Everything you need to know to book a villa or chalet with The Selection, from pre-booking on the website to the end of your stay.
These general booking terms explain how to book, with The Selection, a villa or chalet presented on the-selection.com, and which rules apply before, during and after your stay.
They apply whatever means you use to book: the “Book” button on the property pages, WhatsApp, email, telephone, the contact form or the online concierge.
They do not cover the purchase or sale of real estate, nor owners who entrust us with their home: these activities are subject to separate agreements.
In this text, the following terms have the meanings given below.
The Selection: The Selection SASU (single-shareholder simplified joint-stock company), whose registered office is at 50 avenue des Champs-Élysées, 75008 Paris, publisher of the website the-selection.com.
Client or you: the person making a request or a booking, on their own behalf and on behalf of the travellers accompanying them.
Property: the holiday accommodation (villa, chalet or house) let furnished, presented on the website or offered by our team, including The Selection Privée properties.
Owner: the owner of the property or the professional who manages it on their behalf.
Pre-booking: the request sent from the website using the “Book” button, free of charge and without payment.
Booking confirmation: the written message from our team, by email or WhatsApp, which confirms the availability of the property, sets out the terms of the stay and contains the payment link.
These terms may change. The version applicable to your booking is the one in force on the date of your booking confirmation, a link to which is included in that message; any subsequent change does not apply to a booking that has already been confirmed.
Use of the website itself is governed by the general terms of use.
The Selection selects exceptional villas and chalets, offered by their owners or by rental professionals with whom we work, and presents them to an international clientele.
Our role is to assist you from the first exchange until the end of your stay: advice on choosing the property, checking availability, confirming the booking, preparing your arrival and concierge service during your stay.
Payment for your stay is collected by The Selection. Before any payment, the booking confirmation also tells you with whom the rental contract is concluded.
The terms specific to the property (price, payment, security deposit, cancellation, times, house rules) are communicated to you in the booking confirmation, before any payment.
They supplement these terms as regards the property and your stay, but may not reduce the rights granted to you by sections 10, 12, 13, 14 and 16, nor those granted to you by law.
The property pages (descriptions, photos, amenities, capacity, services) are written by our team on the basis of information published or provided by the owners and by the professionals who manage the properties.
We take care to ensure that they are accurate and up to date. However, the decor, furniture or certain amenities may change: if a particular feature matters to you, ask us to check it before booking.
Some properties are presented under a name chosen by The Selection, which may differ from the one appearing in the rental contract.
To preserve the owners’ privacy, the maps on the website show only an approximate area, never the exact address. The precise address and access information are provided to you in preparation for your arrival.
The distances given on the property pages, for example to the beach or the village centre, are for guidance only.
The availability calendars are updated regularly on the basis of the information we receive. They remain indicative: only written confirmation from our team guarantees that a property is available on your dates.
The online concierge relies on artificial intelligence and its answers are indicative: it can neither confirm a booking nor guarantee a price, availability or a discount.
If a traveller has particular needs (reduced mobility, young children, allergies, a pet), please mention this in your request so that we can check with the owner that the property is suitable.
Unless otherwise stated, prices are given in euros, per week, for the rental of the entire property.
The “from” price is a starting price, based on the lowest rate published for the property; the actual price depends on the period chosen. Some properties are marked “Price on request”.
When you choose dates, the website displays an estimate calculated from the rates published for each period. This estimate is indicative: the exact price is confirmed to you at the same time as availability.
Conversion into another currency is given for guidance only, at the current exchange rate; only amounts in euros are authoritative.
For villas in Saint-Barthélemy, a 5% tourist tax and a 10% service fee are added to the rental price. They are itemised in the estimated total in the pre-booking window; the estimated price shown below the calendar is for the rental only.
For these villas, a different rate may be offered when not all of the bedrooms are open.
For other destinations, local taxes, including the tourist tax, any cleaning or service fees, charges and the security deposit are specified by our team for each request.
The final price, what it includes and anything that may remain payable by you are set out in the booking confirmation, before any payment.
On each property page, the “Book” button allows you to send a pre-booking request in a few moments:
Pre-booking is free and requires no payment. It does not commit you and does not block the dates: until the booking is confirmed and paid for, the property may be booked by another client.
When your request has been sent successfully, a reference number is displayed on screen and an email normally acknowledges receipt of your request. If sending fails, WhatsApp opens with your request already written.
This acknowledgement of receipt does not constitute a booking confirmation.
Dates already booked in the property’s calendar cannot be requested.
You can also write to us via WhatsApp, by email or from the Contact page: your request then follows the same process.
To book, you must be of legal age and able to enter into a contract. The information you provide to us, in particular the number of travellers, must be accurate.
As soon as we receive your request, our team checks availability and the terms of the stay with the owner.
We normally reply within 24 hours, by WhatsApp or by email.
If the property is available, you receive a written booking confirmation. It specifies in particular:
Your booking becomes final upon receipt of the payment specified in the booking confirmation, or of the first instalment if payment in several instalments is provided for. The dates are then blocked for you.
This payment constitutes acceptance of these terms and of the terms specific to the property. Once it has been received, we confirm to you in writing that your booking is final.
If the property is not available, or if your request does not meet its conditions (minimum stay, capacity), we will let you know and, if you wish, suggest comparable properties.
The Selection may decline to follow up on a request that is incomplete, inaccurate or incompatible with the property’s conditions.
Where required by regulations, our team may ask you for supporting documents, for example proof of identity, before confirming the booking.
No payment is requested on the website. The booking confirmation contains the payment link: you pay The Selection directly, by bank card, bank transfer or cryptocurrency.
The amount to be paid, any payment schedule and the payment deadline are set out in the booking confirmation.
Failure to receive payment by the agreed date may result in the cancellation of the booking, in accordance with the terms specific to the property.
If you have any doubt about a payment request, contact us before paying, on +33 6 16 99 29 23 or at contact@the-selection.com.
A security deposit may be requested for the stay, in the form of a card pre-authorisation: the amount is temporarily blocked on your card without being debited, except in the cases provided for in the booking confirmation or the rental contract (damage, losses, amounts still owed).
Its amount, often close to one third of the rental price, is stated in the booking confirmation. The website provides an estimate of it when the price of the stay is known.
The time frame for releasing the pre-authorisation is also stated in the booking confirmation or in the rental contract.
The security deposit is neither a down payment nor a payment for the stay. Please check that your card limit is high enough to cover it.
Arrival and departure times are set out in the booking confirmation. For villas in Saint-Barthélemy, arrival is from 4 pm and departure is before 11 am.
An earlier arrival or a later departure may be requested; this depends on the property’s calendar and must be confirmed in writing.
The number of people staying at the property must never exceed the capacity stated on the property page or in the booking confirmation.
Each property has its own rules: pets, smoking, parties and events, visitors, use of the facilities. They are communicated to you with the booking confirmation, restated on site, and are binding on all travellers.
You undertake to occupy the property with care and peacefully, to respect the neighbours and to return it in the condition in which you found it. You are liable for any damage caused by the travellers and by the people you receive as guests.
Report any breakdown, damage or difficulty to us without delay: we will immediately seek a solution with the owner.
Pool, spa, gym: everyone should enjoy them with care, following the instructions left in the house. Safety devices differ from one country to another; never leave a child alone near water.
If a condition report or an inventory is drawn up on arrival and on departure, read it carefully and report any discrepancy immediately.
The services included in the rental are indicated on each property’s page and then repeated in the booking confirmation.
For villas in Saint-Barthélemy, these are the services announced for each villa, such as a welcome on arrival, cleaning, pool maintenance and assistance during the stay.
For other properties, the property page mentions cleaning and The Selection’s private concierge service; their exact content is specified with the confirmation.
Our concierge service can also arrange other services for you: private chef and sommelier, chauffeur, helicopter or boat, massages and wellness, restaurant tables, clubs and activities, security, events…
Each service is offered to you with its price and terms. It is booked only with your consent and, unless otherwise stated, is in addition to the rental price.
When a service is entrusted to an external partner (chef, chauffeur, boat hire company…), that partner’s own terms may apply: they are then indicated to you in the proposal, before any order is placed.
We always look for the best option for you, but a particular table, time slot or provider may no longer be available. We decline any request that is unlawful, risky or disrespectful.
Before payment, you may withdraw your request at any time and free of charge: simply let us know.
Once the booking has been paid for, the property’s cancellation terms apply. They are set out in the booking confirmation, which you receive before paying.
Where applicable, the amount refunded depends on the date of your cancellation, according to the scale set out in that confirmation.
To cancel, write to us by email or via WhatsApp, quoting your reference number.
Would you like to change your dates or add a traveller? Write to us as soon as possible: we will see with the owner what is feasible according to the property’s calendar.
Any price difference is notified to you in writing and only applies with your consent. If the change is not possible, your booking remains unchanged.
A late arrival, an early departure or a no-show is handled in accordance with the property’s cancellation terms.
For a distance purchase, the law in principle provides a 14-day period in which to change your mind. This period does not apply to the rental of holiday accommodation for specific dates (article L221-28, 12° of the French Consumer Code).
Once your booking is final, you therefore cannot withdraw from it: only the property’s cancellation terms apply.
The same applies to catering or leisure services scheduled for a specific date or period.
For other services ordered at a distance from The Selection, for example a massage or a treatment, you in principle have 14 days from your order to change your mind.
If you request that such a service begin before the end of this period, the portion already provided remains payable, and you can no longer withdraw once the service has been fully performed (articles L221-25 and L221-28, 1° of the French Consumer Code).
After confirmation, a property may no longer be able to accommodate you (sale, major damage, urgent works), or an important aspect of the stay may have to change. We will inform you as soon as we know.
An adjustment with no real impact on your stay is simply notified to you.
If the change affects anything essential, or if the property is no longer available, the choice is yours: keep the stay as modified, move to another home of the same standard that we offer you, or cancel.
If you cancel, or if no equivalent property is available, the sums paid for this stay are refunded to you in full.
These solutions are in addition to the rights granted to you by law.
A case of force majeure is an unforeseeable and irresistible event, beyond the control of the party affected by it, which prevents a party from fulfilling its obligations (article 1218 of the French Civil Code).
This may be, for example, a cyclone, a forest fire or an avalanche, an epidemic, an armed conflict, or a border closure or an evacuation ordered by the authorities.
Neither party is liable for a failure caused by force majeure. We will then seek a solution with you and with the owner, such as other dates or a comparable property.
If the property cannot be made available to you, the sums paid for the part of the stay that could not be provided are refunded to you.
If it is you who are prevented from travelling or staying, what happens to the sums paid is governed by the property’s cancellation terms and the applicable law.
Personal impediments (illness, flight delay or cancellation…) in principle fall under the property’s cancellation terms. Travel insurance can protect you against them.
The Selection does not currently offer cancellation insurance. We recommend that you take out travel insurance covering cancellation, curtailment and assistance.
Please also check with your insurer: some home insurance policies already cover damage caused to a house rented for the holidays (holiday home cover).
The Selection is liable for its own commitments: information on the properties, handling of your requests, confirmation of the booking and organisation of the concierge services ordered from it.
The party renting the property to you, indicated in the booking confirmation, is liable for the condition of the property and its conformity with the rental contract, under the conditions provided for by that contract and by law.
Neither The Selection nor the owner is liable for any damage caused by the travellers or their guests, by a person unconnected with the stay, or by force majeure.
The same applies to inconveniences arising outside the property that are not attributable to them, such as nearby building works or a failure of the public utility network.
No clause of these terms limits your right to compensation in the event of personal injury or of gross or intentional misconduct, nor the rights granted to you by law as a consumer, in particular the right to request a price reduction if the property cannot be used as provided for in the contract.
To process your request and then your booking, we use the information you provide to us (name, email address, telephone number, dates, number of travellers, message), as well as the language and currency displayed, the properties viewed, the source of your visit and your country, inferred from your IP address.
This information is used to respond to your request and to organise your stay and the services you order. Legal basis: pre-contractual measures taken at your request, then the performance of the contract (article 6.1.b of the GDPR).
It is shared with the owner and, where applicable, with the service providers concerned, to the extent necessary for them. For a property located outside the European Union, for example in Switzerland, this information is transferred to the country concerned.
Automatic emails, such as the acknowledgement of receipt, are sent by our service provider Brevo. Some of our service providers, including those that host the website and run the online concierge, are based in the United States: these transfers are governed by the safeguards provided for by the GDPR.
Your data is kept for 3 years after our last exchange. Accounting records relating to a booking are kept for the period set by law.
Your email address may also be recorded in our contact list, to follow up on our exchanges; you may ask to be removed from it at any time. Your data is never sold on.
You may exercise your rights (access, rectification, erasure, objection, restriction, portability, withdrawal of your consent, instructions regarding your data after your death) by writing to contact@the-selection.com, and you may lodge a complaint with the CNIL.
During your stay, report any problem to us without delay, via WhatsApp or by telephone on +33 6 16 99 29 23, or by email to contact@the-selection.com: this is the best way to resolve it on the spot.
After your stay, send your complaint by email to contact@the-selection.com, or by post to the registered office of The Selection (address in section 1), with your reference number and any useful supporting documents (photos, correspondence, invoices).
We will acknowledge receipt, then send you a written, reasoned reply; if the owner needs to be consulted, we will keep you informed of progress.
If your written complaint to The Selection has not resolved the dispute, you may, as a consumer, refer the matter free of charge to a consumer mediator, no later than one year after that complaint (articles L612-1 et seq. of the French Consumer Code).
These terms are governed by French law. If you are a consumer residing in another country, you retain the protection of the mandatory rules of your country of residence.
The rental contract for the property may be governed by another law, indicated in the booking confirmation.
In the event of a dispute with The Selection, you may, as a consumer, bring the matter before the court of the place where you resided at the time of the booking or of the harmful event, or before any other court with jurisdiction under the law.
These terms are written in French and the French version prevails; translated versions are provided for ease of reading.
Should any of these clauses be declared void, the others would remain applicable.