GTC

The Swiss Youth Hostels’ General Terms and Conditions

1) Area of application

The General Terms and Conditions of Swiss Youth Hostels apply to all reservation enquiries and reservations at youth hostels operated by Swiss Youth Hostels.

2) Membership

The Swiss Youth Hostels are a member organisation.

Membership – annual membership

This membership entitles you to discounted accommodation prices in all Swiss Youth Hostels. The current discount is CHF 7 per night and person incl. VAT. 
Annual membership can be purchased via the following channels and the price savings are deducted: 

  • on the youthhostel.ch website or in the Swiss Youth Hostel app   
  • at the Swiss Youth Hostels’ Booking Centre 
  • directly in one of our youth hostels 

Special conditions apply to groups. All member benefits can be found at youthhostel.ch.

Day Membership

The day membership is included in the accommodation price and is valid from the day of arrival up to and including the day of departure from the booked youth hostel.

3) Lodging agreement and payment

The lodging agreement is concluded directly and exclusively between the person booking (the guest) and the youth hostel at which they wish to stay. If a lodging agreement in writing is requested, it must be returned, duly signed, to the youth hostel within 10 days of receipt. Otherwise, the reservation is invalid. The guest must pay the price of accommodation confirmed by the youth hostel, including additional services and visitor taxes, at the youth hostel at the time of check-in.

The youth hostel is entitled to charge a premium for empty beds in a booked room.

4) Payment in advance

In order to guarantee a booking, the youth hostel is entitled to request payment in advance. If a payment in advance is requested, it must be made by the due date stated.In the case of bookings via the online reservation system of Swiss Youth Hostels, the booking is to be paid for immediately at the time of booking.

5) Cancellation terms

Guests must notify the Youth Hostel they have booked directly and in writing of any changes to the contract as soon as possible.

The relevant Youth Hostel must be notified directly and in writing about any cancellation of the reservation, reduction in the number of guests or length of stay. This notification will only be deemed to have been given once the Youth Hostel has issued a confir-mation. The cancellation terms vary depending on the rate booked and the Youth Hostel. The relevant cancellation terms can be seen during the reservation process or you will be informed about them by phone. In the event of cancellation in accordance with the respective criteria, the total amount will be due upon arrival, no-show or early departure. Non-refundable booking: Any changes or cancellation of the booking are subject to a fee. No refunds are possible. The entire amount of the booking is due for immediate payment. In the case of group bookings, large events and special events, deviating cancellation conditions apply as set out in the accommodation contract/reservation confirmation. We recommend that you take out cancellation insurance.

6) Cancellation insurance

Cancellation insurance covers the cancellation costs that are contractually due if, for example, the stay has to be cancelled or ended early due to illness or an accident. Insurance can be taken out during the booking process on youthhostel.ch or at the youth hostel directly. The insurance cover is valid from the booking date. The insurer’s terms and conditions apply. These can be viewed at www.youthhostel.ch.

7) Arrival

Arrival is possible during the reception desk’s opening hours. Attention must be paid to each youth hostel’s special opening hours. Guests who have not made a payment in advance should arrive by 6 pm or give notice of a later arrival to the youth hostel. Reservations without any payment in advance are regarded as binding until 6 pm on the day of arrival. In the event of non-arrival by 6 pm and if notice of a later arrival is not given, the youth hostel is free to allocate the reserved beds or rooms at its discretion.

8) Data protection

The protection of our guests’ privacy is an absolute priority for Swiss Youth Hostels. We strive to guarantee the highest possible levels of data protection and security for our guests. The personal data collected as part of the booking process (e.g. name and email address) is stored by Swiss Youth Hostels and used exclusively to process the reservation and booking correctly, and for the purposes of the stay in our youth hostels. Additionally, we anonymise the data and use it for statistical and analytical purposes. We only use our guests’ data for the purposes of customer surveys and advertising with their express consent. Our guests’ personal data is always treated as confidential and is disclosed to third parties only in justified cases. The Privacy Policy of Swiss Youth Hostels is available on the website www.youthhostel.ch.

We do not store our guests’ credit card details. At the end of the booking process, the card details are transmitted directly to the credit card company over an encrypted connection and validated.

9) App / Loyalty

Since October 2021 the Swiss Youth Hostels Association is running Overnight Rewards, its customer loyalty programme. Thanks to Overnight Rewards, guests using the SJH app can participate in the Swiss Youth Hostels loyalty programme. Participants in the loyalty programme can benefit from advantages such as vouchers and discounts. All rights and obligations in connection with the loyalty programme apply exclusively to the Swiss Youth Hostels Association.

Eligibility:
Private individuals aged 18 and over are eligible to participate. Each loyalty account and the points collected through it are personal and non-transferable. They are linked to an identification number which is automatically generated via the membership app. Participation is free.

Usage:
Points can be collected for various purposes on the app. These are added into the user account and can be used to redeem services and products according to the applicable provisions. Points redemption can only take place if the given conditions are met and promotions under the customer loyalty programme cannot be combined with other special offers. Certain discount promotions and rewards have time limitations. Redeemed rewards cannot be refunded and there is no entitlement to cash compensation for points. SJH reserves the right to make changes or additions to participation conditions, the issuing of points, the value of points or other changes affecting the loyalty programme, and/or to discontinue it at any time. These actions can also be carried out retrospectively. Points can only be collected via the app or the online reservation system. Telephone bookings cannot be taken into account.

Misuse/Exchange/Loss/Expiry:
The Swiss Youth Hostels Association accepts no liability for improper use of the loyalty programme. The exchange or sale of points to third parties is prohibited. In the event of abuse, SJH reserves the right to exclude offending persons from the loyalty programme. Guests can leave the programme at any time. Upon request, we will delete all data stored about you. For more information, please contact our membership service.

10) Legal jurisdiction

The legal jurisdiction is the registered office of Swiss Youth Hostels in Zurich.