Terms & Conditions

1. General Terms

About Our Service

https://www.holidaystays.co.za is a South African accommodation search engine. We automatically index publicly available information from accommodation providers' own websites and, where a property is connected, from its booking system, so that travellers can discover and compare places to stay and contact the property directly. We do not provide accommodation services ourselves, and we do not act as a booking agent or intermediary for reservations.

Acceptance of Terms

By using our website, you agree to these terms and conditions on behalf of yourself and all travellers included in any enquiries you make through our platform. We reserve the right to modify these terms at any time without prior notice. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date.

Jurisdiction

These terms are governed by South African law. Any disputes arising from your use of our website shall be resolved in the appropriate courts of South Africa.

2. Listings and Property Owners

Listings on Holiday Stays are created automatically by indexing information that accommodation providers have published on their own websites, in the same way a general search engine indexes web pages. Each listing links back to its source and shows when it was last indexed.

If you own or manage a listed property, you may at any time:

• Claim and update your listing via the link shown on the listing page;
• Request removal of your listing via that same link or by emailing [email protected] — we will unpublish it and mark the property so it is not re-published by future indexing.

We may contact property owners about their listing (for example to verify details, hand over the enquiries we relay, or offer optional upgrades) using the business contact details published on their own website.

3. Enquiries and Bookings

Important: We are not a booking agent. Where a listing offers an enquiry form, we forward your enquiry — including the contact details you provide — to the property by email, and the property responds to you directly. Any booking, payment, cancellation, or refund for accommodation is arranged directly between you and the accommodation provider, on their terms. We do not:

• Process payments for accommodation
• Make or hold reservations on your behalf
• Guarantee that a property will respond to your enquiry, or guarantee availability or pricing
• Handle cancellations or refunds
• Resolve disputes between guests and accommodation providers

4. Paid Owner Services

Basic listings are free for property owners. We may offer property owners optional paid upgrades (such as premium listing placement and enhanced presentation). Where offered, the applicable pricing, billing cycle, and cancellation terms are shown at the point of purchase, and payments are processed by a third-party payment provider — we do not receive or store card details.

Paid upgrades affect only how a listing is presented and ranked. They are never a condition of being listed, do not change the free access guests have to the platform, and do not constitute an endorsement or verification of a property by us.

5. User Responsibilities

As a user of our platform, you are responsible for:

• Verifying all information independently before making any booking decisions
• Contacting accommodation providers directly to confirm availability, pricing, and terms
• Ensuring you have valid identification, passports, visas, and other travel documents
• Obtaining appropriate travel insurance to protect against cancellations, illness, or other risks
• Understanding and complying with the individual terms and conditions of each accommodation provider

6. Website Use

Permitted Use

You may use our website for legitimate personal and non-commercial purposes only. You may not use our website for:

• Harmful, illegal, or fraudulent purposes
• Publishing offensive, defamatory, or copyrighted material
• Creating or sending unsolicited commercial communications
• Attempting to gain unauthorized access to our systems
• Interfering with the website's operation or other users' experience

Intellectual Property

Property names, descriptions, and images shown in listings originate from the respective accommodation providers' own published material and remain the property of their rights holders. The compilation, structure, design, and software of our website are protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. You may view content for personal, non-commercial use; you may not scrape, reproduce, redistribute, or create derivative works from our website without written consent. Rights holders who believe material is shown in error can request its removal at [email protected].

Owner Accounts

If you create an account on our owner portal to manage a listing, you are responsible for:

• Maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and one-time passcodes
• All activities that occur under your account
• Notifying us immediately of any unauthorized use
• Providing accurate and up-to-date information

7. Information Accuracy

Listing information is gathered automatically from publicly available websites and connected booking systems, and parts of it (such as summaries and descriptions) may be structured or condensed using automated tools, including AI. We re-index sources periodically, but information may be out of date or contain errors, and prices, availability, and property details are subject to change without notice. We do not conduct physical inspections of properties.

You should always verify all information directly with the accommodation provider before making any commitments.

8. Limitation of Liability

We shall not be liable for any damages arising from:

• Your use of information obtained from our website
• Interactions with accommodation providers, including unanswered enquiries
• Cancelled bookings, pricing disputes, or service issues
• Errors or omissions in property information
• Website downtime or technical issues
• Actions of third-party websites we link to
• Travel delays, cancellations, or changes

Our maximum liability, if any, shall be limited to the direct costs you incurred in using our website.

9. Website Availability

We strive to maintain continuous website availability but cannot guarantee uninterrupted service. We may temporarily suspend the website for maintenance or updates, restrict or terminate access for users who violate these terms, modify or discontinue features without notice, or remove or update property listings at any time. We provide our website "as is" without warranties of any kind.

10. Privacy and Data Protection

Our collection and use of personal information — including how listings are created from publicly available information, what happens to enquiry details, and the analytics and AI services we use — is described in our Privacy Policy, prepared with reference to the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). By using our website, you consent to the collection and use of your information as described there.

11. Termination

We may terminate or suspend your access to our website immediately, without prior notice, if you breach these terms and conditions, engage in illegal or harmful activities, attempt to compromise our website's security, or misuse our platform or services. Upon termination, your right to use our website ceases immediately.

12. Contact Information

For questions about these terms and conditions, email [email protected] or visit https://www.holidaystays.co.za.