Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are and What This Policy Covers

This Privacy Policy explains how Hotelaholic.com (“Hotelaholic,” “we,” “us” or “our”) collects, uses and shares personal information when you use hotelaholic.com and its related pages, accounts and features (the “Site”). It should be read together with our Terms and Conditions.

The short version. You can read every guide on the Site without an account. If you create one, we hold only the details needed to run it. We never take bookings or payments on the Site, and we never receive your card details. We do not sell personal information or share it with advertisers.

Reservations are completed on our booking site, book.hotelaholic.com, which is operated by our booking provider under its own privacy policy. Section 10 explains how that works.

2. Information We Collect

Account information. If you create an account, we collect your email address, first and last name, your password (stored in encrypted form) or the sign-in service you choose, and your marketing preference. If you sign in with Google or another third-party service, we receive your name and email address from that service, as permitted by your settings with it.

Outbound click records. When you click through to a hotel, we record the hotel, its position on the page, the page you came from, an anonymous session identifier and a reference code, so that bookings can be attributed to the Site.

Technical data. Our hosting providers keep standard server logs, such as IP address, browser type and time of request, which we use to run the Site securely and diagnose faults.

Information stored only on your device. Some features, such as the “recently viewed” list of destination guides, are stored in your own browser and are never sent to us. See Section 6.

3. How We Use Information

We use the information described above to:

• create and manage your account and sign you in;
• sign you in to the booking site when you continue there from the Site (see Section 10);
• attribute bookings to the Site so that commissions are credited correctly;
• operate, secure and improve the Site, and diagnose faults;
• respond to your questions and requests;
• send you updates and offers by email, only if you have opted in; and
• comply with legal obligations and enforce our Terms and Conditions.

Where data protection laws such as the GDPR apply, we rely on the performance of our agreement with you, our legitimate interests in operating and protecting the Site, your consent (for marketing emails), and compliance with legal obligations.

4. How We Share Information

Service providers. We use service providers to host the Site, store our database, authenticate users, send email, supply licensed hotel data and help generate editorial drafts. They process personal information only on our instructions and for these purposes.

Our booking provider. When you are signed in and continue to book.hotelaholic.com, we share your name, email address and an account identifier with our booking provider so it can sign you in. See Section 10.

Legal and business reasons. We may disclose information where required by law or legal process, to protect our rights, users or the public, or in connection with a merger, acquisition or sale of assets.

We do not sell personal information, and we do not share it with advertisers or for cross-context behavioral advertising.

5. What We Do Not Collect or Store

We do not collect payment card details, and we do not store booking records on the Site. We do not store guest review text: it is loaded each time you open a hotel page and is not retained. We do not copy hotel photographs onto our servers; they are displayed from externally hosted sources. We do not keep any server-side record of which destination guides you read.

6. Cookies, Browser Storage and Do Not Track

We use a small amount of browser storage and cookies that are necessary to run the Site: to keep you signed in, to hold an anonymous session identifier for click attribution, and to remember the page you were on when you sign in so we can return you to it. We do not use third-party advertising cookies. Blocking cookies will not stop you reading the guides, but you may not be able to sign in.

Recently viewed. The Site keeps a list of up to 12 destination guides you have opened recently, stored in your browser’s local storage on that device. It records only the guide name, its destination and the time you opened it. It is never sent to us or to any third party, is not used for advertising or profiling, and is not linked to your account. You can erase it at any time using “Clear history” on your account page or by clearing your browser’s site data.

Do Not Track. Because we do not track you across other websites, the Site does not change its behavior in response to browser “Do Not Track” signals.

7. Retention, Security and International Transfers

We keep account information for as long as your account is active, and delete it after you ask us to close your account, except where we must keep it to meet legal obligations. Click and log records are kept only as long as needed for attribution, security and reporting, and are then deleted or aggregated.

We use reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect personal information, including encrypted connections and encrypted password storage. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure.

We are based in the United States, and our service providers may process information in the United States and other countries. Where required, we rely on appropriate safeguards for these transfers.

8. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on where you live, including California and the European Economic Area, you may have the right to access, correct, delete or receive a copy of the personal information we hold about you, to restrict or object to its processing, and to withdraw consent at any time. We will not discriminate against you for exercising these rights.

To make a request, email privacy@hotelaholic.com. We may need to verify your identity, and because we hold little identifiable data, we may ask for details that help us locate your records. You may also lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

Marketing emails. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in any marketing email or by updating your preference in your account.

These requests cover information held by Hotelaholic. Requests about booking information should be made to our booking provider, as described in Section 10.

9. Children

The Site is intended for adults planning travel and is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has given us personal information, contact privacy@hotelaholic.com and we will delete it. Bookings may only be made by people aged 18 or over.

10. Bookings and Our Booking Provider

Although book.hotelaholic.com carries the Hotelaholic name, it is operated by our booking provider, Nuitée Travel Limited, a company registered in Ireland (“Booking Provider”). When you search, sign in or book there, the Booking Provider collects and processes your information, including traveler names, contact details, payment details, booking details and technical data, and shares booking details with the accommodation provider to confirm your stay.

The Booking Provider decides how that information is used and handles it under its own privacy policy, not this one. Its cookies and similar technologies on the booking site are also governed by its policies. Hotelaholic never receives your payment details. Through our partner account, we may have access to limited booking information, such as booking reference, dates, amount and lead guest name, which we use for commission tracking, reporting and customer support.

When you are signed in on the Site and continue to the booking site, we share your name, email address and an account identifier with the Booking Provider so it can sign you in. If you book without signing in to the Site, the details you enter go to the Booking Provider only.

To exercise your rights over booking information, contact the Booking Provider at contact@nuitee.com.

11. Changes and Contact

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The date at the top shows the current version. If we make material changes, we will post a notice on the Site or email account holders before the changes take effect.

Questions about this policy or our privacy practices can be sent to privacy@hotelaholic.com. See also our Terms and Conditions.