PRIVACY POLICY
Effective date: April 2018
This Privacy Policy applies to www.hostalportugal.com, which is owned and operated by Hostal Portugal. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect and use information — which may include personal data — that you provide to us on our website: www.pensionportugal.com. It also describes the choices you have regarding the use of your personal data and how you can access and update this information.
Data Collection
Below are the types of personal information we collect:
- Name, surname, email address, telephone number and postal address;
- Credit card details (card type, card number, cardholder name, expiry date and security code);
- Information relating to customer stays, such as arrival and departure dates, special requests, notes about your service preferences (rooms, facilities, or any other service used);
- Information related to your marketing preferences or information you provide when participating in surveys, competitions, and promotional offers.
You may always choose which personal data (if any) you wish to provide to us. However, if you choose not to provide certain information, this may affect some of your interactions with us.
Data Collected Automatically
When you use our website, we also collect data automatically — some of which may be personal data. Examples include language preference, IP address, location, device settings, device operating system, log data, usage time, requested URL, status report, user agent (browser version information), operating system, result (visit or booking), browsing history, user booking ID, and type of content viewed.
We may also automatically collect data through the use of cookies.
Purposes of Processing
We use your personal data for the following purposes:
Reservations: We use your personal data to complete and manage your online booking.
Customer Service: We use your personal data to provide customer support.
Guest Reviews: We may use your contact details to invite you via email to write a review after your stay. This helps other travellers choose the accommodation that best suits them. If you submit a review, it may be published on our website.
Marketing Activities: We also use your data for marketing purposes, as permitted by law. When we use your personal data for direct marketing — such as commercial newsletters or marketing communications about new services, products, or other offers we think may interest you — we include a link for you to unsubscribe if you no longer wish to receive such messages.
Other Communications: We may contact you by email, post, telephone, or message, depending on the contact details you provide, for the following reasons:
a. To respond to or manage requests you have made.
b. If you have not completed an online booking, we may send you a reminder email to continue with your reservation. We believe this additional service is helpful as it allows you to complete your booking without having to search for the accommodation again or re-enter booking details.
c. When using our services, we may send you a questionnaire or invite you to provide feedback about your experience on our website. We believe this additional service benefits both you and us, as it allows us to improve our website based on your feedback.
Analysis, Improvements and Research: We use personal data for research and analytical purposes. We may engage a third party to carry this out on our behalf. We may share or disclose research results, including to third parties, in an anonymous and aggregated form. We use personal data to conduct analyses, improve our services, enhance user experience, expand functionality, and increase the quality of our online travel services.
Security, Fraud Detection and Prevention: We use information, including personal data, to prevent fraud and other illegal or unlawful activities. We also use this information to investigate and detect fraud. Personal data may also be used to assess risk and for security purposes, such as user authentication. For these purposes, we may share personal data with third parties, including law enforcement authorities and external advisors, as permitted by applicable law.
Legal and Compliance Matters: In some cases, we must use information provided — which may include personal data — to manage and resolve legal claims or disputes, to comply with regulations or investigations, or to enforce agreements or comply with lawful requests from enforcement authorities, as required by law.
If we use automated means to process personal data that have legal effects or may significantly affect you, we will implement the necessary safeguards to protect your rights and freedoms, including the right to obtain human intervention.
Legal Bases
For purposes A and B, we rely on the performance of a contract: the use of your data may be necessary to fulfil the contract you have with us. For example, if you use our services to make an online booking, we use your data to fulfil our obligation to complete and manage that booking.
For purposes C to H, we rely on legitimate interests: we use your data for our legitimate business interests, such as offering the most relevant website content, emails, and newsletters; improving and promoting our products and services; optimising our website content; and preventing administrative fraud and for legal purposes. When using personal data to serve our legitimate interests, we will always balance your rights and interests in protecting your data against our own.
For purpose H, we also rely, where applicable, on our obligation to comply with applicable legislation.
Where required by applicable law, we will obtain your prior consent to process your personal data for direct marketing purposes.
You may withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us at the addresses provided at the end of this Privacy Policy.
If you wish to object to the processing described in points C–F and have no direct means to do so (e.g., through your account settings), please contact us at hostalportugal@hotmail.com.
Data Sharing
External Service Providers: We use service providers to process your personal data solely on our behalf. Such processing is carried out for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, such as facilitating booking payments, distributing promotional materials, or providing analytical support services. These service providers are bound by confidentiality clauses and are not permitted to use your personal data for their own purposes or for any other reason.
Competent Authorities: We will disclose personal data to law enforcement and other governmental authorities to the extent required by law or when strictly necessary for the prevention, detection, or prosecution of criminal acts and fraud.
International Data Transfers
The transfer of personal data as described in this Privacy Policy may involve transferring personal data to countries whose data protection laws are not as comprehensive as those within the European Union. Where required under European law, we will only transfer personal data to recipients that provide an adequate level of data protection. In such cases, we implement contractual safeguards to ensure that your personal data remain protected in accordance with EU standards. If you wish to receive a copy of these clauses, you may request one using the contact details provided below.
Data Retention
We will retain your information, which may include personal data, for as long as we consider necessary to provide our services, comply with applicable law, resolve disputes with third parties, and for other necessary reasons that allow us to conduct our business, including fraud detection and prevention or other illegal activities.
All personal data retained will be subject to this Privacy Policy. If you have questions regarding specific retention periods for particular types of personal data, please contact us using the information provided below.
Your Choices and Rights
We want you to have control over how we use your personal data. You can do so in the following ways:
- You may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- You may inform us of any changes to your personal data or ask us to correct any personal data we hold about you.
- In certain situations, you may request that we delete, block, or restrict the processing of your personal data, or you may object to specific uses of your data.
- In certain circumstances, you may also request that we transfer the personal data you have provided to a third party.
When we process your personal data based on your consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time, subject to applicable law. Likewise, when we process your data based on legitimate interest or public interest, you have the right to object at any time, in accordance with applicable law.
We rely on you to ensure that your personal data are complete, accurate, and up to date. Please promptly inform us of any changes or inaccuracies by contacting hostalportugal@hotmail.com. We will handle your request in accordance with applicable law.
Questions or Complaints
If you have any questions or concerns about how we process your personal data, or if you wish to exercise any of your rights under this notice, please contact us at hostalportugal@hotmail.com.
You may also contact your local data protection authority with any questions or complaints.
Changes to this Notice
As our business evolves, this Privacy Policy may change over time. If you wish to review changes made to this Privacy Policy periodically, we invite you to revisit this document.
If we make material changes or any modifications that may affect you (for example, if we begin processing your personal data for purposes other than those stated above), we will contact you before initiating such processing.