CGU of the CASH & SMILE Loyalty Program as of March 3, 2025
IMPORTANT: The General Terms and Conditions of the CASH & SMILE Loyalty Program are governed by Article 1369-1 et seq. of the Civil Code.
Article I. Purpose
The purpose of the CASH & SMILE loyalty program (hereinafter referred to as the "Program") is to allow the program member (hereinafter referred to as the "Member") to benefit from advantages giving entitlement to immediate online discounts or the acquisition of cashback.
The Programme is implemented by Contact Hôtel Services , whose registered office is located at 2 rue de Preize, 10 000 Troyes, in accordance with the provisions of article 211-1 of the Tourism Code.
Article II. Membership in the Program
1. Steps to follow
Anyone wishing to join the Program has three options:
- Solution #1 : During their stay at a Contact Hôtel hotel, the customer can make their request at reception. A valid email address will be requested and the kitty accumulated during the stay will be credited to a temporary account linked to the email address provided. An email to validate their email address will be sent to them and they can then, by clicking on a link, validate these General Terms and Conditions of the Program and finalize the creation of the online loyalty account "CASH & SMILE" (hereinafter referred to as the "Account"). The kitty accumulated will then be activated.
- Solution #2 : Log in and register on “www.cash-and-smile.com” in order to validate these General Conditions of the Program and finalize the creation of your Account.
- Solution #3 : Call* the CASH & SMILE service on 03 25 45 87 08 to pre-register. An email will then be sent to the customer with a link to the site “www.cash-and-smile.com”, on which he can validate these General Conditions of the Program and finalize the creation of his Account.
* Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 14 p.m. to 18 p.m.
2. Conditions:
The same customer (same first name, last name, date of birth and postal address) can only join the Program once. A valid individual email address is required to join the Program. The same email address is not accepted for two Members.
The Account is strictly personal. It cannot be sold or loaned. Each Account created is associated with a unique loyalty number, a unique e-mail address and a single Member. In addition, the Member must be able to present a valid identity document.
Membership of the Program is free and open to any adult natural person.
Article III. Operation of the Program
The CASH & SMILE loyalty program is a digital program. Customers are not required to have a physical card and can track their balances in their online account. Customers can choose between two rewards: a discount or a cashback balance.
The percentage of the discount or prize pool is determined according to the customer's status.
The CASH & SMILE loyalty program is a digital program. Members can choose between two types of benefits:
- Immediate delivery : a 7% reduction (to 10% depending on status) applied directly when booking online on the site www.contact-hotel.comIf you made your reservation using your Cash & Smile customer account and selected the discount, in the event of a reservation change, the discount will be recalculated on-site based on your status and the new cost of your stay. This discount does not apply to reservations made directly with the hotel (by phone or at reception).
- The accumulation of jackpot : a cashback of 7% (10% depending on the status) credited to your loyalty account. This cashback can be used to make future online reservations OR is available for reimbursement once the threshold of 50 € is reached in the piggy bank.
In the event that the member creates his account at the hotel during his first stay
the customer:
- Must complete account registration to activate account.
- Not eligible for instant discount.
- Receive a prize pool from the hotelier of 7% of the amount paid at check out
Possible choices for the following stays:
Option 1 – Use of the kitty and immediate delivery (EX: a leisure traveler):
- When booking online at www.contact-hotel.com, the Member may deduct the prize pool accumulated from previous stays without having to wait for €50.
- It also benefits from the 7% immediate discount on the amount of his new reservation.
- This option allows you to immediately deduct the prize pools.
Option 2 – Accumulation for reimbursement (EX: a business traveler):
- The Member does not spend never his kitty because he is not the one who pays for his overnight stays (his company pays the accommodation costs).
- So he continues to to collect 7% (to 10% depending on the status) of the amount of its reservations up to €50.
- Once this threshold is reached, he will receive a refund of €50 (or in increments of €50), either in cash, by bank transfer, by credit to his bank card, by check or as a deduction from his last night up to the amount of the total bill (see article B.5).
1. The statutes
The statutes allow Members to benefit from larger discounts or cashback amounts depending on consumption and turnover achieved, whether online on the website www.contact-hotel.com or directly with the hotelier.
Four statuses are possible depending on the number of euros spent per year: Explorer ( first status upon creation of the account) , Traveler ( second status) , Collector ( third status) and Globe-Trotter ( fourth status).
|
Status
|
Explorateur
|
Traveler
|
Collector
|
Globetrotter
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Annual expenses
|
<1400 €
|
between € 1400,01 and € 4500
|
between € 4500,01 and € 8000
|
> 8000 €
|
|
Discount / Prize Pool
|
7%
|
8%
|
9%
|
10%
|
The status is updated between January 1st and 15th of each year (n) based on the Member's spending in the previous year (n-1). A Member can move up a status during the year, but can only move down a status at the time of the update at the beginning of the next year.
Some examples :
- 24/03/2025: registration for EXPLORER status 7%. For €104 spent on the first stay, i.e. €7,28 collected
- 11/05/2025: After several stays, the member exceeds €1400 in expenses = obtaining TRAVELER status with 8%
- 10/06/2025: TRAVELER status with 8%: a stay of €104 brings €8,32 into your kitty (or could benefit from an 8% discount for online bookings)
- 04/10/2025: TRAVELER status with 8%: a stay of €112 on the online site Contact-hotel.com, the member wishes to benefit from the immediate discount on his online reservation, i.e. €112 – €8,96 = €103,04 paid
- 08/10/2025: After several stays, the member exceeds €4500 = obtaining COLLECTOR status with 9%
- 31/12/2025: In total, he makes €5300 with all his purchases in hotels and/or on the online site.
- As of January 1, 2026 = He keeps the COLLECTOR status
- As of 31/12/2026: In total for the year 2026, he makes €1300 with all his purchases in hotels and/or online sites.
- fAs of January 1, 2027 = He starts the year with EXPLORER status
2. Advantages
A) The discount
The Member can choose to benefit from the discount on their online bookings only on bookings made on the website www.contact-hotel.com.
The member cannot benefit from the discount at the hotel reception or any other website (other than www.contact-hotel.com). In this case, he/she will be able to benefit from the prize pool on the amounts spent at the hotel (except exceptions).
B) The kitty
The kitty is possible on reservations made on the website www.contact-hotel.com , by email or by telephone directly with the hotel (except in exceptional circumstances).
B-1) Obtaining the prize pool
To obtain their cashback, the Member must be identified with their account for online bookings on the website www.contact-hotel.com or can present their loyalty number, email address, mobile number or name for faster processing.
Prize pools for stays prior to the account creation date cannot be added after the Account is created.
The “CASH & SMILE” prize pools cannot under any circumstances be refunded individually, exchanged, transferred or given, nor even combined with those of any other Member of the “CASH & SMILE” Program.
The funds acquired by the Member will be credited to the Member's account, regardless of the identity of the person or entity that paid for the stays in the Contact Hotels, provided that said Member gave their loyalty number and/or name when booking the stay, and/or when arriving or departing.
However, if several people are staying at the hotel, the loyalty points balance can only be allocated to the person who actually pays the bill at check-out . Consequently, an employee cannot accumulate loyalty points from stays paid directly by their employer or a third party in their personal account, unless they pay the entire bill themselves, including for their colleagues. For example, a customer paying for multiple rooms, such as an employee for their colleagues or a parent for their family, can accumulate the entire balance in their account.
Members will be responsible for informing any third party or legal entity paying for stays in Contact Hotels, including the Member's employer, of the prize pools obtained under the program.
The prize pools are pending and will only be credited to the Member's account once the stay has been checked out. Although the prize pools are calculated and associated with the stay upon booking or the start of the stay, they cannot be used or considered acquired by the Member until after the stay has been finalized.
B-2) Validity of prize pools
The “CASH & SMILE” prize pools are valid for 24 to 27 months depending on the prize pool allocation date. The Member will receive by default a quarterly email informing them of the prize pools/euros expiring in the coming quarter.
Example: a prize pool obtained on 16/10/2025 will be valid until 31/12/2027. The Member will be informed on 01/10/2027 of prize pools expiring at the end of the current quarter. At the end of this period, any unused prize pool is permanently lost.
B-3) Eligibility
The "CASH & SMILE" vouchers are valid for reservations made by telephone directly with the hotel or the Contact Hotel Services booking center, or on the hotel's own website or on the Contact Hotel website : www.contact-hotel.com . They are valid for the displayed rates, the "overnight stay", "half board", "full board" packages, and the BB (room + breakfast) packages, excluding all the restrictions listed below.
B-4) Restrictions
The "CASH & SMILE" cashback offers are NOT valid for: bookings by e-distributors, Tour Operators, travel agencies, distribution channels, negotiated rates, corporate/business rates, seminars, packages, gift boxes and vouchers issued by Contact Hotel for partner assistance companies, bar-only consumption, restaurant-only consumption, hotel shop consumption and tourist taxes.
B-5) Reimbursement or Cashback
Once the total reaches €50 (or a multiple of €50), the Member is reimbursed for their last night based on the price paid, in one of the following ways:
- Cash ou by cheque during his stay in a partner hotel.
- En bank transfer or credit on his bank card.
- Deducted from his last night.
Please note:
A new member of the loyalty program Cash & Smile benefits from the acquisition of the prize pool from their first stay. However, the use of this prize pool, as well as any request for reimbursement from €50 or more, cannot be made on the occasion of this first stay (a stay can be made up of several nights). Activation of these rights is only possible from a second stay, subject to compliance with these General Conditions of Use.
Reimbursement can never exceed the amount paid for the last night.
If the kitty contains an amount that is not divisible by €50, the remaining balance is kept for a future reimbursement.
Example of reimbursements:
- Jackpot at €57 + Stay at 78 € → Refund of €50, rest 7 € in kitty.
- Jackpot at €57 + Stay at 48 € → Refund of €48 (the amount cannot exceed the price of the last night), remaining 9 € in kitty.
- Jackpot at €103 + Stay at 108 € → Reimbursement of 2 x €50, rest 3 € in kitty.
3. Duration
Membership in the Program is concluded for an indefinite period.
4. Termination
The Member has the right to cease participating in the Program at any time by notifying their decision in writing by email: fidelite@contact-hotel.com or by mail:
Contact Hotel Services
CASH & SMILE
2 Street Preize
10000 Troyes – France
In the event of termination, all prize pools available on the Online Account prior to the termination date will be permanently lost.
5. Amendment
The Program may be suspended, modified, or terminated, in whole or in part, at any time, at the discretion of Contact Hotel . Members will be notified by email (provided the email address they have provided is still valid). No modification, suspension, or termination of the Program will entitle the Member to any compensation. In the event of termination of the Program, all available points in the Member's online account will be permanently forfeited on the date of termination.
6. Converting old points
The points system has been replaced by a system of prize pools and discounts. All old points have been converted into prize pools and the validity of the prize pool is set at 24 months (maximum 27 months). Here is the conversion scale:
- Tourist Member (accounts for 6 points), 1 old point = €3,33 in the kitty
- Explorer Member (12 points), 1 old point = €4,5 in the kitty
- Traveler Member (accounts for 12 points), 1 old point = €4,66 in the kitty
- Collector Member (accounts for 12 points), 1 old point = €4,83 in the kitty
- Globe-Trotter Member (12 points), 1 old point = €5 in the kitty
For example, a member with EXPLORER status with 4 points will have a prize pool of €18 when the new CASH & SMILE program is launched.
In order to calculate the turnover achieved by the member over the period from 01/01/2025 to the date of implementation of the Cash & Smile program, i.e. 03/03/2025, it was decided that the points allocated to the member's account during this period would be multiplied by an average price of €90 (average price representative of a stopover evening in the Contact Hôtels group on the day of conversion).
This conversion allows the member's 2026 status to be calculated according to the new criteria for the year 2025.
7. Conversion of statuses
The names of the statuses remained the same. On March 3, 2025, at the launch of the new program, it was decided to base it on the average price of a night at Contact Hotels, i.e. €90 (in 2024).
To calculate the Customer's expenses in 2024 and thus determine the new status of the customer at the launch of the new program, the following calculation was applied: Expenses 2024 = number of points obtained in 2024 x €90.
Thus, if the client did in 2024:
- Between 0 to 16 points: ▶ Explorateur
- Between 17 and 50 points: ▶️ Traveler
- Between 51 and 88 points: ▶️ Collector
- More than 89 points: ▶️ Globe-Trotter (GT)
Article IV. Hotels
1. Hotels participating in the Program
The Program is valid in the hotels of the “Contact Hôtels” and “Charme & Caractère” Group in France on the day of the reservation and stay, and the list of which appears on the website “www.contact-hotel.com”. This list is regularly updated. The Member is invited to check the participation of the hotels in which he wishes to stay.
If an establishment leaves the Contact Hotel Group after booking, but before the stay, no prize money will be awarded.
2. Complaint
Each Member of the Program must personally ensure that the prize pools they have obtained are credited to their Online Account by the participating hotel. The Member, within two weeks following the date on which the corresponding services were consumed, must submit their claim accompanied by their loyalty number and all necessary supporting documents.
All complaints must be sent by email to fidelite@contact-hotel.com or by mail to:
Contact Hotel Services
CASH & SMILE
2 Street Preize
10000 Troyes – France
If the claim is justified, the prize pools are then credited on the date the claim is processed.
Article V. Liability
1. Responsibility of Contact Hotels and Charm & Character
The rewards provided to Members by participating hotels are subject to the terms of use established by Contact Hotel Services . In the event of a computer system failure, Contact Hotel Services cannot be held liable for any partial or total loss of allocated rewards.
2. Member’s Responsibility
The Member assumes full responsibility for the use of the prize pools accumulated within the framework of the Program. It is recalled that, according to article II – 2, the prize pools accumulated are for the exclusive benefit of the Member and cannot be transferred to third parties.
Any breach of the General Conditions of Use of the Program, any fraudulent use of the prize pools, falsification, theft, violence or repeated non-compliance with the internal regulations of participating hoteliers, may result in the termination, without notice or compensation, of the Member's membership in the Program and the deletion of the prize pools acquired on his/her online Account.
Article VI. Modification of the general conditions
These General Terms and Conditions are subject to change at any time and without notice by Contact Hôtel Services. Contact Hôtel Services remains bound by these terms as long as the offer is accessible electronically through its actions.
Article VII. Use of data
The information obtained from Members (identification data, Account data including Account number…) is intended for Contact Hotel Services in the context of the use of the CASH & SMILE loyalty program .
This data is stored by Contact Hotel Services for the entire duration of membership in the loyalty program.
Our full privacy policy is available on this page: https://www.contact-hotel.com/politique-de-confidentialite.htm
The information on the online registration form, followed by an asterisk, is mandatory. Membership cannot be taken into account if these mandatory information have not been completed.
Article VIII. Dispute Resolution
Here is the link to the European online dispute resolution platform: ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr.
Mediation:
Contact Hotel falls under the jurisdiction of the Tourism and Travel Mediation Service (MTV). If you have contacted our team or the Contact Hotel quality department ( http://satisfaction.contact-hotel.com ) and have not received a satisfactory response within sixty (60) days, you may contact the MTV Mediator, whose contact details and procedures for contacting them are available on their website: http://www.mtv.travel
Article IX. Member Rights
In application of the provisions of articles 39 and following of the French law of January 6, 1978 relating to information technology, files and freedoms, all personal information given by the Member is permanently accessible and may be subject to immediate rectification or deletion. The Member also has the right to object, for legitimate reasons, to their data being processed or used for prospecting purposes, in particular commercial.
To exercise these rights, the Member may send their request by email to fidelite@contact-hotel.com or by mail:
Contact Hotel Services
CASH & SMILE
2 Street Preize
10000 Troyes – France
