Elsewhere
Last updated: 29 September 2026
These general terms and conditions of use and sale ("Terms") govern access to and use of the Elsewhere Platform, as well as bookings made through it. They apply to every user, whether acting as an artist-host ("Host") or a traveler ("Traveler").
This document is written in, and is authoritative in, French. The other language versions offered by the Platform are provided for convenience, to make it easier to read; in the event of a discrepancy in interpretation between versions, the French version prevails.
Elsewhere connects artist-hosts offering stays (lodging and/or an artistic experience) with travelers wishing to book them. Elsewhere acts as a technical and payment intermediary: the stay contract is concluded directly between the Host and the Traveler, with Elsewhere not being a party to that contract unless stated otherwise for a given format.
Four stay formats are offered, chosen by the Host for each listing: Room with the artist (lodging only), Artistic experience only (no lodging), Lodging + Artistic experience, and Art Retreat (a fixed-date group stay combining lodging and experience). The details of each format are specified on the relevant listing page.
Registration is reserved for adults. Each user is responsible for the accuracy of the information provided and for the confidentiality of their credentials. Every new registration must be followed by an identity verification (ID document and selfie, via Stripe Identity), which in particular confirms the user's legal age; access to the rest of the Platform remains blocked until this verification is complete.
Publishing a listing as a Host is further conditional on submitting supporting documents specific to their activity (diploma, portfolio, proof of accommodation, etc.), reviewed by the Elsewhere team. An unpublished listing remains invisible to the public until this review is complete.
The Traveler submits a booking request, which the Host accepts or declines. Payment is made online, by credit card, via the payment provider Stripe; Elsewhere neither collects nor stores credit card data.
The price shown corresponds to the total amount due from the Traveler. It is charged when the Host confirms the booking.
In accordance with international sanctions and the restrictions imposed by its payment provider, Elsewhere does not offer its transactional services — registration, sign-in, booking, payment, messaging, hosting and payouts — to people connecting from Russia, Belarus, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Syria, Crimea, Sevastopol or the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Browsing the site remains possible. Elsewhere may refuse or cancel any booking or payment that would breach these measures.
Tourist tax — For accommodation located in France offered by a private Host, Elsewhere, as payment intermediary, collects the tourist tax (taxe de séjour) owed by the Traveler at the rate voted by the commune and pays it to the commune (article L2333-34 of the French General Code of Local Authorities). Its amount, calculated when the booking is confirmed, is added to the price and shown separately at payment and on the receipt; minors are exempt. It is refunded in full if the booking is cancelled. A professional Host collects and pays the tourist tax themselves.
Elsewhere charges a service commission, deducted from the amount of each confirmed booking, as compensation for the introduction and payment-handling service: 25% on the lodging portion, 15% on the artistic-experience portion. For a format comprising only one of the two components, only the corresponding rate applies.
The balance, after deduction of this commission, is paid out to the Host via Stripe Connect, according to that provider's usual timelines.
Each month, Elsewhere sends the Host an invoice summarising the commissions deducted during the previous month, and a credit note whenever a commission is refunded. For this purpose, the Host enters accurate billing details in their dashboard (private individual or professional status, name or company name, address and, where applicable, SIREN and VAT numbers) and keeps them up to date.
VAT — Elsewhere currently falls under the French VAT franchise scheme (“TVA non applicable, article 293 B du Code général des impôts”): the commission and the prices of its own services (subscriptions, “Flexible cancellation” option, promotion fees, celebrity surcharge and other service fees) are charged without VAT.
This scheme is not Elsewhere's choice: it ends automatically when the business's turnover exceeds the thresholds set by article 293 B of the French General Tax Code. From that date, VAT at the legal rate in force (currently 20%) will be added to the commission rates and to the prices of Elsewhere's services, which are therefore stated excluding VAT. Elsewhere will inform the users concerned as soon as possible; amounts already invoiced are not changed.
The stay price is freely set by the Host. As Elsewhere is not a party to the stay contract, the part of the price collected on the Host's behalf is not Elsewhere's revenue, and any VAT due on the stay depends solely on the Host's own tax situation.
Each listing displays its cancellation policy (flexible, moderate or strict), chosen by the Host, along with the corresponding refundable time frames and amounts.
These terms only apply if the Traveler chose, at the time of booking, the paid “Flexible cancellation” option offered at that step (its price is shown before confirmation). This option is not an insurance contract: it simply makes the listing's refund policy applicable; its price is kept by Elsewhere and is never refunded. Without this option, a cancelled booking does not entitle the Traveler to any refund, regardless of reason or timing.
Hosts may subscribe to one of four paid subscription tiers, granting access to differentiated perks (search boost, badges, external links, intro video, etc.), billed recurrently via Stripe Billing. The pricing and perks of each tier are detailed on the dashboard's subscription page. The subscription can be cancelled at any time, with cancellation taking effect at the end of the already-paid period.
Elsewhere offers a referral program that, under conditions described in the dashboard, grants rewards (a free subscription month, booking credit) to both the referrer and the referred user. These rewards are neither transferable nor convertible into cash.
An internal messaging system lets both parties communicate before and after the booking. It is prohibited to use the Platform for the sole purpose of arranging, outside of it, a service originally listed on Elsewhere, in order to bypass the service commission.
Travelers who have completed a stay may leave a review. Elsewhere reserves the right to moderate or remove any content that is manifestly unlawful, misleading, or in breach of these Terms.
Hosts may, at any time and with no obligation, share a check-in about how hosting travelers has affected their artistic path or day-to-day life.
A review or check-in may be accompanied by an optional authorization, checked by its author at the time of writing, allowing Elsewhere to quote it publicly — with attribution — in its own communications (for example an article, a post, a presentation material). This authorization is distinct from the content's normal visibility on the Platform: a review stays visible on the artist's page whether or not this box was checked. It can be withdrawn at any time by writing to bonjour@elsewheretrip.com; withdrawal does not remove a quote already published elsewhere at the time of the request.
As Elsewhere acts as an intermediary, its liability cannot be engaged for the performance of the stay itself (quality of the welcome, lodging or artistic service), which is the sole responsibility of the Host. In the event of a dispute between a Host and a Traveler, Elsewhere may offer triage assistance through its team, without any obligation of result.
In the event of a serious breach of these Terms (in particular fraud, circumvention of the service commission, or unlawful content), Elsewhere may remove the public visibility of a Host's listings by flagging their profile as suspended: their listings then stop appearing in search results and on their public profile, until the measure is lifted. As it currently stands, this measure does not restrict access to the account itself (login, messaging, ongoing bookings).
These Terms are governed by French law. In the event of a dispute, a consumer user may resort free of charge to a consumer mediator. TODO: mediator contact details to be published here once the publisher's enrollment in a consumer mediation scheme is effective (a legal obligation separate from the drafting of this document — see PROJECT_STATUS.md).
Elsewhere may amend these Terms at any time; the applicable version is the one in force at the time of the booking or use of the service.
For any question relating to these Terms: bonjour@elsewheretrip.com.
Amounts received by a Host through the Platform may be subject to income tax and social contributions. Each Host is responsible for declaring them, according to their status and the applicable regime (for example furnished rental, micro-enterprise or artist-author income), and for paying the corresponding taxes and contributions. Failing to declare or pay exposes the Host to the penalties provided by law: surcharges, late-payment interest and, in case of fraud, criminal penalties.
To learn about these obligations: on the French tax authority's website, https://www.impots.gouv.fr/particulier/questions/comment-declarer-mes-revenus-issus-de-leconomie-collaborative ; on the Urssaf website, https://www.urssaf.fr/accueil/services/economie-collaborative.html. These links are also included in every message sent to the Host in connection with a transaction, in accordance with article 242 bis of the French General Tax Code.
In accordance with articles 1649 ter A et seq. of the French General Tax Code (transposing the EU “DAC7” directive), Elsewhere reports to the tax authority each year, by 31 January, information on Hosts and the amounts they received through it during the previous year: identity, address, tax identification number, date of birth, SIREN and VAT numbers where applicable, address of the rented properties and number of rental days, amounts paid and commissions withheld per quarter. Within the same deadline, Elsewhere sends each Host concerned a statement of the information relating to them. The Host undertakes to provide accurate, up-to-date information (collected and verified by the payment provider Stripe); failing that after two reminders, the law requires Elsewhere to suspend their payouts or deactivate their account until it is provided.
