Terms & Conditions - Suppliers
The service of Travelshift ehf. ("GTI") is subject to the terms and conditions set out below. By using GTI's website, www.guidetoiceland.is ("the website"), to market or sell your service (accommodation, tours & activities and/or rental cars), you ("the establishment") acknowledge and accept that the terms and conditions listed here form a binding contract between you and GTI regarding online sales, GTI's service and use of the website.
1. Usage / User Accounts
1.1 Establishments must create an account and provide accurate information about themselves to use the establishment features on the website. Establishments are responsible for their own account username and password, and for all activity that occurs under the account.
1.1.1 GTI only accepts registration by licensed establishments. Any registration by individuals or companies operating without a valid tour operator, travel agency, or vehicle rental licence will not be accepted. Signing up while claiming a licence you do not hold is a fraudulent act, resulting in immediate termination of the account and exposing the establishment to any legal liability that follows, before the District Court of Reykjavík. GTI also requires all suppliers and partners to use vehicles and transportation that meet Vakinn's requirements.
1.2 Establishments must notify GTI immediately of any unauthorised use of their account.
1.3 Establishments may not impersonate another party (for example, adopt another company's identity), create an account for anyone other than the company they represent, provide an email address that is not their own, or create multiple accounts. GTI reserves the right to close any account at any time without notice.
2. Content
2.1 Establishments can contribute to the website in several ways: posting and uploading products for sale, uploading photos, communicating with customers, GTI local bloggers and travellers, writing reviews, commenting on articles, and completing their own public profile ("your content").
2.2 All content posted by establishments on the website is the property of GTI. GTI may use, display, promote, reformat, and distribute your content on its website and affiliated portals, in its advertisements and other works, and may allow others to do the same in connection with their own websites and media platforms.
2.2.1 By creating an account and listing products on the website, you irrevocably grant GTI permission to use your content for all purposes above. You also irrevocably grant the website's users, and users of any other media, the right to access your content in connection with their use of the website and any other media.
2.3 Establishments represent that they own, or hold the necessary permissions (copyright and other property rights) to use and authorise the use of, their content as described here. Establishments may not imply that their content is sponsored or endorsed by GTI. Establishments alone are responsible for the use of their content.
2.4 Establishments represent that their content is at all times true, accurate, and not misleading, and that their statement of service is correct and up to date. Establishments assume all risks associated with reliance by GTI and the website's users on the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of their content, and any disclosure of information that makes them personally identifiable. GTI cannot be held liable, and establishments shall hold GTI harmless against the website's users or any other party, for inaccurate or erroneous information they make available on the website.
2.5 Establishments are responsible for keeping their content, tours, and products up to date at all times. Any errors on the website caused by an establishment failing to update its information are the establishment's responsibility, and matters will be addressed as if the stated information were correct.
2.5.1 Where GTI requests an update, establishments must update the product immediately and without undue delay. GTI reserves the right to unpublish products with outdated information without notice.
2.5.2 All product content must comply with the GTI Content Quality Guidelines. New products must pass inspection and will not be visible until approved by the GTI content team.
2.5.2.1 If a product is not approved, the establishment will be notified and can see the issues blocking publication on their portal. Once resolved, the product can be resubmitted for review.
2.6 GTI may remove or reinstate establishment content at its sole discretion. GTI has no obligation to retain or provide copies of your content, and does not guarantee any confidentiality with respect to it.
2.7 Establishments expose themselves to liability (to GTI, the website's users, or others) if, for example, content violates any third-party right, including copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, moral right, privacy right, right of publicity, or any other intellectual property or proprietary right; contains material that is false, intentionally misleading, or defamatory; contains unlawful material, including illegal hate speech or pornography; exploits or harms minors; or violates or advocates violation of any law or regulation.
2.8 GTI and its affiliates may display advertisements and other information alongside or within establishment content on the website and other media. Establishments are not entitled to compensation for such advertising or use of their content. The manner, mode, and extent of such advertising may change without specific notice.
2.9 Establishments agree not to target the website's users obtained through the website, in either online or offline marketing, or in solicited or unsolicited mail.
3. Liabilities
3.1 GTI only resells services that suppliers offer on the website. GTI does not charge users any fees and cannot be held liable for any accident, loss, injury, death, damage, delay, or expense arising from any action or inaction by the establishment. Establishments shall compensate and hold GTI harmless against any cost, claim, and liability arising from actions or inactions for which they are responsible under these terms.
3.2 GTI is not responsible for the correctness or completeness of information (including credit card details) or dates provided by the website's users, nor for the users' payment obligations relating to their reservations.
3.3 Under no circumstances are GTI, its agents, or affiliates liable for any of the following (whether foreseen, foreseeable, known, or otherwise): (a) loss of data; (b) loss of revenue or anticipated profits; (c) loss of business; (d) loss of opportunity; (e) loss of goodwill or injury to reputation; (f) losses suffered by third parties; or (g) any indirect, consequential, special, or exemplary damages arising from use of the website, regardless of the form of action.
3.4 The conditions above also apply to all individuals registered as locals on the website. Anyone knowledgeable about Iceland can maintain a blog in Contact a Local, provided they have a clean criminal record. Locals blog and offer services under their own names and/or companies, and GTI cannot be liable for any infringement of copyright, accident, loss, injury, death, damage, delay, or expense arising from their action or inaction, services, or products.
4. Pricing & Best Price Guarantee
4.1 GTI operates a best price guarantee: no lower rate for a service (accommodation, tours & activities and/or rental cars) with equivalent booking conditions may be available online. Establishments may not offer their products or services on the website at a higher rate than anywhere else online, including their own homepage. If an establishment offers a service online at a lower rate, it must immediately adjust its rate on the website so that the lower rate is available to the website's users, and settle the difference between the booked rate and the lower rate with a refund to GTI.
4.2 The best price guarantee applies to every form of price reduction, including published discounts, seasonal or campaign offers, member or loyalty pricing, and promotional or promo-code discounts, whether offered on the establishment's own website, on any third-party website, sales channel, or marketplace, or through any other medium. An establishment's product on the website must never be more expensive than the lowest publicly obtainable price for the equivalent service and booking conditions.
4.3 The establishment authorises GTI to reduce the price of the establishment's products on the website to match any lower price identified under clause 4.2, without prior notice to the establishment. GTI exercising this right does not relieve the establishment of its own obligation under clauses 4.1 and 4.2 to keep its website rate at or below its lowest price elsewhere. Where a booking has already been made at a higher rate than a matching lower price that was available at the time of booking, the establishment shall settle the difference with a refund to GTI.
4.4 Prices listed on the website and affiliated websites shall be stated per person unless otherwise specified, and must include VAT and all other taxes and expenses. Establishments may not charge the website's users any additional fees, extras, or surcharges arising from a purchase or reservation unless set out in the confirmed booking.
5. Bookings and establishment responsibilities to clients
5.1 Establishments will honour bookings and are solely responsible for managing the availability of their products. If availability is listed on the website, establishments must honour bookings made against it.
5.1.1 If an overbooking occurs, the establishment is responsible for resolving it, whether by arranging a new tour or vehicle, at no added cost to the client. Establishments are responsible for contacting clients and addressing the issue personally.
5.1.2 Establishments may contact the GTI service desk for assistance in replacing a booking, but any additional cost of a replacement falls on the original establishment, as the fault lies in incorrect availability information.
5.2 GTI does not allow establishments to cancel tours because a minimum passenger requirement was not met. If an establishment foresees a tour not running for this reason, it must move all bookings to a similar tour and contact all affected clients.
5.3 GTI runs an internal review system in which clients grade establishments. If an establishment's overall rating falls below four stars, it may be reviewed by the GTI internal inspection team and may be terminated from the website.
5.4 An establishment is responsible for all aspects of its product as listed. If an establishment uses a third-party service on its tour (for example, pick-up or catering), it is fully responsible for that third party delivering full service. Should the third party fail, the establishment listed as the tour provider is responsible for any resulting damages, complaints, or problems.
5.5 If a tour is cancelled due to dangerous weather, natural disaster, or other unforeseeable reasons, the establishment will either reschedule after consulting the client or, if the client prefers, offer a full refund for the service not provided.
5.5.1 In the case of establishment cancellations, booking changes by the establishment, failed pick-ups due to incorrect information on the site, failures in assistance or delivery of rental vehicles, or overbookings due to incorrect availability or fleet management, the establishment takes full responsibility for its actions, inactions, or failures towards the client. The establishment will not place or insinuate blame on GTI, and remains fully responsible for its own services.
6. Cancellation Policy
6.1 The website's users are entitled to cancel their reservation and receive a full refund provided they cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled service start time (departure, arrival, or vehicle pick-up, as applicable). This 24-hour standard applies to all services sold through the website, including day tours, car rentals, accommodation, multi-day tours, and GTI-serviced packages. Establishments may not set cancellation terms stricter than this standard for services sold through the website.
6.2 Cancellation due to weather or other circumstances: if a service is cancelled by the establishment or the user due to weather or other circumstances, the user shall always receive a full refund. Where an activity within a multi-day tour is cancelled and an alternative offered, a partial refund is given if an alternative is taken; if the client declines the alternative, a full refund is given.
6.2.1 Refundable cancellations include all Acts of God on Icelandic soil, for example, if a volcanic eruption prevents clients from reaching Iceland, the establishment must issue a full refund.
6.3 Establishments are not entitled to a refund from GTI of its commission where the establishment cancels a service or product due to circumstances within its control (for example, overbooking or equipment malfunction).
7. Commission Rates
7.1 GTI's commission depends on the type of service, its duration, and the booking process of each sale. VAT is always added to GTI's commission.
7.2 Minimum commission rates, inclusive of VAT:
7.2.1 Tours: for day tours, GTI receives a minimum of 20% of the confirmed booking price. For multi-day tours, a minimum of 20%.
7.2.2 Accommodation: GTI receives a minimum of 15% of the confirmed booking price.
7.2.3 Car rentals: GTI receives a minimum of 15% of the confirmed booking price.
7.3 Email invoices
7.3.1 GTI's email invoicing system can be used by establishments to charge for custom products, tailored tours, and other services not offered as standardised tours on the website. Commission (inclusive of VAT):
7.3.1.1 Sales under 100,000 ISK: 15% commission of the confirmed booking.
7.3.1.2 Sales of 100,000–200,000 ISK: 10% commission.
7.3.1.3 Sales over 200,000 ISK: 5% commission.
7.3.1.4 Where email invoices are used for standard products (tours, rental vehicles, accommodation, etc., as listed on the site), the commission in clause 7.2 applies.
7.4 Affiliate sales by bloggers
7.4.1 GTI gives local people in Iceland the opportunity to join the travel industry by setting up a blog on Connect with Locals. Bloggers provide travellers with informational value and can post affiliate links to earn revenue. A 5% commission is paid to affiliates on all bookings purchased and confirmed as serviced. This rate can be negotiated and increased or decreased depending on affiliate performance. Each affiliate link is active for 7 days after the customer clicks it.
7.5 Affiliate sales by companies
7.5.1 Companies can send affiliate links to customers. A 5% commission is paid on all bookings made within 7 days of the user clicking the link, regardless of which company the product is purchased from.
7.6 Transactions between companies and bloggers
7.6.1 All companies and bloggers can purchase services from each other through GTI. Buying a service from a company on GTI gives the company or blogger a 15% discount on the services purchased.
7.7 Pay-out / Settlement
7.7.1 When an establishment receives a booking through GTI, it is paid the month after the website's user has received the service, accommodation, or product. GTI's commission is deducted from the total.
7.7.1.1 Establishments send one invoice monthly for services rendered, in the last week of each month.
7.7.1.2 Payment is made by GTI via direct bank transfer only, to the provided bank account, within 21 days of receiving the establishment's invoice. Online banking claims will not be processed as a formal means of payment. The establishment is solely responsible for ensuring its bank details are available to the GTI accounting department. If the establishment fails to send the required billing information, it may not charge interest on overdue payment.
7.7.2 GTI's system shall be considered conclusive evidence of the existence and receipt of a reservation or purchase by the website's user, and of the booking price and GTI's commission.
8. Terms, Termination and Amendments
8.1 By using the website or any GTI-affiliated website, the establishment agrees to be legally bound by these terms, effective immediately. If you do not agree, do not use the website or affiliated websites.
8.2 GTI may change these terms at any time by posting changes online. Please review these terms regularly. Continued use of the website or any affiliated website after changes are posted means you agree to be bound by the updated terms.
8.3 GTI may terminate or suspend your account or ability to use the website, in whole or in part, at its sole discretion, for any or no reason, and without notice or liability. For example, GTI may do so if you misuse the website. Such termination or suspension may prevent you from accessing your account, the website, your content, or related information.
8.4 You may terminate this contract at any time by closing your account and discontinuing use of the website. If you close your account, GTI may continue to display your previously published content and is under no obligation to remove it.
9. Governing law and jurisdiction
9.1 Any dispute arising out of or in connection with this agreement shall be submitted exclusively to the District Court of Reykjavík.
9.2 This agreement shall be governed by and construed exclusively in accordance with Icelandic law.
Reykjavík, December 8th, 2020
Travelshift ehf.
id. 530612-2600
Laugavegur 56, 101 Reykjavík