Effective date: 8 September 2026 · Last updated: 8 September 2026
This policy describes how HostelFlow (“we”, “us”, “our”) collects, uses, stores, and shares information when you use the HostelFlow website, the HostelFlow seeker app, and related APIs at api.hostelflow.com.
HostelFlow is for people looking for a hostel or PG. It is not HostelFlow Manager (the owner operations product), which has a separate privacy policy.
By using HostelFlow you agree to this policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the service.
1. Who we are
HostelFlow is operated by the HostelFlow team. For privacy requests email contact@hostelflow.com.
2. What the service does
You can learn about hostels on the public website. After you create an account you can browse listings, save favourites, send enquiries, write reviews, chat with hostel owners, and receive inbox alerts.
The website and apps talk to HostelFlow servers. We do not show third-party ads or sell your personal information.
3. Information we collect
3.1 Information you provide
- Account: email address and password when you register or sign in. Passwords are sent over HTTPS and stored hashed.
- Profile: name, email, optional phone number, and optional profile photo identifier.
- Enquiries: name, phone, email, message, preferred sharing type, visit date, and the hostel you are asking about.
- Reviews: star ratings (including category scores) and optional comments. A public display name may appear with a review.
- Chat: message text you send to a hostel owner, plus conversation metadata.
- Favourites: hostels you save.
3.2 Information collected automatically
- Usage: search terms, filters, pages you open, and similar request data needed to run the service.
- Session: access and refresh tokens, user id, email, and role so you stay signed in (browser local storage on the web; encrypted on-device storage in the mobile app).
- Technical logs: our API gateway may log time, path, and status. We do not sell this.
- Crash diagnostics (optional): if a release is configured with a crash-reporting key, stack traces and device metadata may be sent. Passwords and chat contents are not included.
3.3 Location
Location is used only when you turn on Near me or otherwise agree to a location prompt. Coordinates may be sent as a search centre and radius. You can refuse location permission; browsing still works without it.
3.4 Notifications
Signed-in users may receive in-app inbox alerts. The website may optionally register a service worker for the app shell. We do not collect an advertising ID for this.
4. How we use information
- Operate search, accounts, enquiries, reviews, chat, and notifications.
- Show your enquiry and chat to the relevant hostel operator so they can respond.
- Keep you signed in and refresh your session securely.
- Prevent abuse, debug faults, and improve reliability.
- Comply with law if we are legally required to.
5. Who we share information with
- Hostel operators using HostelFlow Manager receive enquiries, chat messages, and public reviews for their property.
- Infrastructure: API and media files are hosted on servers we operate for
api.hostelflow.com. - Other users: reviews you publish are visible to people who view that hostel.
We do not share your data with advertisers or data brokers.
6. Storage, security, and retention
- Traffic to our API uses HTTPS.
- Account, enquiry, review, chat, and favourite data are stored for as long as needed to provide the service, unless you ask us to delete them or law requires longer retention.
- Signing out clears tokens from this browser.
7. Children
HostelFlow is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided data, contact us and we will delete it.
8. Your choices and deletion
- You can refuse location permission in the browser or device settings.
- You can sign out at any time from Account.
- You can request account deletion from Account → Delete account, or email contact@hostelflow.com from the address on the account.
9. International processing
Our servers may be located in India or other countries. If you use HostelFlow from another region, your information may be processed outside your country.
10. Changes
We may update this policy. The “Last updated” date at the top will change. Continued use after an update means you accept the revised policy.
11. Contact
Privacy and support: contact@hostelflow.com