Terms of Service

1. Account Creation & Responsibilities

To use certain features, such as the Trip Planner, private notes, and favorites, you can register for a free account.

Accuracy. You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information when you register.

Security. You are responsible for safeguarding access to your account and for all activity that occurs under it.

Your cancellation. You may cancel and permanently delete your account at any time, for any reason, from your profile settings. Deleting your account removes your account and associated data as described in our Privacy Policy.

Termination. We reserve the right, in our sole and absolute discretion, to suspend, disable, or terminate any account at any time, for any reason or for no reason, and without prior notice or liability. This includes, but is not limited to, accounts that violate these Terms or engage in behavior that harms the community.

2. User-Generated Content

Boutels lets members save private notes and publicly share media, such as photos and notes, related to specific stays and roadside gems.

Your ownership. You retain ownership of all content you submit.

License to Boutels. When you choose to publicly share content on the Service, such as photos, reviews, or notes (“Shared Content”), you grant Boutels a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, fully paid-up, and transferable license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, distribute, and display that Shared Content in any media format to operate and promote the platform. This license applies only to content you choose to make public. Private notes and other content you keep to yourself are not shared publicly and are not licensed to Boutels for publication.

Prohibited content. You agree not to upload, post, or transmit content that is illegal, explicit, highly sexualized, defamatory, harassing, discriminatory, obscene, or that infringes the intellectual property rights of others. Boutels maintains a zero-tolerance policy for such content. We may review, and may remove, any content at our sole and absolute discretion.

3. Sensitive Information

You are expressly warned not to upload, type, or store sensitive personal information in your account notes, photo captions, itineraries, or any other field on the Service. This includes, but is not limited to, credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, passwords, and highly sensitive financial data. Boutels assumes no liability for the exposure or compromise of any sensitive information you voluntarily enter into our text fields or upload to the Service.

4. Our Content & Intellectual Property

The Boutels directory, original design, custom map layers, logo, and the curated “Boutel™ Standard” designations are the intellectual property of Boutels. You may not scrape, copy, or reproduce our database, map styles, or proprietary content without our explicit written permission.

5. Editorial Discretion

Boutels is an independent editorial directory and curation platform. All property tiers, rankings, badges, and designations, including Honorable Mention, Boutel™, and Boutel™+, represent the subjective editorial opinions and internal standards of Boutels. They do not constitute absolute guarantees or objective certifications of quality.

Right to modify or remove. We reserve the right to add, remove, or change any property’s designation at any time, in our sole and absolute discretion, without notice or liability.

6. Proprietary Methodology & No Duty to Disclose

Boutels’ evaluation metrics, internal scoring notes, data matrices, and review synthesis methods are proprietary to Boutels. We are under no legal or commercial obligation to disclose, explain, or provide internal research, reviewer notes, or specific scoring data to any third party, property owner, or representative.

7. Property Removal Requests

Boutels is a curated editorial directory highlighting independent properties. If a property owner or authorized representative wishes to have their business removed from our directory, a formal removal request must be submitted in writing via our designated contact channel. Boutels will honor all valid requests and remove the listing within a reasonable timeframe, typically within 30 business days of receiving formal notice.

8. Third-Party Data & Accuracy Disclaimer

Our map integrates data from third-party sources, including Open Charge Map and the U.S. Department of Energy’s AFDC for EV charging stations, and MapLibre / OpenFreeMap for the base map and location search.

“As is” information. Information about boutique motels, national parks, rest areas, EV chargers, and hidden gems is provided “as is.” We do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or current status of this data.

Operational changes. Business hours, pet policies, EV charger availability, and motel ownership can change without notice. We recommend verifying details directly with the property or place before your trip.

9. Disclaimer of Warranties & Limitation of Liability

The Service and all associated free account features are provided strictly on an “as is” and “as available” basis. We do not guarantee that the Service will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free.

Data loss. Boutels assumes no responsibility or liability for the deletion, corruption, failure to store, or loss of any user data, including but not limited to travel notes, itineraries, photos, and booking confirmation numbers. You are responsible for keeping your own copies of anything important to you.

Road trips inherently involve unpredictable conditions. Boutels is a planning tool and directory, not a travel agency or a booking provider. To the maximum extent permitted by law, you agree that Boutels is not liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, or consequential damages, including any personal injury, property damage, travel delays, booking disputes, data loss, or site downtime, that arise from your use of or reliance on the Service. Your decision to visit any location listed on our map is made strictly at your own risk.

10. Modifications to the Service & Terms

We are constantly improving Boutels and may add or remove features at any time. We may also modify these Terms. If we make material changes, we will note them by updating the “Last updated” date above. Your continued use of the Service after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

Business transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, restructuring, or sale of the company, we reserve the right to transfer ownership of Boutels, including all operational assets and user information (such as account email and saved trip data), as part of that transaction. Any successor entity will be bound by privacy commitments and terms substantially similar to, or more protective than, those established here.

11. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Arizona, United States, without regard to its conflict-of-law provisions.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions about these Terms, reach out to us at feedback@boutels.com.