiaStR does not require either side to receive information unrelated to the transaction merely because they use the marketplace.
• Within GaiaStR: authorized personnel and systems may access account, listing, booking, payment-status, messaging, verification, safety, consent, support, dispute, refund, and payout information as reasonably necessary to operate and protect the platform.
• With payment and financial service providers: including Stripe and participating financial institutions, as needed to process payments, refunds, chargebacks, identity or payout requirements, and Host payouts. GaiaStR does not store full payment-card numbers.
• With operating service providers: such as hosting, email, Push notification, communications, analytics, customer-support, security, fraud-prevention, identity/verification, and professional-service providers, to the extent reasonably necessary for them to provide services to GaiaStR or comply with applicable law.
• At your direction or with your authorization: when you choose to share a trip, gift an Adventure Pass, submit content for publication, connect a service, or otherwise direct GaiaStR to disclose information.
• For legal, safety, fraud, and dispute purposes: when reasonably necessary to comply with applicable law or valid legal process; enforce agreements; investigate fraud, abuse, safety incidents, chargebacks, claims, or disputes; or protect GaiaStR, its users, or others.

GaiaStR does not sell personal information for monetary consideration and is not a data broker. We do not provide personal information to unrelated companies, lead generators, or data brokers for their own independent marketing lists. For avoidance of doubt, mobile phone numbers, text messaging originator opt-in data, and messaging consent records are excluded from all marketing, promotional, advertising, lead-generation, affiliate-sharing, syndication, or business-content distribution described in this Privacy Policy and are not shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes.

Business content, AI-assisted tools, SEO, and marketing distribution. A Host or business may choose to provide or publish business-facing information through GaiaStR, such as a business or listing name, description, categories, location or service area, public business contact information, photos, hours, amenities, offers, links, reviews or other content intended for public display or promotion. GaiaStR may use automated or AI-assisted tools and may transmit, format, optimize, publish, syndicate, or submit that authorized business content to search engines, directories, social networks, advertising or analytics services, AI-enabled tools, marketing platforms, or other third-party destinations in order to provide requested visibility, SEO, advertising, content, listing-management, or marketing services. This business-content distribution does not include text messaging originator opt-in data, SMS consent records, or mobile phone numbers collected for GaiaStR messaging consent.

GaiaStR will not intentionally include private messages, full payment-card information, government identification, non-public verification records, SMS consent records, or other sensitive/private account information in those external business-marketing submissions unless the information is specifically required for the requested service, the disclosure is legally permitted, and any additional authorization required by law or GaiaStR policy has been obtained.

When a user directs or authorizes GaiaStR to connect to, publish through, or submit non-SMS business content to a third-party service, that third party may process, retain, combine, disclose, monetize, or otherwise use that specifically authorized business content according to its own terms, privacy policy, contracts, and applicable law. This paragraph does not apply to mobile phone numbers collected for messaging, SMS opt-in data, text messaging originator consent, or messaging consent records; those items are never transferred to third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. GaiaStR does not control an independent third party’s downstream practices for separately authorized business content and does not promise that every third-party destination follows GaiaStR’s own no-sale policy. GaiaStR will seek to use reputable providers and appropriate contractual or technical safeguards where reasonably available, but users should review the applicable third-party terms when enabling an external integration or publishing destination.

Some U.S. privacy laws use the terms “sell,” “share,” or “targeted advertising” more broadly than an ordinary monetary sale. GaiaStR currently uses Google Analytics as described below. To the extent a particular disclosure or tracking activity is treated as a sale, sharing, or targeted advertising under an applicable law, eligible users may exercise the rights provided by that law as described in Section 8.

GaiaStR uses cookies and similar technologies for functions such as maintaining site or interface preferences and measuring use of the platform. GaiaStR currently uses Google Analytics, which may collect or receive information such as browser/device information, IP-derived information, pages or screens viewed, interactions, and approximate usage information to help GaiaStR understand traffic and platform performance.

Google and other vendors that process information for GaiaStR may process data under their own applicable terms and privacy obligations. GaiaStR does not represent that analytics data is anonymous merely because it is used for measurement.

GaiaStR provides cookie preference controls that let visitors Accept All optional analytics, Reject Optional technologies, or Manage Preferences. Necessary technologies used for security, sign-in, checkout, saved interface preferences, and core platform operation remain available as needed. Google Analytics is not loaded unless analytics permission is granted. Visitors can reopen Cookie Preferences from the GaiaStR footer to change their choice later. Advertising and retargeting tags are not active at launch and will not be enabled without corresponding disclosure and consent controls where required.

Depending on where you live and the law that applies to you, you may have rights to request access to, correction of, deletion of, or a portable copy of certain personal information; to obtain information about certain disclosures; and to opt out of certain processing that applicable law defines as a sale, sharing, targeted advertising, or qualifying profiling. Some jurisdictions also provide a right to appeal a denied privacy request or to use an authorized agent.

• You may update certain account information through GaiaStR or ask us to correct eligible information.
• You may opt out of optional email, SMS, or promotional Push according to the controls available for that channel. SMS consent may be withdrawn by replying STOP or updating applicable preferences.
• You may request account cancellation or deletion of eligible personal data, subject to records GaiaStR is permitted or required to retain for transactions, tax, refunds, disputes, payouts, consent, safety, fraud prevention, security, chargebacks, and legal compliance.
• If applicable law gives you an opt-out right concerning a qualifying sale, sharing, or targeted-advertising activity, you may submit that request to host@gaiastr.com. GaiaStR will evaluate and process verified requests as required by applicable law.

We may need to verify your identity or authority before completing a privacy request. GaiaStR will not discriminate against you for exercising a privacy right protected by applicable law, although fulfilling a request may affect features that require the information at issue.