Privacy Policy

TopStays (“TopStays”, “we”, “us”) operates this website and related services (the “Platform”), which lets visitors discover homestays and other properties, adventure activities, and photoshoot locations across Kerala, and submit a request to book them.

TopStays is a booking-facilitation platform, not the provider of any listed property or activity. Every property, activity, and location on the Platform is owned, operated, and controlled by an independent third party (a “Property”). We connect you with Properties and pass your booking request along, but we do not own, run, manage, or supervise any of them. Section 8 below explains what this means for you in more detail — please read it before using the Platform.

We collect information in a few ways:

• Account information. When you sign in with Google, or create an account with an email and password, we receive your name, email address, and a profile identifier. We never see or store your Google or email account password.
• Booking information. When you request a booking, we collect the details you provide — dates, number of guests/participants, your phone number, and any notes you add — so we (and, once confirmed, the Property) can act on your request.
• Property submission information. If you submit your own property, activity, or location through our “List your space” form, we collect what you provide about the property and your own contact details, so our team can review and follow up with you.
• Usage information. Like most websites, our hosting and infrastructure providers automatically log basic technical information (such as IP address, browser type, and pages visited) to keep the Platform secure and working correctly.
• Cookies & local storage. We use strictly necessary cookies/local storage to keep you signed in and to remember basic preferences. We do not use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies.

• To operate the Platform — showing you listings, letting you sign in, and processing booking requests.
• To verify a booking request with the relevant Property and keep you updated on its status.
• To respond to you when you contact us, including via WhatsApp.
• To review property/activity submissions sent through “List your space”.
• To maintain the security, integrity, and proper functioning of the Platform.
• To meet legal, regulatory, and accounting obligations.

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use it for third-party advertising.

• The Property you book. To fulfil a booking request, we share what's necessary with the Property — typically your name, contact number, and the details of your request.
• Service providers. We use third-party infrastructure to run the Platform — currently Supabase (database, authentication, and file storage) and Vercel (hosting) — who process data on our behalf under their own security and confidentiality commitments, solely to provide these services to us.
• Legal reasons. We may disclose information if required by law, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of TopStays, our users, or the public.

We keep your information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Platform, resolve disputes, and meet our legal obligations. You can ask us to delete your account and associated personal data at any time (see Section 9) — we'll action this except where we're required to retain certain records (e.g. for legal or accounting reasons).

We use reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your information, including encrypted connections (HTTPS), access-controlled databases, and industry-standard authentication. That said, no method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, and we can't guarantee absolute security.

The Platform is not directed at, and we don't knowingly collect information from, children under 18. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact us and we'll remove it.

This section is important, so we're stating it plainly: TopStays is an aggregator and booking-facilitation platform only. We help you discover Properties and pass along your booking request; we do not own, operate, manage, inspect, or control any Property listed on the Platform, and we are not a party to the arrangement between you and the Property.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law:

• We do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, safety, legality, or quality of any listing, Property, or activity, including photos, pricing, amenities, or availability shown on the Platform.
• We are not responsible for the acts, omissions, conduct, negligence, or misrepresentations of any Property, its staff, or any third party you interact with through the Platform.
• We are not responsible for any injury, illness, death, loss, theft, property damage, or other harm arising from or connected to your stay, activity, photoshoot, or visit to any Property — whether caused by the Property, another guest, or any other third party.
• We are not responsible for cancellations, delays, no-shows, disputes over refunds, or changes made by a Property, though our team will always try to help mediate in good faith.
• Any dispute arising from your stay, activity, or booking is between you and the Property directly — TopStays is not liable for the outcome.
• You use the Platform, and engage with any Property found through it, entirely at your own risk and discretion.

Nothing in this section limits any liability that cannot be excluded under applicable law.

Depending on where you're located, you may have rights to access, correct, or delete your personal information, or to object to certain uses of it. You can manage most of this yourself from your account, or contact us and we'll action your request.

We may update this policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we'll update the “Last updated” date above, and where appropriate, let you know directly.

Questions about this policy or your data? Reach us via the WhatsApp link on the site, or through the contact details we provide there.