Terms + conditions
OFF GRID HIDEAWAYS
Terms & Conditions
These Terms and Conditions are entered into by OFF GRID HIDEAWAYS GmbH, 8703 Erlenbach ZH, Switzerland, a company registered under Swiss law (hereinafter “OGH”) and the customer using OGH’s platform (hereinafter “Customer”).
BY CLICKING THE “I ACCEPT” BUTTON, COMPLETING THE REGISTRATION PROCESS, OR USING THE SERVICE, CUSTOMER ACKNOWLEDGES TO HAVE REVIEWED AND ACCEPTED THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS.
Protective Personal Equipment (PPE)
Taking care to remove dirty linen and ensure all is bagged and removed from the property before cleaning is recommended.
– Gloves should be worn to remove the linen.
– Once the linen has been removed, gloves should be removed, disposed of and fresh clean gloves used before putting the clean linen on the bed.
– The same applies to towels, bathmats, tea towels, oven gloves and any other removable linen items.
– Do not shake dirty laundry, this minimises the possibility of dispersing Covid-19 through the air.
– Pillow and mattress protectors should be laundered between changeovers.
– We recommend leaving a washable or wipeable laundry bin on the property.
– All guests should be advised to strip the beds prior to departing the property and place the linen and towels in the laundry bin.
– The laundry bin should be taken to be laundered or wiped and cleaned using a disinfectant. Bedding, Linen and Laundry Most common household disinfectants, as well as cleaning solutions with diluted household bleach or at least 70% alcohol, are believed to be effective against Covid-19.
We recommend that all cleaning cloths, mops, and towels should be changed, disposed of, or laundered appropriately between each clean. There are several different methods that may be appropriate to reduce the risk of Covid-19 efficiently and effectively.
– Steam cleaning creates high pressure, high temperature, dry steam which ensures that any surface can be cleaned effectively using water.
– ULV (ultra low volume) Fogging is a mobile disinfectant cleaning machine. By using a fogging machine, in addition to manual cleaning disinfectant, the chemical solution is more comprehensively delivered across a wide range of surfaces and materials including textiles, which ensures a higher efficacy of disinfection.
– Atmospheric Mists and sprays can be used to diffuse enclosed spaces, killing viruses, destroying bacteria, and eliminating bad odours with minimal effort. Cleaning, Disinfecting and Sanitising. We recommend that waste of any kind should be placed in a plastic bag, tied, and removed from the property and disposed of in an external bin. Waste should not be left outside of a bin and should be disposed of accordingly prior to a new guest arriving. You should follow government or council guidelines regarding the disposal of hazardous waste. We recommend that keys are collected using key safes only and not given out in person to support social distancing.
Disposal of Waste Key Collection
Additional attention should be given to items and areas which receive high or frequent use, such as:
– Doorknobs (inside and out), doorframes, light switches (including lamps), stair bannisters, keys, and window handles.
– Remote controls, thermostats, books and toys, games, and highchairs.
– Appliances such as ovens, fridge freezers, toasters, kettles, irons, hairdryers, and vacuum cleaners.
– Toilets, taps, sinks, showerheads, faucet handles, shampoo, and soap dispensers.
– Bins should be emptied and cleaned inside and out. Pay special attention to lids. Outdoor bin lids should also be disinfected.
– Umbrellas, mops, dustpans & brushes, and brooms.
– Outside areas such as garden furniture, barbeques, play areas, sheds, garages, shared entrances, and key safes.
To make thorough cleaning more efficient, remove all unnecessary items and ornaments that could be regularly touched and declutter where possible. Windows and doors should be opened during cleaning to allow for ventilation. Communal areas, such as games rooms and gyms should be closed or cleaned appropriately between use. If you require more time to complete a deeper clean between bookings, you may need to consider amending check-in and check-out times. These can be amended through the Owner Portal.
Taking Time, you may want to consider providing extra supplies for your guests to use, over and above what would normally be expected, to ensure guests are able to keep to a high standard of cleanliness. Items such as disinfectant, disposable gloves, new cloths, disposable wipes, paper towels, and hand sanitiser. Hand soap should be provided for each sink.
We advise that you do not conduct any cleaning during a guest’s stay. We recommend providing property information via email or on an online facility. If this is not possible, property folders and information packs should be stored in wipeable plastic folders or laminated and cleaned between guests. Fire evacuation advice should be laminated and visible on the wall. Advising guests that you have taken extra steps to clean the property and provide additional protection is important to reassure them during their stay.
Reassuring Guests During Their Stay There is currently no evidence that the virus that causes Covid-19 can be spread to people through the water in pools, hot tubs, spas, or water play areas. Proper operation and maintenance (including disinfection with chlorine and bromine) of these facilities should deactivate Covid-19 in the water.
To limit contact, we recommend that maintenance during a guest’s stay is kept to only essential maintenance. If a contractor must attend the property, we advise that they wear essential disposable PPE, and dispose of it appropriately.
Social distancing should always be maintained. As it is likely that your property has been unoccupied during the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak, water system stagnation can occur due to lack of use, increasing the risks of Legionnaires’ disease. It is essential that water systems are reused before a guest’s arrival. Each tap (including showers) should be opened and left to run through for at least 5 minutes and all toilets flushed.
We encourage all our property owners to review this guidance and consult the references provided to create a cleaning plan which is relevant to their individual property.
1. Scope of Service
OGH provides through its online platform, offgridhideaways.com (hereinafter “Platform”) a tool through which Customer can make reservations and bookings of rental properties for properties, rooms, products or services (hereinafter “Property”) directly with a host / owner of such Properties (hereinafter “Host”).
By making a booking through the Platform, the Customer enters into a direct contractual relationship with the Host.
When rendering OGH’s services, the information that OGH discloses is based on the information provided by the Host. Hosts are fully responsible for the content, including rates, availability and other information displayed on the Platform.
OGH will use reasonable skill and care in performing its services, OGH will however not verify if, and cannot guarantee that, all information provided by the Host is accurate, complete or correct, nor can OGH 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 the Platform or otherwise), inaccurate, misleading or untrue information or non-delivery of information. The Host directly provides the pictures and information shown on its site, including the prices offered by the Host and information regarding the Property, and the Host may change this information periodically and at any given time. Each Host remains responsible at all times for the accuracy, completeness and correctness of the (descriptive) information (including the prices, rates and availability) displayed on the Platform. The Customer alone has responsibility for verifying that the details in their contract with the Host are correct.
The Platform does not constitute and should not be regarded as a recommendation, guarantee or endorsement of the quality, service level, and qualification or (star) rating of any Host (or its facilities, venue, products or services) made available.
OGH’s service is made available for personal and non-commercial use only. Therefore, the Customer is not allowed to re-sell, deep-link, use, copy, monitor (e.g. spider, scrape), display, download or reproduce any content or information, software, bookings, tickets, products or services available on the Platform for any commercial or competitive activity or purpose.
OGH’s terms of privacy form an integral part of OGH’s general terms and conditions.
2. Relationship with Host
OGH acts solely as an intermediary (agent in the sense of Art. 418a et seq. Swiss Code of Obligations) between Customer and Host.Customer and Host enter into a contract outside of the scope of OGH’s services.
Payment to the Host and to OGH shall be made upfront by wire transfer or by credit card, and therefore the Customer’s credit card may be pre-authorized or charged (sometimes without any option for refund) upon making the booking. The Customer shall check the (booking) details thoroughly for any such conditions prior to making its booking.
3. Disclaimer by OGH
Any use of the Property by the Customer shall be made without any responsibility or liability by OGH.
OGH shall not be liable to the Customer for any damage, loss or expenses incurred by Customer in the use of the Property. OGH shall under no circumstances be liable for any damage caused by defects of the Property. OGH cannot be held responsible for loss or damage to any belongings, or for injury sustained by the Customer or its quests during their stay at the Property.
Neither OGH nor any of its officers, directors, employees, representatives, subsidiaries, affiliated companies, distributors, affiliate (distribution) partners, licensees, agents or others involved in creating, sponsoring, promoting, or otherwise making available the site and its contents shall be liable 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 Host as made available on the Platform, (iii) the services rendered or the products offered by the Host or other business partners, (iv) any (direct, indirect, consequential or punitive) damages, losses or costs suffered, incurred or paid by you, pursuant to, arising out of or in connection with the use, inability to use or delay of the Platform, 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, wilful misconduct, omissions, non-performance, misrepresentations, tort or strict liability by or (wholly or partly) attributable to the Host or any of its 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 Platform, including any (partial) cancellation, overbooking, strike, force majeure or any other event beyond its control. In the event that OGH should be liable, OGH’s liability is limited to the amount of the Service Fee that OGH has received with regards to the respective Property.
OGH does not provide insurance for personal effects or any other insurance.
Any booking cancellations for whatever reason – including but not limited to, due to strike, force majeure, or any other event beyond of OGH’s control – will not be taken on by OGH. However, OGH will refund the Service Fee according to Sec. 4 to the Customer in case the cancellation is made based on force majeure.
Whether or not the Host has charged the Customer for its Property, or if OGH is facilitating the payment of the booking price to the Host, the Customer agrees and acknowledges that the Host is at all times responsible for the accommodation. OGH shall not be liable for any non-compliance by the Host. OGH shall not act as a third party payment processor for any product or service made available on the Platform.
4. Service Fee and Deposits
OGH charges the Customer a service and booking fee as displayed on the Platform for its services as an intermediary (hereinafter “Service Fee”). Service Fee, once paid, is not refundable. The Customer acknowledges that such Service Fee shall be paid in full if its reservation shall be completed, without any deduction. OGH shall request a first payment (50% of the booked rent of the property) directly after booking which includes the Service Fee and a Deposit for the Host.
OGH facilitates (through third party payment processors) in certain cases the payment of the service and booking fee for services by credit card or any other online-payment-method it deems suitable.
In the event of credit card fraud or unauthorized use of the Customer’s credit card by third parties, most banks and credit card companies bear the risk and cover all the charges resulting from such fraud or misuse, which may sometimes be subject to a deductible. In the event that the Customer’s credit card company or bank charges the deductible from Customer because of unauthorized transactions resulting from a booking made on the Platform, OGH will not be liable for any loss arising from unauthorized use of the Customer’s credit card by third parties, including the deductible.
5. Cancellation, no-show and fine print
By making a booking with a Host, the Customer shall accept and agree to the relevant cancellation and no-show policy* of such Host and OGH, and to any additional (delivery) terms and conditions of the Host that may apply to its visit or stay. If the Host and the Customer have not specified the no-show policy, it is understood that the Host will not make any refunds.
If the Customer wishes to review, adjust or cancel its booking, the Customer shall communicate with OGH by email directly. Any cancellation is outside of the scope of OGH’s services.
Under no circumstances shall OGH be liable for any loss arising from the cancellation of the adjustment or cancellation of his booking. OGH shall, however, return its Service Fee if the Host violates the contract with Customer by not making the Property available.
*Cancellation and no-show policy: Deposits and Service Fees are non-refundable. Furthermore, cancellation and no-show policy of the Host are binding and prevail. If the Host has not issued any cancellation and no-show policy, Customer shall not be entitled to any refunds.
6. Correspondence and communication
The Customer agrees to receive correspondence and communication by OGH, including newsletters and emails for OGH promotional use.
OGH disclaims any liability or responsibility for any communication with the Host on or through the Platform. Customer shall not derive any rights from any request to, or communication with the Host or (any form of) acknowledgement of receipt of any communication or request. OGH cannot guarantee that any request or communication will be (duly and timely) received/read by, complied with, executed or accepted by the Host.
7. Privacy / Data Protection
OGH take the privacy and confidentiality of its Customers, Hosts and partners seriously. OGH collects only information necessary to process the booking.
OGH uses cookies in a moderate way to monitor site usage and related information. Decision about the use of cookies is at the sole discretion of OGH.
OGH will try to keep its data up-to-date and accurate but provides no warranty or guarantee and bears no liability to the Customer in the event that any data transmission over the Internet is not completely accurate or secure. OGH uses its information to improve the Platform and its services (for instance, on Google Analytics), to personalise the types of information, as well as for internal statistical, marketing and administrative reasons. OGH shall not share this information with outside parties except to the extent necessary to process its booking. Forfurther information about our Personal Information Collection and Data Protection, please read our Privacy Policy.
By using the Platform, and supplying OGH with its information, the Customer consents to use by OGH of its information as described above.
8. Intellectual Property Rights
The Platform, all parts thereof, the software required for its services or available at or used by the Platform and the intellectual property rights (including the copyrights) of the contents and information of and material on the Platform are owned by OGH (or its Hosts).
OGH exclusively retains all rights, title and interest in and to all intellectual property rights of the look and feel (including infrastructure) of the Platform on which the service is made available (including the guest reviews and translated content) and the Customer is not entitled to copy, scrape, (hyper-/deep) link to, publish, promote, market, integrate, utilize, combine or otherwise use the content (including any translations thereof and the guest reviews) or its brand without its express written permission.
To the extent that the Customer (wholly or partly) uses or combines its (translated) content (including guest reviews) or otherwise owns any intellectual property right in the Platform or any (translated) content or guest reviews, the Customer hereby assigns, transfers and sets over all such intellectual property rights to OGH. Any unlawful use or any of the aforementioned actions will constitute a material infringement of its intellectual property rights (including copyright and database right).
9. Modifications
OGH may modify these terms or any additional terms that apply to its services to, for example, reflect changes of the law or changes of the provided services. The Customer shall look at the terms regularly. OGH will post notice of modifications to these terms on its website.
No amendment to or modification of this Agreement will be binding unless (i) in writing and signed by a duly authorized representative of OGH, (ii) the Customer accepts updated terms online, or (iii) the Customer continues to use the OGH’s service after OGH has posted updates to the Agreement or to any policy governing its service.
10. Miscellaneous
To the extent permitted by law, these terms and conditions and the provision of its services shall be governed by and construed in accordance with Swiss law and any dispute arising out of these general terms and conditions and its services shall exclusively be submitted to the courts competent at the actual place of incorporation of OGH.
If any provision of these terms and conditions is or becomes invalid, unenforceable or non-binding, the Customer shall remain bound by all other provisions hereof. In such event, such invalid provision shall nonetheless be enforced to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law.
Last Updated: 04/03/2024