Hello! Thank you for expressing interest about our site, charities, and hotel partners. We do our best to keep you informed and make your experience on our site as rewarding as possible. Below are some of the most frequently asked questions by our users. If you still have a question for our team after reading these responses, please notify us at [email protected].
HOW CAN I LEARN MORE ABOUT KIND TRAVELER'S NEW EVERY STAY GIVES BACK COMMUNITY IMPACT PROGRAM?
Kind Traveler's Every Stay Gives Back community impact program, launched in September of 2023, shares a new opportunity for participating lodging and destination partners to mobilize funding for local charities advancing community & environmental well-being with every guest stay, regardless of where or how one books. Learn more about the program in the following links:
- Kind Traveler's Every Stay Gives Back Collection & Directory
- Every Stay Gives Back Launch Announcement
- Every Stay Gives Back FAQs
FOR ALL OTHER FAQS REGARDING KIND TRAVELER'S GIVE + GET BOOKING PLATFORM, PLEASE SEE BELOW:
HOW MUCH OF MY DONATION WILL GO TO THE CHARITY?
100% of your donation, less any processing fee charged by the credit card company and/or payment processor, will be dispersed to the charity you select. Kind Traveler does not receive a commission from donations or processing fees.
HOW DOES KIND TRAVELER MAKE MONEY?
Kind Traveler receives a travel agent commission for every hotel booking, from the hotels. We also have a corporate sponsorship program that keeps the wind blowing in our sails.
IS IT TRUE THAT GIVING ACTUALLY MAKES YOU HIGH?
Yes, there is scientific data that suggests that giving activates regions of the brain associated with pleasure, known as the "helper's high." Learn more about why giving back makes you feel good from Scientific American: 'How To Be Happy By Giving To Others'
HOW ARE THE HOTELS VETTED ON THE KIND TRAVELER SITE?
Kind Hotels are invited and agree to align with a local charity partner in its community, giving the traveler an opportunity to make a local impact to the place they are visiting. Kind Traveler faciliates the partnership, ensuring that both the hotel and local charity are doing their best to promote the fundraising opportunity. When the traveler gives a donation to a local or global charity on the Kind Traveler platform, the hotel offers exclusive rates and perks as an incentive for the donation.
Additionally, Kind Hotels must also exhibit what we call Kind Factors, e.g., a certain measure of initiatives in place to advance positive impact within their community, sustainable practices, and individual wellness. Such measures are identified through an intake form which helps Kind Traveler communicate a hotel's Kind Factors. As of 2022, hotel partners must also agree to have transparent sustainability initiatives in place as listed on their website, communicating how the hotel is making a positive impact within its community and with environmental sustainability.
HOW IS KIND TRAVELER DIFFERENT THAN OTHER HOTEL BOOKING SITES?
Kind Traveler is unique in that it's the only hotel booking platform that empowers travelers to give back and positively impact the communities they visit through its Give + Get booking model. Through the vetted local charity alignment in every destination and the charity profile that informs travelers on why such charities are integral to the health and wellbeing of communities while encouraging travelers to get involved beyond donations, Kind Traveler is different than any other hotel booking platform.
In terms of the hotel profile, Kind Traveler highlights the property’s local charitable affiliation and ‘Kind Factors’ – the term we use to explain how the hotel is impacting individual wellness, sustainability, and community. This unique way of telling the hotel’s story communicates a commitment to corporate social responsibility, at a time when transparency is expected from today’s travelers and consumers.
Another major distinction between Kind Traveler and other travel booking sites is our desire to educate. According to Phocuswright “three of 10 giving travelers were prompted to volunteer or donate because of something they read, heard, saw or experienced.” Kind Traveler’s blog provides stories that inspire travel while underscoring the importance of giving back, living consciously, and choosing with purpose.
Learn more about why we are different than other hotel booking sites here.
HOW CAN OUR HOTEL BECOME A KIND TRAVELER HOTEL?
Kind Traveler curators hand-select the properties that we feel will best resonate with our core values and the interests of leisure travelers interested in social responsibility and sustainable tourism. If you are interested in speaking with one of our amazing Kindness Curators please EMAIL us for an invitation request.
CAN I DONATE TO ANY CHARITY THAT I WANT?
Users can only donate to charities on the Kind Traveler site while on Kind Traveler. If you have a favorite charity not represented on our site, we'd love to hear about them. Please feel free to have the charity EMAIL us their information so that we can consider them for future opportunities.
HOW DO YOU CHOOSE THE CHARITIES FOR POSITIVE IMPACT ON KIND TRAVELER?
Learn more here about how the local and global charities are chosen on Kind Traveler. Please EMAIL US for partnership inquiries.
IS KIND TRAVELER A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION?
Although we raise money for charities and causes, we are not a non-profit organization. We are a social enterprise and legally we are a designated a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC), which means we are a for-profit company with a goal of creating a benefit to the public and environment (through supporting charities and their causes) in addition to profit.
ONE OF MY FAVORITE HOTELS IS NOT ON YOUR SITE. HOW CAN A HOTEL BE PART OF KIND TRAVELER?
We are always on the lookout for the world’s best hotels and unique properties committed to making the world a better place. Hotels can request an inviation to join our platform, please EMAIL us a request.
IS MY CREDIT CARD INFORMATION STORED ON YOUR SITE?
If you pay with a credit card, we do NOT store your credit card information.
WHAT HAPPENS IF I NEED TO CANCEL MY HOTEL RESERVATION?
For cancellations, please email us at [email protected] at least 24 hours within the timeline of your cancellation policy. For other changes to your reservation, please reach out to the property directly. Cancellation policies are always indicated at the time of check-out on Kind Traveler as well as noted in your confirmation page and email.
HOW MUCH WILL I BE CHARGED AT THE TIME OF BOOKING?
The amount you will be charged at the time of booking will depend on the cancellation or deposit policy as listed at the time of booking.
With bookings where a deposit is required:
The property will charge 1 Night Plus Taxes/Fees as a deposit at the time of booking.
With reservations that are refundable until a specified date:
The property will hold your card details as a guarantee at the time of booking.
CAN I CANCEL A TRANSACTION/DONATION?
Every transaction, including donations, are processed immediately to within 24 hours. Therefore, you are unable to cancel a transaction on our site. If you have made an error, you can EMAIL our customer service and we can see how we can figure something out.
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
If you need help beyond these FAQs, please EMAIL us.
HOW DO I RESET MY PASSWORD?
If you forgot your Kind Traveler password and you already attempted password retrieval through the “forgot password” function in the user log-in box, you should receive an email to reset. If, for some reason, you did not receive a reset link, please click here to request a new password.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN WHEN I GET AN ERROR MESSAGE WHEN DONATING?
If you receive an error message during your donation process, please contact [email protected] to double-check before attempting to donate again. Your card may have been processed, and we do not want your credit card to be charged twice.
CAN I GIVE/DONATE FOR MULTIPLE ROOMS?
We can only process a single reservation at a time. If you would like to get multiple rooms, you will need to repeat the process again for each room reservation. Of course you can book multiple days with each reservation, up to 12 days.
HOW CAN I MAKE A RESERVATION FOR A SMALL GROUP?
We'd love to help make your group booking deliver a positive impact in the community you are visiting. For group bookings, please EMAIL us.
CAN I MAKE A DONATION TO A KIND TRAVELER CHARITY WHEN I CHECK IN/OUT OF MY HOTEL?
We love your generosity and your charitable spirit. Unfortunately, you cannot make a donation at hotel check-in or check-out on Kind Traveler, however, we encourage you to donate directly to the charity on its website should you be feeling so kind.
DO YOU WORK WITH TRAVEL AGENTS?
If you are a travel agent and would like to earn a commission on a booking, please EMAIL us. We would be happy to offer a 7% commission on any booking with a dedicated code we will give you, helping us to track and distribute your commission.
DO YOU WORK WITH CORPORATE/BUSINESS TRAVEL ACCOUNTS?
If you are a corporation or business looking to utilize Kind Traveler for your corporate hotel bookings that deliver positive impact in local communities, please EMAIL us and one of our representatives will share more information with you.
CAN I SUGGEST HOTELS AND LOCATIONS?
Absolutely. In fact, please do so as much as possible. We always love to hear what our Kind Traveler members want to see more of. Your suggestions are very important to us and will be researched for our program.
IS MY DONATION/CONTRIBUTION TAX DEDUCTIBLE?
Although 100% of your donation will go to the charity of your choice, your donation is not tax-deductible because you are receiving a reward (e.g. hotel discount and/or perks) in return greater than the amount of your donation.
ARE ALL PRICES IN USD?
Yes, all listed pricing on the site are in US Dollars.
WHAT DOES N/A MEAN ON THE PRICE TAG?
It means that the room is not available that night. We are connected to the cloud in real time availability search, so if you get a price listed, it means that it’s available. If it says "N/A" and you would really like to stay at that property, try searching other dates… you might get lucky.