PRIVACY POLICY
At WowStayz, we are deeply committed to safeguarding your privacy. This Privacy Policy is designed to provide you with a clear understanding of how we collect and utilize information from our guests, owners, and website visitors. Our aim is to use this information to enhance the overall experience for all our stakeholders.
What is Personal Information?
Personal Information encompasses any data that has the potential to identify you as an individual. This may encompass details such as your name, address, age, gender, profession, background, and identification number, among other factors.
Why is Personal Information collected?
To Provide Superior Customer Service to our Guests
We collect Personal Information to enhance the quality of our customer service and facilitate the reservation process, ensuring that we can meet your specific needs and requests during your stay at any of our properties.
We maintain guest-related personal information, such as guest history and detailed expenditure records, to ensure we can verify previous transactions and reconcile statements or invoices when needed.
To Keep Our Guests and Owners Informed
In our effort to keep our valued guests and property owners well-informed, we may utilise the Personal Information you provide to send you newsletters about our properties, as well as notify you of promotions and share offers or other relevant information. To facilitate this communication, your information may be shared with third-party partners, such as customer relationship management firms and marketing and communication agencies. It's important to note that these companies operate under contractual agreements with us, obligating them to safeguard all guest information to which they have access.
If you prefer not to receive updates from us, you have a couple of options. You can express your preferences on your registration card during your stay with us or inform one of our hotel staff members. Alternatively, you can also send an email to [email protected] to convey your wishes.
For Marketing Research
We might seek to engage with our guests and property owners for the purpose of conducting surveys or hosting focus groups to gather your valuable insights on our properties and service quality. To facilitate this, a third-party organisation may be involved under a contractual agreement with us. Rest assured that they will be bound by contractual obligations to safeguard your Personal Information, as elaborated below.
From time to time, we may aggregate data from multiple guests and property owners to gain deeper insights into trends and expectations. In such cases, all personal identifiers are completely removed, ensuring that the collective information cannot be attributed to any specific individuals among our guests and owners.
How is Personal Information Collected?
1. On Our Website
A. Initially Upon Contact with Our Website
Upon your visit to our website, you will receive an initial “cookie,” which assigns a unique ID number to your computer. Cookies are a widely used technology designed to track individual user preferences, thereby enhancing your browsing experience on our site. They enable us to offer a personalised experience, eliminating the need for you to repeatedly specify your preferences during each visit. Importantly, our cookies do not contain any personally identifying information, and they do not continue to track visitors once they have left our website and are browsing elsewhere on the internet.
In addition, we utilize cookies to gather and manage aggregated website data, such as the total number of visitors to specific web pages. This practice allows us to gain insights into which areas of our site are favored by our users and which are not. Among other benefits, this information aids us in enhancing and maintaining our website by taking into account data like the overall visitor count and the pages that are most frequently viewed.
If you prefer not to accept cookies, you have the option to block them by adjusting your Internet browser settings. It's important to note, though, that declining cookies will impact your ability to enjoy the conveniences provided by their usage. Additionally, you may not be able to utilize certain customization features linked to the creation of a user profile.
Once you've visited our website and consented to our cookie, your computer is automatically assigned an ID number whenever you revisit our website. While you remain anonymous until you provide Personal Information on the website, this ID number enables us to track your session, enabling us to offer more tailored assistance if you require individualised service or support. When you enter Personal Information on the website, we link your ID number with your contact details, enabling us to recognize and assist you more effectively.
B. While Browsing Our Website
As you navigate through our website, you may also provide us with information that doesn't disclose your personal identity. This includes details like the type of destination you are interested in. We use this anonymized and combined data primarily for editorial purposes, ensuring it is not linked to any Personal Information, such as your name or address.
As you browse our website to find the information you seek, you might decide to submit a particular "Information Request" related to one of our hotels or resorts. You may also express interest in taking part in our online surveys or promotions. To cater to these requests and engage in our various programs, we may request certain Personal Information from you, including your name, zip/postal code, email address, and phone number.
We will use the personal data you provide solely for the purposes we have specified to you. We will send you emails only if you have indicated your preference for this method, and we offer several alternative ways for you to receive responses to your requests. When you transmit your personal data, it signifies your acknowledgment and agreement to the terms and conditions outlined in this Privacy Policy.
If you have reservations about providing this information over the Internet, you are welcome to contact our reservations office for further details.
If desired, you can also choose to provide your email address to subscribe to our mailing list or receive additional information. Your inclusion in these lists will occur only when you express your desire to be a part of them. It's important to note that these lists are strictly used for internal purposes, and we do not share or lease our lists with any third parties. Should you decide to join one of our lists, you can request to be removed from it at any time. Visitors will always have the option to accept or decline any form of communication from us.
C. Making a Purchase on Our Website
When you make a purchase, you will be prompted to fill out a secure form that includes your contact and payment details. The form is designed to protect your sensitive information. Once the form is completed, your credit card, debit card, or net banking details will undergo a verification process using a secure checking sequence. Once this verification is successful, we will authorize the payment for the amount specified on your order form. Upon confirmation of your transaction, you will be directed to a 'Thank You' screen, and if you requested an email confirmation, it will be sent to you shortly.
Please rest assured that, due to the confidential nature of the information you provide during the purchase on our website or partner sites, the form is highly secure. Your credit card number is safeguarded with state-of-the-art encryption technology and transmitted over a private network. The processing of purchasing transactions involves third-party processors and partners who are contractually obligated to protect the privacy of your Personal Information.
We and/or our partners may maintain a transaction log at our website, excluding your credit card number, which is associated with your unique ID number. This log allows us to assist with any inquiries related to your transaction. Additionally, we may occasionally analyze information from multiple web visitors in an aggregated manner that does not identify individual users, with the purpose of identifying user patterns.
2. When Making a Reservation
A. On Our Website
Should you choose to make a reservation at any of our hotels, you will be directed to our partner's payment gateway service site, which is hosted and operated by our partner. While it seamlessly integrates with our website, it's important to note that this payment gateway site is managed by our partner, who offers an automated payment collection system to us and other hotels, either directly or through their network of partners, channels. To facilitate this process, we share your computer's ID number with them. It's worth mentioning that you can browse hotel rates and availability at our properties without the need to provide any Personal Information.
Visitors to our website who opt for online reservations will need to create a reservation profile the first time they make a booking. This profile will require specific Personal Information, including your name, address, and contact details. Additionally, certain guarantee and deposit information, such as your credit card number, will be requested to secure your reservation. Your submission of Personal Information signifies your acknowledgment and agreement to the terms and conditions outlined in this Privacy Policy.
Please note that your credit card, debit card, or net banking number will be verified using a checking sequence, payments will be deducted only when your reservation is confirmed. Once your reservation is confirmed, we receive all the reservation details. Subsequently, this information is forwarded to the chosen hotel through our central reservation system.
Our reservation system prioritizes the security of your personal information when making a reservation through our website. We employ highly advanced encryption technology to safeguard sensitive details like your Name, mobile number and email address, postal address and ID card number etc.
Additionally, when you complete a reservation on our website, we do receive a copy of your reservation profile linked to your unique ID number. However, rest assured that we do not store or have access to your credit card, debit card, or net banking numbers.
The information we collect is primarily used to create a user profile in our website's database, which allows for a more personalized experience.
We may also, from time to time, aggregate data from multiple website visitors in a way that anonymizes individual users, helping us identify general user patterns without revealing specific user identities. Your privacy and data security remain paramount in our approach.
B. Through our Reservations Office or Hotels
Reservations can also be made by calling our Reservation Office (“RO”) or Central reservation number (“CRN”) or by contacting a particular hotel directly. When you make a reservation, we may ask you for Personal Information such as your name, address, telephone number and method of payment. We may also obtain from you any room preferences or special requests. Personal Information obtained by RO / CRN will be sent in a secured communication to the relevant hotel. Confirmation of your reservation will be provided to you, generally by e-mail, directly from the hotel or resort.
3. During your stay at a Hotel
During your visit, we keep a record of your detailed expenditures in order to create an itemized summary, which outlines your room charges and any other expenses that have been billed to your room. We also maintain this data to comply with financial reporting requirements, which may be set by our auditors and government authorities. Additionally, we may collect specific information as mandated by local laws, such as passport numbers. Information specific to your stay, like any health concerns, payment difficulties, special requests, or service-related issues, may also be stored. This stay-specific information is stored in the property management system of the hotel where you stayed, and it may be combined with data from previous visits you've had at that particular hotel. Some details about your service preferences could be shared with other properties within our network through the guest history database, but you have the option to inform the hotel if you prefer not to have your personal preferences shared.
Furthermore, we may preserve the contents of any documents you provide, such as letters, comment cards, electronic communications like emails, or similar forms of communication, whether they are submitted before, during, or after your stay. While this information may be shared with the hotel's staff, it will not be disclosed to any external third parties.
How do we store Personal Information?
At the Hotel
Every hotel takes extensive precautions to safeguard all Personal Information, storing it in secure locations, whether in databases or filing cabinets. Additionally, we implement measures to ensure that only authorized individuals have access to this information.
In Our Central Reservation System
To enhance our service to you, we maintain specific guest data within our secure Central Reservation System, which is a protected customer database. This information comprises guest names, addresses, phone numbers, and credit card details. Additionally, we may retain data related to your service preferences. When you make a reservation at another property within our network, this information is shared with that specific hotel.
We also keep track of various transaction details, such as the total number of stays you've had at properties managed by us and the total number of nights spent during each stay. This information may be accessed by another property within our network when you make a reservation there, allowing us to provide you with an even better service
In Our Marketing Database
We maintain a database of guest and owner information that serves marketing, promotional, and research purposes. Individuals will only receive such information if they have granted their explicit consent on their hotel registration form, on the website, or through some other means. In every communication sent, there is a clear notice explaining how to opt out of receiving promotional materials.
What information is not secure?
When you log in to complete or modify your Booking Profile or Guest Service Profile, your online interactions with us are shielded against eavesdropping through the highest-level encryption technology tailored to your browser. To ensure your privacy and safeguard the information you choose to share with us, we exclusively permit encrypted communications through all of our web forms.
It's essential to be aware that email communication is not inherently secure, and there is a risk associated with its use. Therefore, when requesting information or sending forms to us via email, such as through the Contact Us section of our website, please refrain from including confidential information, such as credit card details. In the interest of your security, our email responses to you will not contain any confidential information.
As a precaution, please remember to close your web browsers once you've finished using a form or our reservation site. While the session will automatically end after a brief period of inactivity, it's advisable to close your browsers immediately after you're done. While you're logged in, this step helps enhance security by making it more challenging for unauthorized individuals to attempt access to your profile.
What information may be exchanged between hotels?
Information is exchanged among certified data privacy personnel at individual locations within our network in specific, limited situations. This typically occurs when there have been prior instances of health or safety concerns. Additionally, preference information may be shared to improve your overall hotel experience.
Furthermore, if a guest fails to settle their outstanding account promptly or engages in any unlawful conduct related to payment obligations, this information may be communicated among the accounting personnel at our various properties.
What Personal Information may be provided to third parties?
Agents, contractors, or third-party service providers associated with us may receive your Personal Information while delivering services to enhance your experience as a Guest or Owner. Through contractual or other agreements, we ensure that these parties safeguard your Personal Information in accordance with the principles outlined in this Privacy Policy.
We will only disclose your Personal Information to parties external to our organization without your explicit consent in the following circumstances: (a) when it is required or authorized by law, such as responding to a legal subpoena; (b) when it is necessary to provide services you have requested, in which case your consent is implied (e.g., car rental); (c) if your accommodation has been paid for by a third party, we will share billing details with the paying party; (d) in the event of outstanding payments owed to a property.
In the event of suspected unlawful activity, we reserve the right to conduct an investigation and, if warranted, to report our findings or suspicions to the appropriate law enforcement authorities or relevant agencies.
How do I access my Personal Information?
When submitting a request through alternative means, we ask that you provide the request in writing, either via fax or letter. This written request should include a copy of a government-issued identification and your signature. Furthermore, we will need your home and business addresses, as well as phone numbers, to cross-reference them with our records and verify your identity.
The collection of this information is essential to establish an audit trail for the handling of your request. Any correspondence or application related to your request may be retained and added to your Personal Information for record-keeping purposes.
It's important to note that we retain the right to decline access to your Personal Information in specific circumstances. If we decide not to disclose your Personal Information, we will provide you with an explanation for the non-disclosure.
Is this conversation helpful so far?
Where you make a request by other means, we require the request be made in writing via fax or letter including a copy of a government issued identification and signature. We also require home and business addresses and phone numbers so we can check them with our files and satisfy ourselves as to your identity.
The above information is required to create an audit trail of how the request has been handled. Where a request is made, any correspondence or application may be kept and added to your Personal Information.
We reserve the right to decline access to your Personal Information under certain circumstances. If your Personal Information will not be disclosed, you will be provided with the reasons for this non-disclosure.
How do I Revise my Personal Information?
If you ever need to update or access your Personal Information, you can simply reach out to any of our hotels or get in touch with our Corporate Office. We are here to assist you with your requests.
How long is my Personal Information retained?
Your Personal Information will be retained for the duration mandated by the relevant legal requirements in the jurisdiction of each hotel holding the information. We may keep this information indefinitely, as long as a valid business purpose exists. Periodically, we may choose to delete your Personal Information if there has been no recent stay with us over an extended period of time.
How will I know if there are changes to this Policy?
In the event that we decide to implement significant changes to our Privacy Policy, we will ensure that these modifications are posted on our official website, which is the hotel's official website. This way, you will always have access to the most up-to-date information on how we handle Personal Information. Minor changes may also be incorporated into a revised policy.
Please be aware that any changes in the use of Personal Information will not be applied retroactively to data for which you have already granted explicit consent, and which was obtained prior to the Privacy Policy update, unless required by law. If, at any point, we intend to use Personal Information in a manner different from what is outlined in this Privacy Policy, we will notify you through a letter or email sent to your last known address. If you do not agree with the proposed changes in how we intend to use Personal Information, you have the option to request in writing that we refrain from using it in that manner. If you do not object, we will consider it as your consent to the altered use of your Personal Information.
How is personal information affected by business transfers?
Additionally, we act as property managers on behalf of third-party owners. When it comes to guest information necessary for the business interactions between the guest and the property, this information is shared with the property owner. However, all other Personal Information is regarded as the exclusive property of our organization and is not disclosed to property owners. In the event that we discontinue our management of a specific property, all Personal Information remains under our control. Guest information that has been historically shared with the property owner will continue to be retained by the property owner.
What laws apply to this policy?
While we operate on a global scale, our operations are governed by the laws of India. By using our services, you consent to abide by these laws and agree to submit exclusively to the jurisdiction of the Indian courts.
To whom do I direct questions or concerns regarding this policy?
If you have any questions or concerns about this privacy policy, please feel free to reach out to our Chief Privacy Officer by sending a written inquiry to the following address:
Email/ Newsletter Opt Out Policy
We will only send you emails that are considered relevant to your preferences as per your email subscription settings. Currently, we send out newsletters for our offers, promotions, launches, and transactional emails.
Our newsletters are exclusively for individuals who have voluntarily shared their contact information to receive updates. Within our newsletters, you will find an option to cease your email subscription. Selecting this option will prompt us to remove you from our newsletter mailing list. At the bottom of our newsletters, there will be an opt-out notice and an unsubscribe link. This notice will contain instructions on how to unsubscribe from receiving future newsletters from us.
Recipients have the freedom to discontinue receiving emails from us at any time. If you no longer find our newsletters relevant to your needs, you can also unsubscribe by clicking on the "Unsubscribe" link directly.