How the platform works

1. Spotwee’s role

Spotwee acts as a technical intermediary connecting the parties. The rental contract is concluded directly between the host and the renter; Spotwee is not a party to that contract and does not itself provide venue rental services.

As of today, Spotwee processes no payments: any financial transactions are concluded and carried out directly between the host and the renter, outside the platform, and Spotwee charges no commission. Once online payment is activated, it will be processed by Stripe (Stripe Connect); Spotwee will not hold funds outside the accounts managed by Stripe and does not hold itself out as a payment service provider within the meaning of Articles L314-1 et seq. of the French Monetary and Financial Code. Users will be informed before activation.

2. Status of providers (professionals / private individuals)

When publishing a listing, every host declares whether they are acting as a professional (an activity carried out on a habitual basis for profit) or as a private individual (outside any professional capacity). This status is displayed on every listing so that renters can clearly identify whether they are contracting with a professional or a non-professional, in accordance with Article L111-7, II, 3° of the French Consumer Code. Depending on that status, consumer-protection rules do or do not apply to the host-renter relationship. Listings published before this declaration was introduced display no status until their host provides it.

3. Indexing and ranking of listings

The listings displayed are those that match the search criteria: place or map area, event type, capacity, dates and selected filters. They are then ranked as follows:

• by default, from the most recently published to the oldest;
• according to the sort order chosen by the user: price ascending, price descending or capacity descending (if equal, the most recent first);
• example listings, labelled as such, are presented separately from real listings;
• on the home page, a selection of venues chosen by Spotwee, free of charge, supplemented where needed by the most recently published venues.

No other parameter (reviews, popularity, host profile) currently affects the ranking. In accordance with Articles L111-7 and D111-7 of the French Consumer Code, Spotwee informs users of the conditions under which listings are indexed and de-indexed, of the main ranking parameters and their relative importance, and of the existence of any capital ties or remuneration liable to influence the ranking. As of today, Spotwee does not offer paid promotion of listings.

4. Listing review, de-indexing and moderation

Before going live, every listing is reviewed by the Spotwee team: completeness of the information, consistency of the photos, description and prices, and compliance with the Terms of service. Spotwee may request additional information or refuse publication, stating the reason. Any later change to a published listing goes through the same review. This check covers the listing itself: it does not include a visit to the venue or verification of the Host’s title (ownership, lease, permits); the Host remains solely responsible for the accuracy of the listing and for compliance with the rules applicable to the venue.

Spotwee may de-index or suspend a listing or an account in the event of a breach of the Terms of service or Booking Terms, of unlawful content or content contrary to public policy, of non-compliance with laws and regulations, or upon an order from an administrative or judicial authority.

In accordance with the French Act on Confidence in the Digital Economy (LCEN) and with the Digital Services Act, any user may report content or a listing they consider unlawful through the reporting mechanism. Reports are recorded and time-stamped, examined diligently, and may lead to the prompt removal or suspension of the content or account concerned. Spotwee is not subject to any general obligation to monitor, but incurs liability if, having knowledge of manifestly unlawful content, it does not remove it promptly.

5. Renter reviews and ratings

In accordance with Article L111-7-2 of the French Consumer Code, Spotwee informs users of how reviews published on listings are collected, checked and handled:

• Prior verification: only a renter whose booking request was accepted by the host and whose event has taken place may submit a review, limited to one review per booking. The check is automated and based on the recorded booking; no review can be submitted without a verified booking.
• The publication date of each review is displayed. The experience reviewed corresponds to the verified booking that grants the right to submit the review, which necessarily precedes that date.
• Reviews are displayed newest first. No sorting by rating is applied, and no consideration, financial or in kind, is given in exchange for submitting a review.
• Spotwee does not alter the content of reviews. A review may be refused or removed if it is manifestly unlawful, abusive, unrelated to the service, if it discloses third-party personal data, or if it results from a fraudulent submission. The author is informed and may contest the decision.
• Spotwee publishes no sponsored reviews and applies no paid promotion of reviews. Reviews are retained for the periods set out in the privacy policy.
• Detailed rating: in addition to their overall rating, the renter may optionally rate, from 1 to 5, how accurately the listing describes the venue, the host's welcome and cleanliness. The overall rating remains the one they give: it is never calculated from these criteria. Each per-criterion average shown on the listing covers only the reviews that rate that criterion.
• Host reply: the venue's host may publish one reply per review, which they can edit or delete. It is displayed below the review with its date and changes neither the review nor its rating. Spotwee does not alter its content; it may be removed under the same conditions as a review.
• Solicitation: the day after the event, the renter is invited by email to leave a review, once per booking and regardless of their experience, unless they have turned off booking emails in their settings.

Any request concerning a review — reporting it, contesting a refusal or removal, or exercising data-protection rights — may be sent to contact@spotwee.com.