Help and contact
Find answers in the respective sections below
Reservations
To make a reservation, follow these simple steps:
- On the specific listing page, choose a date and/or a time, and select the additional options you’d like, if available. Click on Reserve to proceed. In some cases only a Request for reservations can be made. In that case, the person making the reservation can wait until the listing’s provider accepts or denies the reservation, or cancel it if it takes too long.
- Check that all the details are correct, and add the remaining details. Once done, click on Continue.
- If everything looks correct on the checkout page, click on Place order. Your reservation is now confirmed. This means that the intended days are blocked for you and that both the provider and you will have a written confirmation of that reservation on your users’ accounts, as well as a confirmation email. However, the reservation will still be unpaid. You will agree with the listing’s owner on how and when to make the payment. How to do this is covered in the payments section.
Once placed and confirmed, reservations can’t be modified. Listing providers and hosts/customers can communicate via the internal messaging system and agree on possibilities to cancel and/or make new reservations.
Whether you are a host/provider or a guest/customer, you can always access your reservations in your user account, under Reservations. They are sorted according to their status (pending, confirmed, canceled…) and then by date, with the earlier reservations first.
Click on any reservation number to see its full details and options. Once inside, you will be able to message the listing’s provider, confirm or deny a reservation request (as a host), see the payment information, or cancel it altogether.
After receiving the first reservation, select the Calendar option on your user account menu to see an overview of all your reservations corresponding to all your listings.
To see only an overview of the reservations related to a specific listing, select the Listings option on your menu, click on the respective listing and see its own calendar.
Both listing providers and guests/customers can cancel reservations up until the date and/or time it starts. Please try to avoid canceling reservations on short notice.
Under the Reservations option in your user account menu, open the specific reservation and click on “Cancel reservation”.
Listings
To upload a property, an activity, a service, or your business, follow these simple steps:
- Go to your user account and click on Add a listing. Fill out the details following the “Info” and “Help guide” menus, and click on Submit listing. Although the use of Bitcoin and/or Monero is suggested, you may choose to accept any cryptocurrency you wish.
- After review, your listing will be published and will remain active for the time specified in your plan’s details. If your listing is denied, you will be informed about the reasons and you might be able to re-submit it.
- Enjoy getting paid in crypto!
Once uploaded and admitted, you can view all your published listings under the Listings option in your user account menu. Click on any listing to edit it, see its reservations, or modify its calendar (change prices on different days, block dates, etc…).
You can easily make a listing featured heading to the Listings option in your user account menu. Click on the star icon located to the right of the listing you would like to appear featured.
This will make your listings appear at the top of a related search results page for 7 days and they will display a more prominent border to catch the visitors’ attention. If there are many featured listings, the order in which they are shown on each page will be random.
You may hide a listing from the public for any reason opening the respective listing as if you were going to edit it. On top of the editing form, find and click on the “Hide listing” option. Unhiding it works the same way.
If a listing expires it will not disappear, but it will be automatically hidden from the public. You will receive an email with instructions to renew it. Simply open your listing’s editing page, and click on “Renew Listing” at the bottom of the form. Your listing will be instantly re-published.
You may delete a listing for any reason at any time opening the respective listing as if you were going to edit it. On top of the editing form, find and click on the “Delete listing” option.
If your listing still had active time left (it was not expired), this time will not be recoverable. You will lose the days remaining and all the information on that listing. If you wish to upload a listing again, you will need to redo the process from the beginning.
Plans
A plan defines how many listings a user can publish, how long they will remain published, and which categories of listings it allows a user to upload.
Currently all our plans are free and give users one listing that will be active forever. Users can reselect plans as many times as they need.
To know more, please head over to our Plans page.
Payments
The use of our services is totally free. Enjoy!
Payments for reservations will be settled directly between the respective users, without intervention from Staynsee. We promote and expect the use of cryptocurrencies only, leaving fiat only for reference. Nevertheless, users can always agree to settle in any other form of currency, should any issues arise at the time of payment.
Be aware that this is a detailed step by step explanation, but basically the concept is very similar to a cash payment in person, simply substituting cash by cryptocurrency. In practice, the payment process should take a few minutes only.
We suggest that to keep a sort of standard, users follow the below steps after a reservation is made:
- Contact each other using our internal messaging system, available clicking on the Messaging option in each user’s account. All listings display at least one cryptocurrency that the listing’s provider accepts, and the customer (guest) must respect that. Both users should now agree on which cryptocurrency to use for payment.
- In most cases users will meet at the location of the reservation, except in cases in which a self check-in is available. In the case of a reservation for an accommodation, we recommend guests to enter the property first, before paying, and confirm that it is as described. We urge hosts to respect and follow that.
- Now the full payment should occur. How to do it is fully up to the users themselves, but for guidance only we will mention a few options:
- A: ideally the sender just scans a QR code from the receiver that contains the address and the amount, and sends the indicated funds. Amounts in the respective crypto might be calculated by the wallet itself after inserting a fiat reference amount, or can be checked online by both parts at the time of payment.
- B: if the sender’s wallet is unable to read a QR or the receiver’s wallet can’t generate a QR, we optionally offer a payment link generator available for the sender opening the respective reservation’s page. This method is also very useful in case of self check in situations where no in-person meeting occurs. This link can then be shared with the receiver, who can then copy the details into his wallet. The advantage of this method is that it links to a page that calculates the amounts in real time, and offers a Transaction ID as a reference. Also, should the sender be unable to send the cryptocurrency the receiver specified, an exchange from one currency to the other can be done using the same payment link generator. The drawback is that this link redirects users to a third party (Trocador), which we do not control. This means that the risk could be higher, especially when exchanging currencies. Also, fees apply to these exchanges (taken by the external providers, not by us). Although we can’t take responsibility for the use of this external parties, we can say that in our experience Trocador has always worked well.
- If option 3B is used, the customer (guest) must copy the Transaction ID and share it with the listing provider (host)
- Once the payment is received, it is important that the receiver marks the reservation as paid, since it occurs outside our platform. This is done easily opening the respective reservation and clicking on the “Payment information” link. There, a button to mark the reservation (order) as paid will be displayed at the bottom.
In any case, when using crypto, always double check everything before sending funds!
Providers (hosts) may ask for a deposit or prepayment for a reservation. It is up to the customers (guests) to accept it, and we recommend to always be cautious. The longer a listing is available, the higher the chances of it being trustworthy, but there will be no 100% guarantees. Some listings display a verified icon, and some may also be registered businesses. Those two attributes can help increasing trust. See also our section about proofs of payments below.
Open a specific reservation and click on Payment link generator. After submitting the form it will return the desired link. This link can then be shared with the customer (host). It redirects to an external unrelated party called Trocador.
Sending and receiving currencies are the same (recommended)
The link will show:
- A window informing the sender about the amount in fiat currency to be paid using the chosen crypto.
- After clicking on Pay, a window detailing the exact amount in the chosen crypto, converted automatically from the previous fiat amount, that the sender has to transfer to the receiver’s address.
- A QR code integrated in the same window.
- A Transaction ID that can be used to check the payment details for a certain time period.
This transaction method has no added fees by us or by Trocador. The only fees are the blockchain fees themselves.
Sending and receiving currencies are different
In this case, the link will show:
- A window informing the sender about the amount in fiat currency to be paid using the sender’s chosen crypto.
- After clicking on Pay, a window detailing the exchange provider, the exact amount in the chosen crypto that the sender will transfer, the exact amount the receiver will get in his chosen crypto, the fiat equivalent, an intermediate address corresponding to the exchange provider that will swap the funds, and a transaction description.
- A QR code integrated in the same window.
- A transaction expiration time.
- A few customer support links.
- A few transaction IDs that can be used to check the payment details for a certain time period.
The selected exchange provider will add fees on top of this transaction that can vary between 1% and 8%, and the sender must cover them. The receiver will get paid the exact amount equivalent to the indicated fiat amount.
We recommend to check the correctness of the link first before sending it to the customer (host). Links auto-update, which means that when the customer opens the link, the fiat amount will again be converted at that precise moment, making sure that the customer always sends the exact amount at time of payment. The sender must copy the transaction ID (Trocador ID in coin exchanges) shown and share it with the listing provider.
To check the details of a payment after a user has paid, head over to trocador.app and insert the Transaction ID under the “Check your transaction status”. It will show exactly what the user paid at the time, and if the sender altered the link at any point.
NOTES:
- Alternatively, the customer (guest) can also generate a payment link if the receiver’s address is known and show the host the Transaction ID to confirm the details.
- Only use Trocador if you feel comfortable using it, especially for coin exchanges. Read their documentation and their terms to familiarize yourself with all the options and descriptions. We can’t provide any assistance in case of mistakes or errors
Should users decide to use any public blockchain to settle a payment, any online blockchain explorer of the respective cryptocurrency will show all its transactions, and users can find their own payments usually indicating either the sender’s or the receiver’s address and/or the transaction ID. This serves a definitive proof of payment, should problems arise. The listing provider should have shared his receiving address via internal messaging, and together with the reservation’s data in users’ accounts, it can be confirmed that dates, addresses and quantities match.
More private cryptocurrencies like Monero might obfuscate transactions, but nevertheless the wallets used to send the funds should always offer a possibility to share a transaction ID, a view key, or something in the likes. Blockchain explorers also exist for those cryptocurrencies, leaving relatively few options that really can’t provide a definitive proof of payment.
Users that choose to pay with the help of our payment link generator will additionally have to copy the Transaction ID displayed. Like this, payment details will be available for a certain period of time to confirm their correctness.
Cryptocurrency payments have many advantages, but one disadvantage is that you need to trust the receiver if you prepay for some service, especially if it is an individual and not a company. This is why we recommend to always pay the provider in person, but we acknowledge the fact that this is not always possible because some providers might not reside near his/her rented properties, some others might require a prepayment as a deposit for a reservation, etc.
There are blockchain technologies under development that will allow trustless transactions between people. Automatic, auditable (open source) one-time contracts that will function as a free escrow service, with no centralized control over them. In fact, those technologies already exist, but are not broadly adopted or easily applicable yet. As soon as good options appear, we will integrate them in our systems to add a layer of trust (or no need for trust) and safety to our services.
Currently there are workarounds available, but they require a little more manual work and the use of third party apps. We are talking about multisig crypto wallets. A multi signature (multisig) wallet requires a predefined number of people to agree each time funds need to be sent out of that wallet. Similar to a joint bank account. In our proposed situation, 2 persons out of 2 in total must agree (2-2 multisig wallet). In practice, this is how it would work assuming that the listing provider requires a prepayment for every reservation, or does not reside where the vacation rental is located (self check-in):
- The listing provider offers to accept (pre)payments through a multisig wallet to increase the safety of those transactions (reduce the component of trust). This possibility will be indicated in the listing details.
- The customer/guest willing to make a reservation installs the same (free) multisig wallet.
- The listing provider shares his multisig wallet address with the customer/guest.
- The customer/guest receives the notification in his wallet and joins the shared wallet. Now the listing provider and the customer/guest must both approve any payment made out of that wallet.
- The customer now sends the required prepayment (deposit) from his/her private wallet to the multisig wallet.
- At an agreed upon time – usually at check-in in case of vacation rentals – the listing provider requires the full payment and will create a transaction in the multisig wallet to send all the prepaid/deposited funds to his own private wallet.
- The customer/guest has verified that everything is as described in the listing details, and receives a notification asking for permission to release the prepayment/deposit to the listing provider. The customer approves the transaction and funds are released (2 out of 2 persons agreed). In a second payment, the customer will send to the listing provider the remaining amount of the reservation via a traditional cryptocurrency transfer.
What has been achieved with this method?
- The listing provider does not have to fully trust the customer/guest to maintain the reservation and not cancel it last minute. Asking for a deposit with a conditional refund policy deters people from cancelling easily.
- The user requesting a prepayment or a payment while not being present can’t steal the sender’s funds from the multisig wallet, since both are the “owners”. This should increase the trust of the sender.
- The user sending the funds to the multisig wallet address knows that they are not directly sent to the receiver, and require his permission to be released.
Worst case scenarios
- The listing provider requesting prepayment just wants to make another user, the sender, lose funds. In this useless case, the listing provider does not gain anything. Only the user sending the funds will lose access to them, since approval is required from both parties to send the funds back. This is an unlikely scenario, but possible if someone enjoys spending a lot of time making other people lose crypto for no gain.
- The customer/guest refuses to release the deposit in the multisig wallet because something is not right, he/she had to cancel unexpectedly, or just out of bad intentions. In this case, the listing provider could only lose the days blocked for that reservation, since most payments should occur just after arrival at the location. Only if the listing provider would agree to let a customer release the prepayment at the end (not recommended), he risks losing those funds. Similarly to the case above, the sender will not gain anything either, and will have lost the funds too.
Things to note
- Whenever a multisig wallet is used it is very important that both parties confirm that it is indeed a 2-2 multisig wallet. Never join a 2-3 multisig wallet.
- Users exhibiting bad behavior can, and should be reported. After some time, those users will tend to dissapear quickly.
- The software used to create multisig wallets should be studied beforehand. Always inform yourself first before trying new things in crypto.
- We only offer recommendations and possibilities. As stated many times, we do not take part in payments between users and are not responsible for any aspect of those.
User accounts
To create an account, open the hamburger menu, click on Sign In, and the click on the Register link. After you click on the verification link you will receive in your email, your account will be active.
We do not ask for personal information except for a valid email that will be used to send you a verification link first, and then to send you informative emails when you make or receive reservations, when you upload a listing, etc. We do not send promotional emails, nor do we share it with anyone. If you would like to remain more anonymous, create a specific email for Staynsee that you did not use elsewhere.
You must agree to our Terms and Conditions to create an account at Staynsee.
To edit your account, click on Settings in your user account menu. You will be able to change your first and last names, add a profile picture, change your password, etc.
There are only a few mandatory fields that must be filled out. If not filled out, during the upload of a listing it will be asked for. Although not mandatory, we recommend listing providers to fill out the Profile Info section, so customers can know a little more about them.
If you are a listing provider, how your user profile will look publicly is shown clicking on the “”View Profile” link at the bottom of the Settings page. Other profiles are not publicly shown.
Verifying an account is not needed and is not asked for. We respect the right of each user to remain as anonymous and private as possible.
Nevertheless, since some users might need a certain degree of trust, we might offer options for listing providers to voluntarily add more information about themselves and their listings. We will possibly add some reliability indicators related to how many successful reservations a provider has had, how many complaints, the accuracy of their listings, etc.
Confirmed fake accounts and bad actors will immediately be removed from our website. We define a fake account as anybody (or anything) impersonating a user but only using the website to send spam, deceiving other users, attack the website, or anything not related to the purpose of this website.
If you detect scammers or fake accounts, we urge you to use our contact form below to let us know, or click on the Report Listing button on the respective listing. After investigation we will decide if the mentioned account must be removed or not.
To delete an account, open the Settings page in your user account menu, and then click on the “Delete Account” link at the bottom.
All your data and your uploaded listings, if any, will be deleted. The only remaining data will be the reviews you left, if any, and your made or received reservations, because they contain payment information that might be needed.
Taxes and fees
Taxes are the responsibility of each listing provider. Since Staynsee does not payout its members, we do not and cannot withhold any taxes either.
By default, taxes can’t be shown directly on listings, and only total prices are displayed (including taxes). Certain countries might impose taxes on reservations, and that is why it is suggested that listing providers add in the Description field or in the Rules field, the percentage of tax already included. Alternatively, providers can include a mandatory Additional option (Paid extras) that includes the value of the taxes or any other fees.
For example, if you would like to rent out an apartment for 100USD/night and your country imposes 10% on that, simply make the price of your listing 110USD, and for clarity, add to the description that 10% tax is included in the total. Using the Paid extras option, you would create a 10USD mandatory extra that covers the tax, and offer your listing for 100USD.
Some countries also apply a flat fee tax to tourists. This can be easily added to the listing using a Paid extra field and making it required.
At Staynsee we apply no fees. For users that only want to find and pay for accommodations, activities or services in crypto, the use of this website is totally free.
Obviously, when transacting with cryptocurrencies, the respective network/blockchain fees will be applied automatically. That is always the case and we have no control over that, but these fees can be extremely low. We recommend to use cryptocurrencies with low network fees -like, for instance, Monero (XMR) and Litecoin (LTC)-, but this is each user’s choice.
About Staynsee
Staynsee was born in 2023 due to an uncovered gap in the market. Namely, an OTA (Online Travel Agency) that allows hosts to rent our their properties and receive payments directly in crypto. Most current OTAs that allow paying in crypto, which are not many, are focused only on one side of the booking process, which is the user making that booking. Normally a payment gateway would then take a big fee and convert that crypto into the fiat that the host would get. The reality is that most of the times users will need to purchase a gift card with crypto to be able to use the biggest platforms. And even that has a fee too.
On Staynsee, every reservation occurs directly between host and guest (or provider and customer) without our intervention, cutting away fees and letting users choose in which cryptocurrency they want to transact.
But cryptocurrency users want exactly that, to use cryptocurrencies. So why stop at only offering vacation rentals? This is why we decided to add the possibility for users to offer (touristic) activities – in the form of guided tours, events, or similar -, or services – like renting our their car, teaching a course, or anything they come up with -. Of course, all of it on the back of the same p2p crypto system. Not satisfied yet, we also thought it would be very useful to let users upload their businesses to our directory, if those businesses accepted crypto as payment. Like this, we hope to play our small part in creating a circular crypto economy that could potentially benefit millions.
Staynsee is a pretty complete platform already as of today, but there are many improvements coming that will be rolled out in 2024.
We recently added a fast internal messaging system that can compete with that from any of the big players, and soon we will be adding improvements to allow small hostels, bed and breakfasts and hotels to upload and manage listings in a more efficient way, together with calendar upgrades, a better user experience flow, and a lot more!
We are constantly looking for new ideas to make our website better, and thus contribute to expand the use of crypto. We will be happy if you send us your suggestions. Make an account and get in touch through our contact form below!
Contact form
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