Ecobnb - General Terms and Conditions

Last update: March 2024

Ecobnb provides an online platform which connects owners of eco-friendly accommodation (“Services“), with people interested in sustainable traveling.

The services offered by Ecobnb are accessible on www.ecobnb.com (“Site“) and by mobile device application (“Application“).

By using the Site or the Application, you agree to the terms and conditions of service (“Terms“), regardless of whether you are a registered user on the site or not. These Terms govern the access and use of the Site, Application and Services.

By accessing the website, visiting it, using it and/or using any of the applications available through any platform, and/or making a reservation, you acknowledge and agree to have read, understood and agreed to the terms and conditions set out below (including Privacy and Cookies http://www.ecobnb.com/blog/privacy).

If you do not agree with these Terms, you waive your right to gain information or to continue to use the Site, Application or Services. Failure to comply with these Terms and using the Site Application may result in civil and criminal fines and penalties.

These pages, their content and their structure, and the online reservation of accommodation and private apartments provided through the Site are owned, operated and provided by Ecobnb (“Ecobnb”, “we”, “us”, “our”), and are provided for your personal, non-commercial use only, subject to the terms and conditions set out below.

1. Key Terms

“Traveler” refers to a user requesting any Guest house the reservation of a stay through the Site, Application or Services.

“Accommodation” or “Host” refers to the owner of an ecofriendly hotel accommodation (eg hotels, bed and breakfasts, hostels, holiday homes, camping, private apartments which are in line with the specifications given in “Sustainability”),

“Listing” means eco-friendly hospitality, special offers or green initiatives published by a Host through the Site, Application and Services.

“Member” refers to a person who completes the registration process of an Ecobnb account, including, but not limited to, Host and Travellers, as stipuled in “Account registration”.

“Content” refers to the text, graphics, images, music, software, audio, video, information, or other material.

“Conversation” refers to the set of messages sent between Travelers and Accommodations through the Ecobnb platform (for instance: availability request, availability confirmation, booking confirmation, conversation request, questions, answers or other messages).

“Automatic online payment” means the secure online payment service “Stripe Checkout” prepared by the Ecobnb platform, through which the traveler can pay for his or her stay at the accommodation by entering his credit card details. The automatic online payment system is set up in Italy only for the Receptive Structures related to the exercise of business activities, which have passed on their VAT number to Ecobnb.

“Tax” or “taxes” refers to any sales taxes, value added tax (VAT), goods and services tax (GST), transient occupancy taxes, tourist or other visitor taxes, accommodation or lodging taxes, fees that accommodation providers may be required by law to allocate and remit to government agencies, and other similar municipal, state, federal and national indirect or any such withholdings and personal or corporate income tax.

2. Aim of our Service

Through the website, Ecobnb provides an online platform that allows all ecofriendly Accommodations (eg bio hotels, organic farmhouses, eco-friendly bed and breakfast, green hostels, eco holiday homes, campsites or environmentally sustainable private apartments), defined below “Accommodations” to promote their hospitality to travelers interested in sustainable tourism (hereinafter “travelers”) and to make a reservation.

By making a reservation through our website, the traveler establishes a direct, legally binding contractual relationship with the Accommodation (Host) at which they book. From the moment they make a reservation, the Traveler and the Accommodation will be in direct contact through us, passing on the details of their reservation to the relevant accommodation provider and sending them a confirmation email with the relevant details of the accommodation provider.
In rendering our services, we disclose information we were provided by Accommodations. Therefore, access is given to all the hosts to their Accommodation’s page, which they are totally responsible for, pertinent to the matters related to the updating of rates, availability of accommodation and other information displayed on the website. In some cases, we provide contact details of public facilities through the Site that have been recommended by travelers for their environmental quality.
Although we will apply reasonable duty of care in performing our services , it is up to each Traveler to check the details and do a background check of the offers, and to double check if all information is accurate, complete or correct. Bearing this in mind, we cannot be held accountable for any errors (including evident honest mistakes and typographical errors), any disruptions (whether due to any (temporary and/or partial) technical glitch, repair, upgrade or maintenance of our website or otherwise), inaccurate, misleading or false information or non-delivery of information.By making a reservation through our website, the traveler establishes a direct, legally binding contractual relationship with the Accommodation (Host) at which they book. From the point they make a reservation, we will get in direct contact the Traveler and the Accommodation, transmitting the details of their reservation to the relevant accommodation provider and sending them a confirmation email with the direct contacts of the accommodation provider.

In rendering our services, we disclose information we were provided by Accommodations. To all the hosts is therefore given access to their Accommodation’s page, of which they are totally responsible for, for what concerns the updating of rates, availability and other information displayed on the website. In some cases, through the Site we disclose data of public facilities that have been suggested by travelers for their environmental quality.

Although we will use reasonable skill and care in performing our services we can’t verify if, and cannot guarantee that, all information is accurate, complete or correct, nor can we be held responsible for any errors (including manifest and typographical errors), any interruptions (whether due to any (temporary and/or partial) breakdown, repair, upgrade or maintenance of our website or otherwise), inaccurate, misleading or untrue information or non-delivery of information.

3. Eco-sustainability

In order to post an ad on Ecobnb, the Accommodation must have at least 5 of the following 10 requirements of environmental sustainability:

(A) Organic or local food: the accommodation uses mostly seasonal, organic and locally produced food on their menus. The organically grown food from local ingredients is clearly indicated on the menus. Typical dishes of the local and regional cuisine are highly recommended. GMO products are not used or derived from, or products exposed to irradiation. Tap water or mineral water is served in glasses from sources located in the region of the accommodation, or from the neighboring regions provided that a regional source of water is not readily available.
(B) Green Building: The accommodation’s building has a high level of energy efficiency (its annual energy consumption is less than 60 Kwh/mq).
(C) 100% renewable energy: 100% electricity used by the accommodation come from renewable sources, such as wind energy, solar energy, geothermal energy and other renewable sources.
(D) Solar thermal panels for hot water production: the accommodation provides hot water from renewable energy, using solar hot water heating systems. Solar hot water heating systems may also be used also for pool heating or for indoor heating with an underfloor heating system.
(E) Ecological cleaning products: the cleaning products used by the tourist accommodation for the cleanliness of the rooms, the laundry and the dishes are made from natural products. Detergent and cleaners should be biodegradable and eco friendly.
(F) More than 80% waste recycling: Waste (residual waste, paper, plastic, metal/aluminium, organic waste) is separated, recycled and disposed of accordingly. Each tourist accommodation should have at least 80% of waste separation.
(G) Car-free accessibility: it’s possible to reach the accommodation by public transportation or by shuttles. Information on accessibility by public transportation is provided to guests.
(H) Energy savings lights: the tourist accommodation reduces electricity consumption using eco-save bulbs. At least 80% of all light bulbs in the tourist accommodation shall have an energy efficiency of Class A.
(I) Water flow reducers: the accommodation reduces water consumption using water flow reducers. Water flow restrictors are nozzles attached to the water taps so as to reduce the amount of water to 6 liters per minute or less, and to enhance the water jet.
(L) Recovery & reuse of rainwater: rainwater is collected and reused for secondary usage (toilet flush, garden irrigation, etc.)…

The sustainability characteristics are self-evaluated and described in detail by the Accommodations in the Announcement. The ecological quality of accommodation will be acknowledged by the Travelers in due course, who will probably leave detailed reviews after their stay.

4. Account Registration

In order to access certain features of the Site and Application, as well as to create an ad (such as create and manage the page dedicated to their accommodation, publish green initiatives and special offers), you need to register on the site by https://ecobnb.com/register page, create an account (“Account Ecobnb”) and become a Member.

Both Accommodations and Travelers can register an Accont and become Members of Ecobnb.

During the registration process you will need to provide accurate, complete , both current and updated information and update them accordingly. Ecobnb reserves the right to suspend or terminate your Account Ecobnb and access to the Site, Application and Services if any information provided during the registration process or later are proven to be inaccurate, outdated or incomplete.

You are responsible for protecting your password, and ensure you do not disclose it to any third party and you shall assume sole responsibility for any activities or actions related to your Account Ecobnb, whether or not you have authorized such activities or actions. In case of any unauthorized use of your account you will need to notify Ecobnb immediately.

5. Accommodations Listings

The host of an Accommodation that has at least 5 of the 10 characteristics listed in the “Sustainability” can publish a listing on Ecobnb, or create a page dedicated to their accommodation, and pages dedicated to its green initiatives and special offers.

To create the page dedicated to their accommodation, the owner of the Accommodation must register as a member (as explained in “Account Registration”) at this link https://ecobnb.it/register/membership, choosing the type of membership or contract to be signed with Ecobnb, providing all the information about the Accommodations, including the location, the services, the characteristics of eco-sustainability, the availability and the price (taxes included).

It is not allowed to publish images with phone number and / or emails.

The Accommodation can choose one of the following ways to collaborate with Ecobnb and to publish its Listing:

(A) BASIC: free inclusion in the website, recognizing to Ecobnb a 10% commission on bookings made through the website or application, that will be paid after the stay of the traveler;
(B) PRO: payment of an annual membership “PRO” (EUR 12.50 per month, or € 150 per year excluding VAT) to have more visibility of the Listing on the site and no commission on bookings, which must be paid before the publication of the Listing;
(C) PLUS: payment of an annual membership “PLUS” (EUR 29.00 per month, or € 348 per year excluding VAT) to have maximum visibility of the Listing on the site, no commission on bookings and additional marketing services, which must be paid before the publication of the Listing.

If the Accommodation has not requested the annual membership, or has not paid the annual membership fee, they recognize to Ecobnb the percentage of 10% commission on bookings made through our Service.

The Listing of the Accommodation can be published by the user after completing the listing with all the required information.

Accommodations have the possibility to update their Listing pages using their account. Accommodations can create new listings related to their initiatives and special offers by entering the required items, such as description, pictures, prices, etc. Once all the required data are completed, they can publish their Ads.

Each Ecobnb Member acknowledges and agrees to be responsible for the Content published in its Listings. Consequently, every Ecobnb Member represents and guarantees that the Ads and the information they will publish through the listing and the messaging system that allows them to communicate with the traveler, they will not violate any agreement with any third part and will be in accordance with all applicable laws, tax requirements, rules and regulations (including obtaining all necessary permits, licenses and registrations), and will not encroach upon the rights of third parties. Ecobnb assumes no responsibility for compliance with any agreement or duty to the third parties, valid laws, rules and regulations in force. Ecobnb reserves the right at any time and without prior notice, to remove or disable access to any ad deemed unfit.

Every Member of Ecobnb is at any given point responsible for the accuracy, completeness and accuracy of the information (including the characteristics of eco-sustainability and prices) appear in its Listing and provided to travelers through the mail system.

Our website does not constitute and should not be regarded as a recommendation or endorsement of the quality, service level, qualification or ecological rating of any accommodation listed.

Our services are made available for personal and non-commercial use only. Therefore, you you shall not re-sell, deep-link, use, copy, monitor (e.g. spider, scrape), display, download or reproduce any content or information, software, products or services available on our website for any commercial or lucrative activity or purpose.

The site, the application and services are intended to be used to facilitate the interaction between eco-sustainable accommodation and travelers, and booking space directly between them. Ecobnb does not control and can not control the content included those in the Announcements, nor the condition, the legality of any rented space or whether it is fit for purpose. Ecobnb is not responsible for and excludes any liability whatsoever with respect to the classifieds and rented premises.

6. Privacy and cookie

Ecobnb respects your privacy. Please have a look at our privacy and cookies policy for further information.

7. Free of charge Service

Rates quoted by the accommodation facilities through the website or system messages are for the entire stay and include VAT and all other taxes (subject to currency change), unless otherwise indicated on the website, in the Conversation or in the confirmation message. Self evident errors ie. minor slips shall not be binding, including printing.

When the Accommodation receives a request from a traveler, they can answer through the system of messages online, accepting the request, doing a different offer, rejecting the request, or asking for more information. When the accommodation accepts the request of the traveler or makes a different offer,they must indicate the total price that the traveler will have to pay, inclusive of VAT, also called “Total price”. The tourist tax, if any, is excluded from the total price indicated.

No external connections, links, phone numbers, or e-mail addresses may be included in the conversations between travelers and accommodations. The violation of this rule may result in temporary blocking of the Listing on Ecobnb.

After the Accommodation has accepted the reservation by entering the “Total price”, the traveler can confirm his or her reservation.

The Booking confirmation method can be of two types:

If the accommodation requires confirmation of the booking by automatic payment, the traveler can confirm his or her reservation by entering the details of their credit card through the secure online payment service “Stripe checkout” via Ecobnb.
If the accommodation does not require confirmation of the booking by automatic payment, the traveler can confirm his or her reservation simply by indicating his or her telephone contact and clicking on the “Book” button.

Upon the confirmation of booking by the Traveler, Ecobnb sends an email of “Reservation Confirmed” containing a variety of information, including your check-in and check-out, the number of guests, number of nights, total price, direct contact (email and phone) of the traveler and the accommodation.

If the traveler has confirmed the booking by automatic online payment, the accommodation receives in the confirmation message the notification in the confirmation message that the payment will be made by direct deposit on his current account on the date of check-out. The message also indicates the type of cancellation selected by the accommodation facility among the cancellation policies provided by the ecobnb.
At the same time the traveler receives the message confirming his or her reservation, in which, under the heading “Useful Information”, the details of the payment made by credit card are indicated and the cancellation policies specified by the accommodation for that booking are specified.2. If the traveler has confirmed his or her reservation without automatic online payment, the accommodation receives the notification in the confirmation message that for that particular stay Ecobnb does not deal with payments and cancellations that are directly managed by the accommodation. If a deposit is required, this will be communicated directly by the accommodation to the traveler. Furthermore, the accommodation facility is welcome to inform the traveler about its cancellation policy. In this case, payments are therefore made directly between the traveler and the accommodation.
At the same time the traveler receives a message confirming the reservation in which, under the heading “Useful Information” it is indicated that the payment can be made at the accommodation at check-in, and that the traveler will receive any other information concerning the form of payment and cancellation policy by the accommodation.

The Accommodation can not ask the traveler to pay a price higher than that indicated in the reservation request. The Accommodation can not indicate the email or phone contacts.

Ecobnb service is free, unlike other websites, we will not charge Travellers for our service or add any additional (reservation) fees to the booking rate.

The Accommodation which cooperates with ecobnb in “BASIC”option (without fixed costs), pays a commission ( i.e. a small percentage of the room price) to Ecobnb after the traveler has stayed at (and paid for) the accommodation. The Accommodation that collaborates with ecobnb in “BASIC” option, pays the commission even if the reservation is done via email or telephone and/or if the Accommodation communicates their contact details to travelers (telephone or email).their contacts (telephone or email).

The Traveler pays the Total price of the stay to the Accommodation.

If the Accommodation provides for the automatic payment by credit card, the traveler enters the data of his or her card at the time of booking confirmation. The outstanding amount to the total cost of the stay is due 60 days from the date of check-out, or the day of the reservation (in case this occurs less than 60 days from check-out).

Extra costs, such as tourist tax and any such, are not included in the booking (such as meals ) are paid directly to the accommodation.

In case of cancellation of the booking within the cancellation conditions, the payment is refunded in total or partially, as stipulated by the cancellation policy .

If the accommodation does not provide for automatic payment by credit card, the traveler agrees directly with the accommodation for payments. For example, some Accommodations may ask for full or partial payment to the Traveler after the booking process (before the stay), by bank transfer or other online secure payment, as required by the terms of payment of the Accommodation. Before making the reservation the traveler must check for these conditions into details concerning the price and/ or in the message received from the Accommodation.

All accommodations listed on Ecobnb accept without prejudice to payments by Gift Card and the respective terms and conditions. If the Traveler has a digital Gift Card (to the tune of € 20, € 50, € 200), and he or she uses it in the booking process, at the confirmation of the booking the Accommodation is informed of the payment by gift card. The booking confirmation message indicates the amount paid to the accommodation by Ecobnb, and any amount paid by the traveler.

8. Cancellation

By making a reservation at an Accommodation facility using the automatic online payment system, the Traveler accepts and approves the cancellation policies provided by the accommodation, as well as any other additional regulation or condition of the accommodation applicable to his reservation or during their stay, including services and / or products offered.

Ecobnb does not deal with cancellation policies, that will be managed directly by the Accommodation facility and communicated to the Traveler through a message, email, telephone or other channels. By confirming the reservation the traveler accepts the cancellation terms provided by the accommodation.

A reservation is officially canceled only when the Traveler has followed all the steps reported in the Conversation relating to cancellations and has received confirmation of cancellation. A guest can find the cancellation page in the “Your travels” section of the Ecobnb website.

It is up to Ecobnb to resolve any issue between Travelers and Accommodation Facilities regarding the application of these cancellation terms.

If the booking requires full or partial prepayment, this may be canceled (without prior notification of default or warning) in the following cases: late payment, incorrect bank account details or credit / debit card, credit card details invalid credit / debit or insufficient funds.

9. Further correspondence

By completing a booking, traveler agrees to receive an email, which we may send you shortly before the the arrival date, including information relevant to your reservation and destination, and an e-mail, which we may send to you promptly after the stay kindly asking you to leave a review on the Accommodation. Please see our privacy and cookies policy for more information about how we may contact you.

10. Travelers’ reviews

Travelers can review the Accommodations, filling out the online form that will be sent by email from Ecobnb after their stay.

The traveler’s review includes information on the eco-sustainability of the accommodation visited and a score of 1 to 5 on their experience.

The traveler’s review is published on the Accommodation page in order to give other travelers their point of view about the level of eco-sustainability, quality and services of accommodation.

At the same time, the accommodation is informed about the review and they are kindly asked to respond to the traveler. The response of the accommodation is published on the same Accommodation’s page.

The reviews may be (fully or partly) used by Ecobnb, in sole discretion (eg. for reasons of marketing, promotional purposes or to improve service), on the website or on the platforms of social networks, the newsletter, etc. We reserve the right to edit, refuse or remove reviews at our sole discretion.

Accommodation also can review the Traveler they hosted, filling the online form that will be sent by email after the stay.

11. Disclaimer

The Mobile Application and some parts of the Website have been developed as a deliverable of the project co-funded by the EU under the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme. The sole responsibility of this publication lies with the author. The European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.

According to the limitations and the details provided in these terms and conditions and to the extent permitted by law, Ecobnb shall be accountable for direct damage only, may it be financial or of other nature, that you receive after failing to perform on our obligations in respect of the services we should provide. Compensation may be up to the total cost of your reservation as set out in the e-mail confirmation (or for one event or series of connected events).

Ecobnb shallnot be held accountable for (i) any punitive, special, indirect or consequential loss or damages, any loss of production, loss of profit, loss of revenue, loss of contract, loss of or damage to goodwill or reputation, loss of claim, (ii) any inaccuracy relating to the (descriptive) information (including rates, availability and ratings) of the accommodation as made available on our website, (iii) the services rendered or the products offered by the accommodation provider or other business partners, (iv) any (direct, indirect, consequential or punitive) damages, losses or costs incurred or paid by you, pursuant to, arising out of or in connection with the use, inability to use or delay of our website, or (v) any (personal) injury, death, property damage, or other (direct, indirect, special, consequential or punitive) damages, losses or costs suffered, incurred or paid by you, whether due to (legal) acts, errors, breaches, (gross) negligence, willful misconduct, omissions, non-performance, misrepresentations, tort or strict liability by or (wholly or partly) attributable to the accommodation or any of our other business partners (including any of their employees, directors, officers, agents, representatives or affiliated companies) whose products or service are (directly or indirectly) made available, offered or promoted on or through the website, including any (partial) cancellation, overbooking, strike, force majeure or any other event beyond our control.

Whether the Accommodation debits the cost of the room, or that payment is managed by Ecobnb, the Traveler accepts and acknowledges that it is always the responsibility of the accommodation to collect, retain, pay and submit their tax files to the designated authorities, calculated based on the total price of the room. Ecobnb can not be held responsible for the collection, withholding, or submitting payment to the designated tax office applicable to the cost of the room.

By uploading photos/images onto our system (for instance in addition to a review) you certify, warrant and agree that you own the copyright to the photos/images and that you agree that Ecobnb may use the uploaded photos/images on its (mobile) website and app, and in (online/offline) promotional materials and publications as it sees fit. In doing so, you grant Ecobnb a non-exclusive, worldwide, irrevocable, unconditional, perpetual right and license to use, reproduce, display, have reproduced, distribute, sublicense, communicate and make available the photos/images as Ecobnb sees fit. By uploading these photos/images the person uploading the picture(s) accepts full legal and moral responsibility of any and all legal claims that are made by any third parties (including, but not limited to, accommodation owners) due to Ecobnb publishing and using these photos/images. Ecobnb does not own or endorse the photos/images that are uploaded. The truthfulness, validity and right to use of all photos/images is assumed by the person who uploaded the photo, and is not the responsibility of Ecobnb. Ecobnb disclaims all responsibility and liability for the pictures posted. The person who uploaded the photo warrants that the photos/images shall not contain any viruses, Trojan horses viruses or infected files and shall not contain any pornographic, illegal, obscene, insulting, objectionable or inappropriate material and does not infringe any third party (intellectual property right, copyright or privacy) rights. Any photo/image that does not meet the aforesaid criteria will not be posted and/or can be removed/deleted by Ecobnb at any time and without prior notice.

Ecobnb is not responsible for content that Member, Accommodation, Traveler or Author can insert, upload, post, forward or transmit to be visible through the Site, Application or Services of Ecobnb.

The Blog allows users to leave personal comments related to the topic of the article. When you post a comment to an article of the Blog you agree that any Content you products are published, read, translated and copied, and you agree to indemnify Ecobnb from any legal action arising out of or related to the Content itself. Ecobnb will not be in any case responsible for their content.

12. Intellectual property rights

The software required for our services or used by our website are owned by Ecobnb. The intellectual property rights (including the copyright) of the contents and information of and material on our website are owned by Ecobnb. Ecobnb retains exclusive ownership of all rights, title and interest in and to (all intellectual property rights of) (the look and feel (including infrastructure) of) the website on which the service is made available (including the guest reviews, blog articles, itineraries, guides and translated content).

We respect the rights of others and we expect that users, members and authors of the website do the same. You can not post any content on Ecobnb if this does not respect the rights of third parties or applicable laws. We reserve the right to remove any content or information users post on Ecobnb, when these do not respect laws and copyrights. If a content does not respect the intellectual property or the rights of others, feet free to report it to info@ecobnb.com and the content will be promptly removed.

No one is entitled to copy, scrape, (hyper-/deep)link to, publish, promote, market, integrate, utilize, combine or otherwise use the content (including blogs, guides, itineraries, reviews and any translations) or our brand without our express written permission.To the extent that you would (wholly or partly) use or combine our (translated) content (including blog, itineraries, guides and guest reviews) or would otherwise own any intellectual property rights in the website or any (translated) content or guest reviews, you hereby assign, transfer and set over all such intellectual property rights to Ecobnb. Any unlawful use or any of the aforementioned actions or conduct will constitute a material infringement of our intellectual property rights (including copyright and database right).

13. Miscellaneous

To the extent permitted by law, these terms and conditions and the provision of our services shall be governed by and construed in accordance with Italian law and any dispute arising out of these general terms and conditions and our services shall exclusively be submitted to the competent courts in Trento (Italy).

The original Italian text of these Terms and Conditions may have been translated into other languages. The translated version is a courtesy of our translation office only and you cannot derive any rights from the translated version. In the event of a dispute about the contents or interpretation of these terms and conditions or inconsistency or discrepancy between the Italian version and any other language version of these terms and conditions, the Italian language version to the extent permitted by law shall apply, prevail and be conclusive. The Italian version is available on our website (by selecting the Italian language) or shall be sent to you upon your written request.

If any provision of these terms and conditions is or becomes invalid, unenforceable or non-binding, you shall remain bound by all other provisions hereof. In such an event, such invalid provision shall nonetheless be enforced to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, and you will at least agree to accept a similar effect as the invalid, unenforceable or non-binding provision, given the contents and purpose of these terms and conditions.

14. About Ecobnb

The service is provided by Ecobnb, a limited liability company subject to Italian law with registered offices in Piazza San Marco, 11 F, 38068 Rovereto (TN), Italy, and registered with the Chamber of Commerce of Trento with the registration number TN-217704. Our VAT number is 02342300221.