Privacy Policy

We are committed to protecting your privacy and keeping your information secure. This policy provides transparent information about the personal information that Sea Sunset Cottage collects, and the ways in which Sea Sunset Cottage uses that personal information.

In handling your information:

• We will ensure your data is protected and your privacy is kept
• We will only collect and process your data when necessary
• We will not sell, let, or in any way distribute or, make public your personal information
• We will never spam you

Sea Sunset Cottage processes Personal Data as a Controller, as defined in the Directive and the GDPR.

If you have any questions or concerns, you can email us at info@seasunsetcottage.com.

Collecting Personal Information

Sea Sunset Cottage may collect and use the following kinds of personal information:

• Personal details and contact information
• Demographic Information, such as postcode, preferences and interests
• Information about your use of this website (including cookies)
• Financial Information, such as Credit / Debit Card Numbers
• Your website interaction information, such as anonymous IP Address, geological location, device and operating system, internet browser type and version, URLs with regards to how you came to this website, your activity on this website and where you exit to
• Information that you provide for completing a web form or mailing list subscription on the website
• Information about transactions carried out over this website
• “Cookies,” which enables the website to remember your information if you return to the site, such as to keep you logged in or to remember your login credentials if you return to the site
• And any other information that you send to the company

Using Personal Information

Sea Sunset Cottage may use your personal information:

• To provide or supply the products/services that you purchase
• For internal record keeping and accounting
• For the improvement of our products/services
• For the transmission by email of promotional materials that may be of interest to you
• To contact you for market research purposes which may be done using email, telephone, fax or mail. Such information may be used to customise or update the website
• To personalise the website for you
• To enable your access to and use of the website services

Google Analytics

As part of our ongoing commitment to transparency and your privacy, we’ve transitioned from Google Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4 as of 5th July 2023. Google Analytics 4 uses a different set of cookies and data collection methods to help us better understand user interactions with our site. This switch supports a more engaging user experience and aligns our practices with the latest technological and privacy standards.

We respect your right to privacy and we do not track your data without consent. Importantly, you can opt out of Google Analytics 4 data collection on our site. To exercise this right, you may deny all cookies except those that are essential for the operation of our website. In addition, you have the flexibility to opt out or amend your consent settings at any time via our Cookie Policy.

Fathom Analytics

In our ongoing efforts to ensure a user-friendly experience and respect your privacy, we supplement our use of Google Analytics with Fathom Analytics. Fathom is a privacy-centric analytics service that offers valuable insights into user interactions with our website, without the use of cookies or compromising your privacy.

This addition enables us to maintain a high-quality user experience and align our practices with the latest privacy standards. Importantly, the implementation of Fathom Analytics reduces our reliance on cookie-based analytics. While Google Analytics will still be in use for certain data analysis, the inclusion of Fathom Analytics allows us to limit the scope of data collection and offers us an alternative method for website analytics that prioritises user privacy.

Guestbook and Testimonials

Sea Sunset Cottage will keep a record of guestbook entries as feedback to continually improve our service.  We may use guestbook entries or testimonials collected in our marketing and promotional materials, including online and print.  In all cases, we will anonymise the details.

Software and Third-parties

Sea Sunset Cottage will use software and trusted third-parties to fulfil our contractual obligations to you in the performance of our services and completing transactions. By requesting information or delivery of a service and product, we process your data under the lawful basis of contract.

By registering with us, purchasing or requesting a service, you understand and agree that personal information you provide may be held on:

• PIMS Management and Booking System

Sea Sunset Cottage does not sell or rent your personal data to marketers or unaffiliated third parties. We only share your personal data with the following trusted third parties:

• Realising Designs Limited

Sea Sunset Cottage will ensure they have contracts with them that confirm your data will be processed following GDPR regulations.

Sea Sunset Cottage may disclose your personal information to the extent that it is required to do so by law, in connection with any legal proceedings or prospective legal proceedings, and in order to establish, exercise or defend its legal rights.

In the future, we may sell, buy, merge, or partner with other companies or businesses. In such transactions, user information may be among the transferred assets, and we will notify you in advance of such transfer.

Securing your data

Sea Sunset Cottage has a Data Governance Policy in operation and will take reasonable technical and organisational precautions to prevent the loss, misuse or alteration of your personal information.

Sea Sunset Cottage will store all the personal information you provide on its secure servers. We will never provide access to our databases to a non-trusted third party detailed in this policy.

Information relating to electronic transactions entered into via this website will be protected by encryption technology.

An external PCI compliant payment gateway handles all payment transactions.

Under the GDPR rulings, we would inform our users within 72 hours if any breach of security occurs that might compromise your data.

How you can restrict or access your Personal Data

You may choose to restrict the collection or use of your personal information in the following ways:

• You can opt out of non-required cookies during your visit via the consent popup, or via the cookie policy
• Whenever you are asked to fill in a form on the website, look for the box that you can leave unchecked to indicate that you do not want the information to be used by anybody for direct marketing purposes.

If you have previously agreed to us using your personal information for direct marketing purposes, you may change your mind at any time by:

• writing to Sea Sunset Cottage, 13 Shipwrights Lee, Whitstable, CT5 1EW
• emailing us at info@seasunsetcottage.com
• unsubscribing via the unsubscribe link on a marketing email

You may request details of personal information which we hold about you, by applying in writing to Sea Sunset Cottage, 13 Shipwrights Lee, Whitstable, CT5 1EW or email us at info@seasunsetcottage.com.

We will supply this information within 30 days. If any data is incorrect we we will correct it as soon as we receive appropriate notice or evidence from you in writing.

The right to be forgotten

We will retain your personal information only for as long as necessary, whilst retaining legal requirements for maintaining financial records.

You have the right to instruct us to delete all the personal information held. Should you wish to instruct us to delete please do so in writing to Sea Sunset Cottage, 13 Shipwrights Lee, Whitstable, CT5 1EW or by email to info@seasunsetcottage.com

Any data no longer required will be deleted or destroyed securely and confidentially.

The right of rectification

We will take all reasonable steps to ensure your personal information is current and accurate. If inaccurate or incomplete data is identified, we will takes steps to correct the data, or remove securely and confidentially.

You have the right to instruct us to remove incomplete personal data held. Should you wish to request incomplete data removal, please do so in writing to Sea Sunset Cottage, 13 Shipwrights Lee, Whitstable, CT5 1EW or by email to info@seasunsetcottage.com.

Cookies

What is a ‘cookie’? When you enter a site, your computer will automatically be issued with a cookie. Cookies are text files that identify your computer to our server. Cookies in themselves do not contain any personal identifying information about a visitor or their location. They just identify the computer used. Many sites do this whenever a user visits their site in order to track traffic flows and patterns of behaviour of site visitors.

You can see a schedule of the cookies we use and manage your cookie consent directly via our Cookie Policy.

Social Media Policy & Usage

We adopt a Social Media Policy to ensure our business and our staff conduct themselves accordingly online. While we may have official profiles on social media platforms users are advised to verify authenticity of such profiles before engaging with, or sharing information with such profiles. We will never ask for user passwords or personal details on social media platforms. Users are advised to conduct themselves appropriately when engaging with us on social media.

There may be instances where our website features social sharing buttons, which help share web content directly from web pages to the respective social media platforms. You use social sharing buttons at your own discretion and accept that doing so may publish content to your social media profile feed or page.

Use of Services by Minors

The Services are not directed to individuals under the age of thirteen (13), and we request that they not provide Personal Data through the Services.

Changes to this policy

Sea Sunset Cottage may update this privacy policy by posting a new version on this website. You should check this page occasionally to ensure you are familiar with any changes. This policy is effective from 5th July 2023.

Other websites

Our website may contain links to other websites of interest. However, once you have used these links to leave our site, you should note that we do not have any control over that other website. Therefore, we cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information which you provide whilst visiting such sites and such sites are not governed by this privacy statement. You should exercise caution and look at the privacy statement applicable to the website in question.

Contact Sea Sunset Cottage

You can contact us at any point to:

• Request access to information that Sea Sunset Cottage has about you
• Correct any information that Sea Sunset Cottage has about you
• Request the deletion of information that Sea Sunset Cottage has about you

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or our treatment of your personal information, please write by email to info@seasunsetcottage.com.

Should you feel there may be a problem in how your data has been handled, you should contact Sea Sunset Cottage by email to info@seasunsetcottage.com. Should you still not be satisfied you have a right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ico.org.uk).