1. Introduction
Silence Hotel ("we", "us", "our") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Policy describes how we handle information gathered through our websites, our reservation systems, our properties and any related services, and explains your rights under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the UK GDPR and other applicable laws.
By using our website or services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this policy. If you do not agree with it, please do not use our services.
2. The Information We Collect
We collect several categories of information, depending on how you interact with us:
- Identity data — name, title, date of birth and, for travel documentation, passport or ID details.
- Contact data — billing and delivery address, email address and telephone number.
- Booking data — dates of stay, room and rate preferences, special requests, dietary requirements and celebration details.
- Payment data — cardholder name, masked card details and transaction history. Full card numbers are processed by our payment providers and are never stored on our servers.
- Technical data — IP address, browser type, device identifiers, time zone, and pages visited on our website.
- Usage and preference data — how you use our services, the properties and experiences you enjoy, and your marketing preferences.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use personal data to provide and improve our services, and only where we have a lawful basis to do so. Our main uses include:
- To process and manage reservations, check-ins and check-outs.
- To personalise your stay, anticipate your preferences and tailor our recommendations.
- To communicate with you about your booking, respond to enquiries and provide concierge support.
- To take payment, prevent fraud and maintain accurate financial records.
- To send you marketing (only where you have opted in, and always with an easy way to unsubscribe).
- To operate, secure and improve our website, and to comply with legal and regulatory obligations.
4. Lawful Bases
Where the GDPR applies, we rely on the following lawful bases: performance of a contract (to provide your stay), legal obligation (for tax and safety records), legitimate interests (to run and improve our business, provided your rights are not overridden) and consent (for marketing and certain cookies).
5. Cookies and Similar Technologies
Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to keep the site working, remember your preferences and understand how it is used. For full details, including a list of the cookies we use and how to manage them, please see our Cookie Policy.
6. How We Share Information
We share personal data only where necessary and with trusted parties, including:
- Service providers — booking engines, payment processors, email platforms, IT and hosting providers who act on our instructions.
- Properties in our collection — the house you are visiting receives the details needed to prepare your stay.
- Professional advisers — lawyers, auditors and insurers, where required.
- Authorities — where we are legally required to disclose information, for example for guest registration in certain countries.
We do not sell your personal data, and we do not share it with third parties for their own marketing purposes.
7. International Transfers
Some of our providers operate outside the European Economic Area. Where we transfer personal data internationally, we put appropriate safeguards in place, such as standard contractual clauses approved by the European Commission, to ensure your information receives an equivalent level of protection.
8. Data Retention
We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes described above, and then securely delete or anonymise it. As a general guide, booking and financial records are retained for up to seven years to meet tax and accounting requirements, while marketing data is kept until you withdraw your consent.
9. Your Rights
Subject to applicable law, you have the right to:
- Request access to the personal data we hold about you.
- Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
- Request erasure of your data ("the right to be forgotten").
- Object to, or request restriction of, certain processing.
- Request portability of data you provided to us.
- Withdraw consent at any time, where processing is based on consent.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [email protected]. We will respond within one month. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority.
10. Security
We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your data, including encryption in transit, access controls, staff training and regular reviews of our systems. No method of transmission over the internet is completely secure, but we work continually to safeguard your information.
11. Children's Privacy
Our services are not directed at children under the age of 16, and we do not knowingly collect their personal data. Where a booking includes a child, we process only the minimum information necessary to provide a safe and comfortable stay, on the basis of the responsible adult's details.
12. Changes To This Policy
We may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or the law. When we do, we will revise the "last updated" date above and, where the changes are significant, notify you directly. We encourage you to review this page periodically.
13. Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or the way we handle your data, please contact our Data Protection Officer:
- Email: [email protected]
- Post: Data Protection Officer, Silence Hotel, 15 Ocean View Avenue, Mayfair, London W1K 3QT, United Kingdom
- Phone: +1 (800) 456-7890