Legal
Privacy Policy
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Royal Hotel Balaklava (ABN 25 668 980 185) of 9 Edith Terrace, Balaklava SA 5461 ('we', 'us', 'our') is committed to protecting your personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). This policy explains what personal information we collect, how we use and disclose it, and how you can exercise your rights.
What personal information we collect
We collect personal information that is reasonably necessary for our functions and activities. This includes: (a) Identity and contact information — your name, email address, phone number, and postal address when you make a room booking, submit an enquiry, or purchase from our online store. (b) Payment information — billing details and transaction records. Your card number is transmitted directly to our payment processor and is never stored on our servers. (c) Booking information — check-in and check-out dates, room preferences, and any special requests. (d) Technical information — IP address, browser type, pages visited, and session data collected automatically when you use our website. (e) Communications — records of enquiries, feedback, or correspondence you send us. We collect personal information only by lawful and fair means, and where practicable directly from you.
How we use your personal information
We use your personal information for the primary purpose for which it was collected, and for related secondary purposes you would reasonably expect. This includes: processing and managing room bookings and merchandise orders; processing payments and issuing receipts and confirmations; responding to enquiries and providing customer service; sending transactional communications such as booking confirmations, reminders, and receipts; improving our website, services, and guest experience; complying with legal and regulatory obligations; and detecting and preventing fraud or misuse of our services. We will not use your personal information for direct marketing without your consent, and you may opt out of any marketing communications at any time.
Disclosure of personal information
We may disclose your personal information to third parties in the following circumstances: (a) Service providers — we engage trusted third-party service providers to assist with payment processing (Stripe, Inc.), email delivery (GoDaddy SMTP relay), website hosting, and analytics. These providers are permitted to use your information only to perform services on our behalf and are required to protect it in accordance with applicable privacy laws. (b) Legal obligations — we may disclose information where required or authorised by law, including to government agencies, courts, or law enforcement bodies. (c) Business transfers — in the event of a sale or transfer of our business, personal information may be transferred to the new owner subject to equivalent privacy protections. We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for their own marketing purposes.
Payment processing
All card payments are processed securely by Stripe, Inc. (stripe.com). Your card details are transmitted directly to Stripe using industry-standard TLS encryption and are never stored on our servers. Stripe is certified to PCI DSS Level 1, the highest level of payment security certification. Stripe's privacy policy is available at stripe.com/privacy. We retain records of transaction amounts, dates, and booking references for accounting and legal compliance purposes.
Cookies and analytics
Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to improve your browsing experience and understand how visitors use our site. Essential cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be disabled. We may use analytics tools such as Google Analytics to collect aggregated, de-identified information about website usage. Non-essential cookies are only placed with your consent, which you may provide or withdraw at any time using the cookie consent banner on our website. You can also manage cookies through your browser settings; however, disabling certain cookies may affect website functionality.
Data quality and security
We take reasonable steps to ensure that the personal information we hold is accurate, complete, and up to date. We implement appropriate technical and organisational security measures to protect your personal information from misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. These measures include encrypted data transmission (TLS/HTTPS), access controls, and secure third-party service providers. If you believe the information we hold about you is inaccurate or incomplete, please contact us and we will take reasonable steps to correct it.
Data retention
We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including to satisfy legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Booking and transaction records are generally retained for seven years in accordance with Australian taxation and business record-keeping obligations. When personal information is no longer required, we take reasonable steps to destroy or de-identify it securely.
Cross-border disclosure
Some of our third-party service providers are located or store data outside Australia, including in the United States (Stripe, Google). Before disclosing personal information to an overseas recipient, we take reasonable steps to ensure the recipient does not breach the APPs in relation to that information. By using our website and services, you consent to your personal information being transferred to and processed in countries outside Australia where our service providers operate.
Your rights under the Privacy Act
Under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the APPs, you have the right to: (a) Access — request access to the personal information we hold about you. We will respond within a reasonable time and may charge a reasonable fee for providing access. (b) Correction — request correction of personal information that is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant, or misleading. (c) Complaint — make a complaint if you believe we have breached the APPs. We will investigate and respond within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at oaic.gov.au or by calling 1300 363 992. To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details below.
Children's privacy
Our website and services are not directed at children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a child, please contact us and we will take steps to delete it promptly.
Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal obligations. The current version will always be available on this page, with the date of last update noted at the top. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Continued use of our website after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.
Contact us
For privacy enquiries, to request access to or correction of your personal information, or to make a complaint, please contact: Royal Hotel Balaklava, 9 Edith Terrace, Balaklava SA 5461. Phone: (08) 8862 1607. You may also use the contact form on our website at royalhotelbalaklava.net.au/contact. We will acknowledge your enquiry promptly and aim to resolve it within 30 days.