Legal
Privacy Policy
Last updated: October 2026
1. Who We Are
DirectBookings is operated by DirectBookingHost LLC (the "Brand"), based in Walnut Creek, California, USA. We provide a website builder and management platform for short-term rental hosts. Contact: support@directbookinghost.com.
2. Information We Collect
Host account data: name, email address, and billing information (processed by Stripe — we do not store credit card numbers).
Property data: rental listings, photos, pricing, policies, waivers, and message placeholders you create.
Guest data (collected on your behalf): name, email, phone number, booking details, waiver signatures, IP addresses, user agent strings, and check-in timestamps. You are the data controller for guest data; we act as a data processor.
Phone number & SMS consent: when you provide your mobile phone number and opt in, we collect your number and a record of your consent (date, time, and the opt-in source) so we can send you SMS text messages.
Usage data: pages visited, features used, browser type, and device information. We plan to use Google Analytics for aggregated usage insights.
3. How We Use Your Data
We use your data to: operate and improve the Service; process payments via Stripe; send transactional emails (booking confirmations, check-in links, reminders); send SMS text messages to numbers that have opted in (account and booking notifications, reminders, and related updates); store waiver signatures and rental agreements for legal compliance; provide customer support; send product updates (you can opt out).
4. Data Sharing
We do not sell your personal data. We share data only with: Stripe — for payment processing; Resend — for transactional email delivery; Twilio — for SMS text message delivery to numbers that have opted in; Google Analytics — for anonymized usage analytics (consent required); Meta (Facebook) — via Meta Pixel for advertising measurement on our marketing pages (consent required); Reddit — via Reddit Pixel for advertising measurement on our marketing pages (consent required). We may disclose data if required by law or to protect our legal rights.
We do not sell or share your SMS opt-in data or personal information with third parties for marketing purposes.
5. SMS / Text Messaging
DirectBookingHost LLC sends SMS text messages only to mobile numbers that have expressly opted in. Messages may include account and booking notifications, check-in information, reminders, and related service updates.
Consent: By providing your mobile number and opting in, you agree to receive SMS messages from us. Consent is not a condition of purchase. Message and data rates may apply, and message frequency varies.
Opt-out: You can cancel SMS messages at any time by replying STOP. After you reply STOP, we will send one confirmation message and will not send any further SMS messages unless you opt in again. For help, reply HELP or email support@directbookinghost.com.
We do not sell or share your SMS opt-in data or personal information with third parties for marketing purposes. SMS opt-in data is shared only with our SMS delivery provider (Twilio) for the sole purpose of transmitting the messages you requested.
6. Data Storage & Security
All data is stored in the United States on encrypted PostgreSQL databases. Sensitive data (waiver signatures, IP addresses) is stored securely. We use HTTPS for all data transmission. Passwords are securely hashed and never stored in plain text. We do not store credit card numbers — all payment data is handled by Stripe.
7. Data Retention
Account data: retained while your account is active. Permanently deleted upon cancellation.
Waiver signatures & rental agreements: retained while your account is active. Permanently deleted upon cancellation.
Guest booking data: retained while your account is active. Deleted upon cancellation or data deletion request.
Usage analytics: aggregated data retained indefinitely; individual session data retained for 26 months.
8. Your Rights
You have the right to: access your personal data; correct inaccurate data; delete your account and data (subject to legal retention requirements); export your data; opt out of marketing communications. To exercise these rights, email support@directbookinghost.com.
9. Guest Rights
Guests whose data is collected through your booking site may contact you directly to exercise their privacy rights. As the data controller, you are responsible for responding to guest data requests. We will assist you in fulfilling these requests upon your instruction.
10. Cookies & Tracking
We use the following types of cookies and tracking technologies:
Essential: Authentication and session management. These are strictly necessary — no consent required.
Analytics (consent required): Google Analytics 4 for aggregated usage insights. Only loaded after you grant cookie consent. You can reject or withdraw consent at any time using the banner at the bottom of the page.
Marketing (consent required): Meta Pixel (Facebook), Reddit Pixel, and Google Ads conversion tracking on our marketing and sign-up pages only. Never loaded on guest-facing booking websites. Only loaded after cookie consent is granted.
Host-configured tracking: Hosts may configure their own Google Analytics or Facebook Pixel for their guest-facing booking website. When present, those scripts are also gated behind cookie consent on the guest site.
Withdrawing consent stops future data collection but does not affect data already collected. To withdraw, visit any page and click "Cookie preferences" in the footer (or clear your browser's local storage for this site).
11. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)
California residents have the right to: know what personal data we collect; request deletion of personal data; opt out of the sale of personal data (we do not sell data); not be discriminated against for exercising privacy rights. To make a request, email support@directbookinghost.com.
12. Children's Privacy
The Service is not intended for users under 18. We do not knowingly collect data from children.
13. Data Breach Notification
In the event of a data breach that affects your personal information, we will notify affected users via email within 72 hours of becoming aware of the breach, as required by California law. We will also notify relevant authorities as required.
14. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes via email at least 30 days before they take effect.
15. Contact
For privacy questions or data requests, contact us at support@directbookinghost.com.