Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy – Local Host

Effective Date: September 2, 2025

1. Introduction

Welcome to Local Host’s Privacy Policy.

At Local Host (including Local Host S.A.L., Local Host FZCO, Local Host LTD, and Local Host IKE and our subsidiaries and affiliates, collectively “Local Host”, “we”, “us”), transparency guides how we operate. This Policy explains, in clear terms, how we collect, use, disclose, protect, and otherwise handle personal information across our website (the “Site”), guest/owner portals, any blogs, email/WhatsApp communications, and related offerings (together, the “Services”).

It also outlines your choices and rights regarding Personal Information (data that identifies or can identify an individual) and how to contact us.

Please read this Policy carefully before using the Services. By continuing to use the Services, you acknowledge this Policy. For any questions, contact privacy@thelocalhost.com.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information necessary to deliver the Services

To provide the Services, we may collect:

Identity & Profile: full name, postal address, date of birth; where required by law: passport/ID details or similar identifiers.

Contact: email, phone number, WhatsApp number, mailing address.

Payment/Billing: billing address and payment method details (processed by authorized third-party payment partners).

Bookings & Transactions: reservation details (property, pricing, dates/times), invoices/receipts, lease agreements and information in them.

2.2 Information collected automatically

When you browse or interact with the Site/Services, we automatically collect certain technical and usage data, alone or via third-party tools and cookies, such as IP address, device/browser data, on-site actions, and approximate location. For details, see our Cookie Policy.

2.3 Information you choose to provide

You may voluntarily provide additional information (e.g., emergency contact, preferences, accessibility/dietary notes, survey responses) or when contacting us by phone, email, WhatsApp, or other channels.

2.4 Information from third parties

We may receive data from:

Sign-in providers (e.g., Google),

Booking platforms, payment processors, identity-verification partners,

Affiliated entities and marketing/service partners.

We may combine such data with information you provide to deliver and improve the Services.

3. How We Use Information

We use personal information to:

Provide and manage bookings; verify identity; process payments; send confirmations/invoices.

Communicate with you (email, phone, WhatsApp) about reservations, check-in/out, service updates, and support.

Send service notices (security alerts, technical updates, administrative messages).

Deliver support and respond to inquiries/complaints.

Operate, maintain, and improve the Services and user experience.

Market our offerings including promotions and news we believe may interest you.

Audit, reporting, fraud prevention, and security; protect our rights, users, and staff.

Comply with legal and regulatory obligations (e.g., tax, AML/KYC, guest registration).

Analyze trends and develop new features.

Any purpose disclosed at the point of collection.

4. When We Process Information (Legal Bases)

We process personal information only when a lawful basis applies, including:

Contractual necessity: to perform a booking/lease or take steps at your request.

Consent: for optional uses (e.g., marketing, non-essential cookies, WhatsApp promos). You can withdraw consent at any time; prior processing remains lawful.

Legal obligation: to comply with applicable laws and requests from authorities.

Legitimate interests: e.g., service improvement, security, fraud prevention, and defending legal claims, balanced against your rights and freedoms. If you object on grounds relating to your situation, we will assess and act accordingly.

5. How We Disclose Information

We may share information as follows:

5.1 Service providers (processors)

Trusted third parties perform services for us—hosting, email/SMS/WhatsApp delivery, payments, analytics, identity checks, cleaning/maintenance coordination—under contracts requiring confidentiality and compliance with data-protection laws. Some information (e.g., card details) may be collected directly by these providers to complete a transaction or verification.

5.2 Authorities and legal requests

We may disclose information to public authorities or regulators when required (e.g., tax, immigration, law enforcement) or to comply with court orders and lawful requests.

5.3 Marketing/advertising partners

Where applicable and with your consent, we may share limited data so partners can provide offers or content that may interest you.

5.4 Group companies

We may share within the Local Host for internal operations, consolidated reporting, and support.

5.5 Business transfers

If we undergo a merger, reorganization, or sale of assets, personal information may be transferred in line with this Policy and applicable law.

We do not sell personal information.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, or as otherwise permitted under applicable law. When the applicable retention period ends, we take the appropriate steps to securely delete or anonymize the data. The duration of retention depends on the purpose of the processing and is determined by the following criteria:

Ongoing relationship: We retain your data while your account is active or you continue to use our Services (whether as a guest, property owner, or a simple user of our Site). After the termination of the relationship, we may retain certain data for a limited period where we have a legitimate business interest, such as responding to inquiries, maintaining records for internal administration, or addressing potential legal claims.

Legal and regulatory obligations: Where we are subject to legal, tax, accounting, or regulatory obligations (e.g., Know Your Client and Anti-Money Laundering laws), we retain specific data, such as booking and transaction records, for the period required by the applicable law.

Litigation, security, and compliance: We may retain data necessary to protect our rights, to establish, exercise or defend legal claims, or to cooperate with law enforcement or regulatory authorities. This includes data retention required or advisable in view of statutes of limitations or regulatory investigations.

Consent: Where we process personal data on the basis of your consent (e.g., for receiving marketing communications or enabling non-essential cookies), we retain that data until you withdraw your consent or the data is no longer necessary for the stated purpose. After withdrawal, we may retain a minimal record of your consent and its withdrawal in order to demonstrate compliance with the applicable legal obligations. More information on the retention period of each cookie placed on our Site may be accessed on our Cookie Policy.

7. Your Privacy Rights

Subject to your jurisdiction, you may have the right to:

Access personal data we hold and receive information about processing.

Rectify inaccurate or incomplete data.

Erase personal data in certain cases (subject to legal exemptions).

Restrict processing in specific circumstances.

Object to processing based on legitimate interests or to direct marketing.

Portability of data you provided in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format.

Before acting on a request, we may need to verify your identity. Where permitted, we may charge a reasonable fee for unfounded/excessive requests.

Local Host does not sell personal information for monetary or other valuable consideration. We share data only as described in this Policy.

If you believe we did not act properly on your request, you may appeal to us and/or file a complaint with your local data protection authority. To exercise rights, email privacy@thelocalhost.com.

We will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights.

8. Security & Incident Response

We implement appropriate organizational and technical safeguards, encryption, access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality, and monitoring, to protect personal information against accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, disclosure, or access. If a data breach occurs, we will notify you and relevant authorities where legally required.

9. Interest-Based Advertising

We (and third-party partners) may use cookies/identifiers to understand activity over time and across sites/devices to tailor ads. This may include pages viewed, timestamps, referral URLs, and device/browser identifiers (including IP address).

Learn more and opt out of many third-party cookies _________

Non-essential cookies are used only with your consent; you can withdraw it anytime via our cookie banner/preferences or your browser settings.

If you provide your email, we may use a hashed (obfuscated) version for audience matching. Our use of Gmail APIs complies with Google’s Limited Use Requirements.

See our Cookie Policy for details on technologies and retention.

10. Communications from Local Host

By using our Platform, you acknowledge receipt of transactional messages (email/SMS/WhatsApp) necessary to provide the Services: booking confirmations, billing/payment notices, check-in/out info, support replies, and reminders. These are not promotional and are required to perform our contract with you; you cannot opt out of transactional messages.

With your explicit consent, we may send marketing messages (email/SMS/WhatsApp) about promotions, discounts, updates, and accommodation recommendations. You can manage preferences or withdraw consent anytime via the message instructions or privacy@thelocalhost.com. Where permitted, we may contact you about services similar to previous purchases; you can always opt out.

11. Opting Out of Third-Party Collection

Our ad servers and partners may use cookies, web beacons, pixel tags, or similar tech to measure ad performance and relevance. You can learn more and opt out via the links in Section 9 above.

12. Third-Party Sites

Our Services may link to third-party websites or services. Their privacy practices are not governed by this Policy. Please review their policies directly.

14. Children’s Privacy

Our Services are intended for individuals 18+ unless stated otherwise. We do not knowingly collect data from minors without appropriate consent. If you believe a child provided data without consent, contact us to delete it and close any related account.

15. Cross-Border Data Transfers

We may transfer personal data outside your country (including Lebanon, Greece, Cyprus, UAE/Dubai, KSA, and other jurisdictions). Where required (e.g., under GDPR), we use appropriate safeguards such as EU Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs), data-processing agreements, and technical/organizational measures.

16. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Policy to reflect legal, technical, or business developments. The updated Policy will indicate the Effective Date. For material changes, we will provide appropriate notice as required by law.

17. How to Contact Us

Questions, requests, or complaints about this Policy or your personal information can be directed to:

Local Host– Privacy Office

Email: privacy@thelocalhost.com

Address: [Insert Beirut HQ Address]

Local Host Cookie Policy

Effective Date: September 2, 2025

1. Introduction

At Local Host (including Local Host S.A.L., Local Host FZCO, Local Host LTD, and Local Host IKE and our subsidiaries and affiliates, collectively “Local Host”, “we”, “us”), transparency is one of our core principles. This Cookie Policy explains how and when we use cookies and similar technologies on our websites, booking engine, and related Services.

For broader information on how we collect, use, and protect your personal data, please see our [Privacy Policy]

2. What Are Cookies

Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit our websites. They allow us to remember your preferences, ensure secure transactions, and improve site performance.

Cookies may be:

First-party cookies: set by Local Host directly.

Third-party cookies: set by service providers whose tools we integrate (e.g., Google Analytics, OpenStreetMap).

3. Do We Use Cookies

Yes. Local Host uses both first-party and third-party cookies, as well as similar technologies like web beacons. We may occasionally add new cookies for technical reasons to maintain or improve service quality.

4. Categories of Cookies We Use

Strictly Necessary Cookies

These cookies are required for our booking engine and payment systems to function. They support secure transactions and maintain session integrity. Without them, certain features will not work.

Examples: payment security cookies, booking session IDs, technical cookies required for operation.

Functional Cookies

These cookies enable enhanced functionality and personalization. They may store language or locale selection and support third-party integrations like maps.

Examples: locale preferences, OpenStreetMap integration.

Analytics Cookies

We use analytics cookies to monitor traffic and usage, helping us understand how visitors interact with our site and improve performance.

Examples: Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel (if enabled).

Note: Our built-in cookie banner only manages consent for Analytics cookies. Functional and Marketing cookies may require you to manage consent separately (see Section 6).

Marketing/Advertising Cookies

Our system does not automatically handle marketing or advertising cookies (e.g., Google Ads, LinkedIn Insight Tag, Facebook Ads). If you implement these, we recommend integrating a specialized Consent Management Platform (CMP) to ensure compliance.

5. Cookie Consent and Management

Consent by Categories: Users provide or withdraw consent at the category level (not per individual cookie).

Duration: Consent is remembered for 12 months.

Updating Preferences: At any time, you can click on “Cookie Preferences” in the site footer to update your consent choices.

Cross-Device Behavior: Consent is stored per browser/device and does not carry across desktop and mobile.

Geotargeting: Our cookie banner is displayed to users worldwide.

6. Controlling Cookies

You can control cookies via your browser settings. Blocking or deleting cookies may impact the functionality of our booking engine and payment processes.

For guidance, see:

Google Chrome

Mozilla Firefox

Safari Desktop

Safari Mobile

Microsoft Edge

7. “Do Not Track” Signals

Our websites do not alter their behavior in response to “Do Not Track” browser signals.

8. Updates to This Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy to reflect legal, technical, or operational changes. Updates will be posted here, and for material changes, we will provide notice before implementation.

9. Contact Us

For any questions about this Cookie Policy or how we use cookies, contact us at:

Local Host – Privacy Office

Email: privacy@thelocalhost.com