Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Guest Smell (“Guest Smell,” “we”) collects, uses, and shares information when you use the Guest Smell™ website and services (the “Service”). By using the Service you agree to this Policy.

1. Information We Collect

We collect the following categories of information:

• Account data — name, email, hashed password, role (guest / host / admin), account creation date.
• Property data (hosts only) — property name, address, city, country, description, external booking links, uploaded photos, freshness metrics.
• Booking & turnover data (hosts only) — guest name, check-in / check-out dates, cleaner email if provided.
• Payment data — payment method type, billing zip, last-4 of card. Full card numbers are handled by Stripe and are never stored on our servers.
• Usage data — pages viewed, searches performed, badge downloads, share events, IP address, browser type.
• Google Calendar data (only if a host connects their Google account) — OAuth refresh token and the ability to create / update / delete events on the connected calendar. We do not read your existing calendar entries.

2. How We Use Information

• To provide, operate, and improve the Service;
• To issue, verify, and revoke Guest Smell™ certifications;
• To process payments and send billing receipts;
• To send transactional email (welcome, certification decisions, turnover reminders);
• To send occasional product updates (you can opt out at any time);
• To detect fraud, enforce our Terms, and comply with legal obligations.

3. How We Share Information

We share information only with the following categories of recipients:

• Stripe — payment processing.
• Resend (via Emergent) — transactional email delivery.
• Emergent Object Storage — hosting of host-uploaded photos.
• Google — only if a host connects their Google Calendar (calendar event creation only).
• Legal & safety — when required by valid legal process or to protect the rights and safety of Guest Smell™, our users, or the public.

We do not sell your personal information.

4. Cookies & Similar Technologies

We use httpOnly, secure cookies (access_token, refresh_token) to keep you signed in. We use minimal first-party analytics stored on our own servers to understand aggregate product usage. We do not use third-party advertising cookies.

5. Data Retention

We retain account and property data for as long as your account is active, plus a reasonable period thereafter to comply with legal obligations (typically 7 years for financial records). You can request deletion of your account and associated personal data at any time (see Section 7).

6. Security

We protect your information with industry-standard measures: TLS/HTTPS in transit, at-rest encryption for backups, bcrypt-hashed passwords, httpOnly cookies for sessions, and least-privilege access controls. No system is 100% secure — please use a strong unique password and enable multi-factor authentication where available.

7. Your Rights

Depending on where you live you may have the following rights:

• Access — request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Correction — ask us to correct inaccurate information.
• Deletion — ask us to delete your personal information (subject to legal retention obligations).
• Portability — request your data in a machine-readable format.
• Opt-out of marketing — unsubscribe via the link in every marketing email.
• California residents (CCPA) — right to know, delete, and opt out of “sale” of personal information (we do not sell). Non-discrimination for exercising any right.
• EEA / UK residents (GDPR) — right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority.

To exercise any right, email chaloundaw@gmail.com. We respond within 30 days.

8. Children

The Service is not directed to children under 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. If you believe we have, please contact us and we will delete it.

9. International Transfers

Guest Smell is operated from the United States. If you access the Service from outside the U.S., your information will be transferred to, stored, and processed in the U.S. Where required by law we use appropriate safeguards (e.g., Standard Contractual Clauses) for international transfers.

10. Changes to This Policy

If we make material changes we will notify you by email and post a notice on the Service before the changes take effect.

11. Contact

Guest Smell™ — data controller
Registered in Texas, United States
Full mailing address available upon written request (for GDPR / CCPA data-controller identification)
Email: chaloundaw@gmail.com