Palm Stays

Terms of Service

These Terms govern your access to and use of the Palm Stays Platform as a guest, host, or visitor. Please read them carefully — they form a legally binding agreement.

Effective: 22 April 2026Last updated: 22 April 2026

1. Acceptance of Terms

These Terms of Service ("Terms") are a legally binding agreement between you and Palm Stays Real Estate Rental Platform (CR 153813-1, Kingdom of Bahrain) and, where applicable, Palm Stays LTD (Company No. 17171694, England & Wales) — together referred to as "Palm Stays," "we," "us," or "our."

By accessing, creating an account, listing a property, or making a booking on the Palm Stays website or mobile applications (the "Platform"), you agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, you must not use the Platform.

2. The Role of Palm Stays

Palm Stays is an online marketplace that connects travellers ("Guests") with property owners and managers ("Hosts") who offer short-term and extended accommodations.

  • Palm Stays is not a party to any rental or booking contract between a Host and a Guest — that contract is between the Host and the Guest directly.
  • Palm Stays does not own, operate, or control listed properties.
  • Palm Stays provides the booking, payment processing, messaging, and trust-and-safety tools that enable the transaction.
  • Where Palm Stays acts as the property manager for certain listings, we operate in a dual capacity and disclose this on the listing.
Hosts are independent third parties. Palm Stays reviews listings for quality and compliance but does not guarantee the condition, legality, or safety of any property beyond our verification checks.

3. Eligibility & Accounts

  • You must be at least 18 years old and legally capable of entering into a binding contract.
  • You must provide accurate, current, and complete information and keep it updated.
  • You are responsible for all activity under your account and must keep credentials confidential.
  • One account per person. Duplicate, fake, or bot accounts will be terminated.
  • You must not be on any sanctions list or prohibited from doing business under applicable law.

4. Guest Terms

4.1 Making a Booking

When you confirm a booking, you form a direct contract with the Host. You are responsible for (a) paying the total amount shown, (b) following the house rules, and (c) the conduct of your entire group.

4.2 Check-in, Stay, and Check-out

  • Follow check-in and check-out times stated on the listing.
  • Respect maximum occupancy — no additional guests without the Host's written consent.
  • No illegal activities, excessive noise, parties, smoking (unless explicitly allowed), or pets (unless explicitly allowed).
  • Treat the property with reasonable care. You are liable for damage beyond normal wear and tear.

4.3 Accurate Information

You must provide accurate guest numbers, arrival details, and identification when requested. Misrepresentation may result in cancellation without refund.

5. Host Terms

5.1 Listing Accuracy

  • All listing information (title, photos, amenities, location, pricing, house rules, cancellation policy) must be accurate, up to date, and not misleading.
  • Photos must be of the actual property. Stock imagery or properties you do not have the right to list are prohibited.
  • Pricing displayed must be final for the stay; hidden fees collected off-platform are prohibited.

5.2 Legal Authority

You represent and warrant that (a) you own, operate, or have the legal right to short-term rent the property; (b) the property complies with all applicable laws, building codes, zoning, tax, and licensing requirements; and (c) you hold all necessary permits.

5.3 Host Obligations

  • Honour confirmed bookings. Host-initiated cancellations may incur penalties and affect your listing's ranking.
  • Keep your calendar and pricing up to date.
  • Respond to guest messages within 24 hours.
  • Deliver the property clean, safe, and as described. Provide accurate check-in instructions.
  • Comply with local tax registration and remit any required taxes.

5.4 Payouts

Guest payments are held by our payment provider and released to the Host after check-in (typically 24 hours after guest arrival), subject to any holds required for damage claims or investigations.

6. Communication Rules (Host ↔ Guest)

Clear, respectful, and on-platform communication protects both Hosts and Guests. These rules are mandatory and enforced.

6.1 Stay on the Platform

  • All pre-booking and during-stay communication must occur through the Palm Stays messaging system.
  • Do not exchange phone numbers, emails, external links, social media handles, or payment details before a booking is confirmed.
  • Requesting or making payments outside the Platform (bank transfer, cash, other apps) is a serious violation and grounds for immediate account termination.

6.2 Response Times

  • Hosts must respond to booking inquiries and messages within 24 hours.
  • During a stay, Hosts should respond to urgent issues (lockouts, critical failures) as quickly as reasonably possible, ideally within 1 hour.

6.3 Respectful Conduct

  • No harassment, hate speech, threats, discriminatory language, or sexually inappropriate content.
  • No discrimination based on race, religion, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, or marital status.
  • Do not pressure guests to write positive reviews or leave negative reviews under duress.

6.4 Privacy & Data

  • Information obtained about another user through the Platform may only be used for the purpose of the booking. Using it for marketing, solicitation, or any external purpose is prohibited.
  • Do not disclose another user's personal information to third parties.

6.5 Emergencies

In case of a safety emergency, contact local emergency services first, then notify Palm Stays at safety@palmstays.co.

7. Bookings & Payments

  • Payment is taken at the time of booking confirmation.
  • Accepted payment methods are shown at checkout and may include international cards, Benefit, Apple Pay, and other regional options.
  • All prices are displayed in Bahraini Dinar (BHD) unless otherwise stated. Currency conversions are performed by your bank at their rates.
  • A booking is only confirmed when you receive a written confirmation from the Platform.
  • We may place temporary holds or request identity verification before releasing funds.

8. Cancellations & Refunds

8.1 Host Cancellation Policies

Each listing displays a cancellation policy (e.g., Flexible, Moderate, Strict, or custom). The applicable policy at the time of booking governs your refund rights.

8.2 Guest-Initiated Cancellations

Guests may cancel through the Platform. Refunds are calculated according to the listing's cancellation policy and processed back to the original payment method within 5–10 business days.

8.3 Host-Initiated Cancellations

Hosts who cancel a confirmed booking may incur financial penalties, calendar blocks, and listing demotion. Guests affected by Host cancellations will receive a full refund and, where possible, rebooking support.

8.4 Extenuating Circumstances

In rare events such as declared natural disasters, government travel bans, or documented serious illness, Palm Stays may override cancellation policies and issue full or partial refunds at our discretion.

9. Service Fees & Taxes

  • Guest service fee: A percentage of the subtotal, shown clearly at checkout before payment.
  • Host service fee: A percentage deducted from the payout, disclosed during listing setup.
  • Taxes: VAT, tourism levies, and other applicable taxes are calculated and displayed at checkout. Hosts remain responsible for any tax they are required to collect and remit directly.
  • Fees may change with 30 days' prior notice.

10. Reviews & Ratings

  • Reviews must be honest, based on first-hand experience, and written in good faith.
  • No fake reviews, review-trading, incentivised reviews, or reviews from parties other than the actual booker or host.
  • Reviews containing hate speech, personal information, or unrelated content will be removed.
  • Palm Stays may remove reviews that violate these Terms.

11. User Content & Licence

When you post content on the Platform (photos, listings, reviews, messages, etc.), you grant Palm Stays a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicensable licence to host, use, reproduce, adapt, publish, and display that content for the purpose of operating, promoting, and improving the Platform. You retain all ownership rights.

You represent that you own or have the right to post the content and that it does not infringe any third-party rights.

12. Prohibited Conduct

You must not:

  • Use the Platform for any illegal purpose or in violation of any laws.
  • Attempt to bypass the Platform to book or pay off-platform.
  • Manipulate reviews, rankings, or search results.
  • Scrape, crawl, or otherwise harvest Platform data.
  • Introduce malware, attempt to breach security, or interfere with other users.
  • Use the Platform to send spam or unsolicited communications.
  • Impersonate another person or misrepresent your affiliation.
  • Discriminate against users based on protected characteristics.
  • List a property you have no legal right to rent.

13. Damage, Liability & Insurance

Guests are responsible for damage to the property caused by them or their group beyond normal wear and tear. Hosts may request a security deposit or file a damage claim through the Platform within 72 hours of check-out, supported by evidence.

Hosts are strongly advised to maintain appropriate property and liability insurance. Palm Stays may offer optional host protection programmes; these are supplementary and subject to their own terms.

Palm Stays is not responsible for personal injury, property damage, or loss of personal belongings incurred during a stay, except to the extent caused by our gross negligence or wilful misconduct.

14. Disputes & Resolution

  1. Contact the other party first through Platform messaging to attempt resolution.
  2. Escalate to Palm Stays Support within 72 hours of the issue if unresolved. Provide all relevant evidence (photos, messages, receipts).
  3. Palm Stays mediation: Our team will review evidence from both parties and issue a resolution. Our decision on platform-mediated disputes is final for refund or payout purposes.
  4. Legal recourse: If you remain dissatisfied, you may pursue remedies under the applicable law (Section 19).

15. Suspension & Termination

We may suspend or terminate your account at any time, with or without notice, if you breach these Terms, engage in fraud, create safety risks, or if required by law.

You may close your account at any time through your profile settings. Certain obligations (payments owed, disputes, retention periods) survive termination.

16. Disclaimers

The Platform is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. Palm Stays does not warrant that the Platform will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure.

We do not guarantee the accuracy of listings, the conduct of users, or the suitability of any property for your specific needs.

17. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Palm Stays, its officers, employees, and affiliates shall not be liable for:

  • Indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or punitive damages.
  • Loss of profits, revenue, data, goodwill, or other intangibles.
  • Acts or omissions of third parties, including Hosts and Guests.

Our total aggregate liability to you for any claim arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Platform shall not exceed the greater of (a) the total fees paid by you to Palm Stays in the 12 months preceding the claim, or (b) BHD 100.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law (e.g., fraud, death, or personal injury caused by negligence).

18. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Palm Stays and its affiliates from any claim, damage, loss, liability, cost, or expense (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of (a) your use of the Platform, (b) your breach of these Terms, (c) your violation of any law or the rights of a third party, or (d) your interactions with other users.

19. Governing Law & Jurisdiction

  • For Guests and Hosts located in Bahrain or the GCC: these Terms are governed by the laws of the Kingdom of Bahrain, and the courts of Bahrain have exclusive jurisdiction.
  • For Guests and Hosts located in the UK, EU, or elsewhere: these Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales, and the courts of England have non-exclusive jurisdiction.
  • Nothing in this section deprives consumers of mandatory protections in their country of residence.

20. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be communicated by email or in-app notice at least 14 days before the effective date. Your continued use of the Platform after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

21. Contact

Questions about these Terms? Contact us: