Privacy Notice

Starfish Homestays runs six homestays in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, from Forest Residency, Malsi, Dehradun 248008. For anything about your personal data, write to hello@starfishhomestays.com or message us on WhatsApp at +91 97809 95459.

We use Google Analytics to understand which pages are useful. It sets cookies and records the pages you view, the links you tap (for example WhatsApp or Airbnb buttons), your device and browser, and an approximate location. We do not see your name or contact details from this. You can block these cookies in your browser settings, and the site keeps working.

When you message us on WhatsApp, call or email, we receive whatever you send (usually your name, number and trip dates) and use it only to answer you and arrange your stay. Bookings themselves are made on Airbnb, which handles payments under its own privacy policy.

To create an account and check in, we collect:

• your name, email address and phone number;
• a password, which we store only in scrambled (hashed) form, so nobody can read it;
• your Airbnb confirmation code and the home and dates it belongs to;
• photos of the ID documents you upload for the guests staying;
• whether you ticked the box to hear about offers and new stays.

We ask for ID so we know who is staying in our homes, for everyone's safety, and because hosts are expected to keep guest identity records. Your details also let us send you the Wi-Fi and house guide for your stay and help with check-out.

• ID photos are deleted automatically 30 days after your check-out date.
• Your portal account (name, email, phone, booking) stays until you ask us to delete it.
• Messages stay in our WhatsApp and email history unless you ask us to delete them.
• Analytics data is kept for the period set in our Google Analytics account.

Only the Starfish host team can open guest details and ID photos, through a password-protected admin page. The data sits with the services that run the site: our hosting and database provider, and Google for analytics. We never sell your data. We share it with authorities only when the law requires us to.

• Ask us what we hold about you, or to correct or delete it.
• Stop offer messages at any time: log in to the guest portal and untick "Offers and new stays", reply "stop", or tell us on WhatsApp. Tick it again whenever you like.
• Forgot your portal password? Message us on WhatsApp and we will send you a reset link. It works once and expires after 24 hours.
• Block analytics cookies in your browser.