Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

This Privacy Policy explains how Sound Thought LLC, doing business as the media brand SelectBNBs ("Company," "we," "us," or "our"), collects, uses, and protects information when you visit selectbnbs.com and any related subdomains, applications, or services (collectively, the "Site").

2. Information We Collect

Information you provide

We collect personal information only when you voluntarily provide it, such as your email address when subscribing to our newsletter, requesting a Booking Guide, or contacting us. We do not require you to create an account to browse the Site.

Information collected automatically

When you visit the Site, we may automatically collect certain technical information, including:

• Device type, browser type, screen size, and operating system
• IP address (used for geolocation at the country/city level, then truncated before storage)
• Pages viewed, time spent on page, scroll depth, and referring URL
• Approximate geographic location (country/city level, derived from IP)
• Interaction events such as property saves, filter usage, and booking link clicks
• Whether you are a new or returning visitor (based on browser-local data, not cookies)

Basic page view analytics run without cookies and help us maintain the service. Detailed behavioral analytics (interaction tracking, session recording, engagement measurement) only activate after you accept the consent banner (see Section 5).

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Deliver the content, guides, or communications you requested.
• Monitor and analyze site performance and usage trends to improve the Site.
• Prevent fraud and protect the security of the Site.
• Comply with legal obligations.

We do not sell your personal information to data brokers, and we never share it for purposes unrelated to your request.

4. Sharing of Information

We may share your information only in the following limited circumstances:

• Accommodation providers and property managers. When you send us a stay inquiry, we share the details of that inquiry — your name, contact information, dates, party size, and preferences — with the property owners or management companies relevant to your request so they can respond to you directly. These providers may compensate SelectBNBs for referrals. Providers receive your details to answer your inquiry, not for their own marketing. You can ask us to stop sharing your details with providers at any time by emailing hi@selectbnbs.com.
• Service providers. Third-party vendors that help us operate the Site (e.g., email delivery, analytics). These providers are contractually obligated to use your information only for the services they perform for us.
• Legal requirements. If required to do so by law, subpoena, or other legal process, or if we believe disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, your safety, or the safety of others.
• Business transfers. In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction.

5. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

The Site uses cookies, browser local storage, and similar technologies. Our tracking operates at two levels:

Basic analytics (always active)

Page view counts, referral source, and basic device information are collected without cookies to help us monitor site health and performance. This data is anonymized (IP addresses are truncated before storage) and does not identify you personally.

Booking-link tracking (always active)

When you click a booking link or affiliate redirect, the click is logged server-side regardless of your consent banner choice. We use this first-party operational data to measure which properties and platforms drive booking interest. These redirects do not require browser-side tracking to work, but we may also send a server-side analytics event to Google Analytics for aggregate reporting.

Save-list capture diagnostics (always active)

When you tap the saved-stays badge, scroll the email capture card into view, or submit your saved-stays request, we record short server-side diagnostic events (badge tapped, card viewed, form submitted, success, failure) regardless of your consent banner choice. These events do not include your email or captured form content; they record a count of saved properties and a few request fields so we can monitor whether the save-list flow is reaching users and working. Same first-party operational scope as booking-link tracking above.

Enhanced analytics (consent required)

When you accept the consent banner, we activate additional analytics including:

• Google Analytics — traffic analysis and audience insights
• Microsoft Clarity — session recording and heatmaps to understand how visitors interact with the Site
• Behavioral tracking — property saves, scroll depth, engagement time, filter usage, and booking link clicks
• Persistent visitor identification — a random identifier stored in your browser to recognize return visits
• Affiliate link tracking — so we can sustain the Site through booking referrals

The consent banner offers a single binary choice: Accept (enables the full set of enhanced analytics listed above) or Decline (keeps you on basic analytics only). There are no granular per-category toggles. Your choice is stored in your browser's local storage and applies until you clear it. To change your mind later, clear local storage for selectbnbs.com or email us at hi@selectbnbs.com.

Each accept-or-decline decision is recorded as a single first-party event with metadata about your viewport size and the page on which the decision was made. This is operational telemetry used to monitor banner performance; it is not shared with third parties.

Marketing email consent

When you opt into marketing email via the checkbox on our save-stays form, we record an audit row capturing: the exact text of the consent statement you saw at the moment of opt-in, a version identifier of that statement, the timestamp, and the website domain you came from when you opted in. This audit trail proves what specifically you agreed to receive. The row is preserved as long as we hold any record of you; deletion requests under Section 8 remove it along with the rest. To remove yourself from marketing email without deleting the rest of your record, use the unsubscribe link in any email or contact hi@selectbnbs.com.

Email engagement tracking

When you request your saved stays via email, the email may contain a small tracking image that lets us know whether the email was opened. Booking links in the email use anonymized tokens (not your email address) to measure click engagement. This helps us improve the quality and relevance of our communications.

Third-party analytics

We use Google Analytics and Microsoft Clarity, which collect anonymized usage data. These services have their own privacy policies governing the information they collect. Both are loaded only after you provide consent.

6. Third-Party Links

The Site contains links to third-party websites, including booking platforms and affiliate partners. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those external sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policy of any site you visit through our links.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this policy, or as required by law. If you request deletion of your data, we will comply within a reasonable timeframe (see Section 8).

8. Your Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you.
• Request correction of inaccurate information.
• Request deletion of your personal information.
• Opt out of marketing communications at any time.
• Object to or restrict certain processing of your data.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at hi@selectbnbs.com. We will respond within 30 days.

9. Instagram Account Connection

If you connect an Instagram account to SelectBNBs (for example via the Alo studio at /alo/admin/), we receive a defined slice of Instagram Graph API data through Meta's SelectBNBs app. This section describes exactly what we receive, how we store it, and how to remove it.

What we receive

• Instagram username and Instagram account ID
• Account-level counts (followers, follows, media count)
• Account-level insights: daily reach, profile views, and follower count over time
• Per-media insights for posts on the connected account: impressions, reach, saved, shares, plays, likes, comments
• Public permalinks and captions for the posts insights are attached to

What we do not receive

• Direct messages or message contents
• The identities of your followers
• Private posts, stories, or media we did not request scope for
• Payment or billing information
• Anything outside the scopes we requested below

Scopes requested

We request only instagram_business_basic and instagram_business_manage_insights. The Meta app under which these scopes are reviewed is named SelectBNBs.

Storage

Access tokens are stored in a per-partner JSON file on our server with restrictive (0600) filesystem permissions — readable only by the SelectBNBs application user. Insights snapshots are stored in our managed Postgres CRM database hosted in the US-East region. Tokens never appear in logs, analytics events, or backups.

Retention

Per-media and account insights are retained on a rolling 90-day window for the daily dashboard view. Account-level snapshots (daily followers, daily reach, daily profile views) are kept indefinitely so we can show long-horizon trend analysis to the connected account holder.

Refresh cycle

Meta issues long-lived tokens that expire in roughly 60 days. We auto-refresh those tokens approximately every 50 days, while they are still valid, so the connection persists without requiring you to re-authorize. If a refresh fails, the token is allowed to expire and we will email you to reconnect.

Your control

You can disconnect at any time. The fastest path is the Disconnect Instagram button inside your studio at /alo/admin/ — one click deletes our copy of the token and all stored insights immediately. The Instagram Login flow has no server-side revoke; to also remove the SelectBNBs app's grant on Meta's side, visit your Instagram app permissions at instagram.com/accounts/manage_access.

Deletion

For full deletion of everything described above, see /data-deletion.html or email hi@selectbnbs.com with the subject "delete my data."

10. Children's Privacy

The Site is not directed to individuals under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected such information, please contact us and we will promptly delete it.

11. Data Security

We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

12. International Users

The Site is operated from the United States. If you access the Site from outside the United States, your information may be transferred to and processed in the United States, where data protection laws may differ from those in your jurisdiction. By using the Site, you consent to such transfer and processing.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last updated" date. Your continued use of the Site after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.

14. Contact

For questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:

SelectBNBs
Sound Thought LLC
hi@selectbnbs.com