LookOut Privacy Policy
Introduction
As a service provider in the accommodation management and online booking space, we take the protection of information seriously. Please read this policy, as it outlines how we use personal data that you provide to us or that we collect from you.
If you use our websites, our service providers’ API or our services, either as client, or as a guest making a booking with one of our accommodation clients, you agree to this Privacy Policy.
This Privacy Policy may change periodically for updates. If you continue using our products or services after we make changes, it is deemed to be acceptance of those changes.
If you have any questions about the policy or about your data, please use the details in the Contact Us section.
Who are we?
Our legal entity is trading as LookOut, registered in South Africa.
LookOut offers web applications, as well as 3rd party service providers and software, to assist accommodation owners with managing their bookings.
Service providers supply solutions for front-office administration (a Property Management System or PMS); for the connection of availability and rates to online travel agents (Channel Management); for payment processing; and for facilitating real-time bookings for our client’s guests (Online Booking Engine).
The information we collect:
Personal data is information that can be used to uniquely identify or contact a single person. We will collect and process information needed to create or manage our clients’ bookings and business administration, in order to provide our services.
This includes personal data that guests making bookings provide to our clients, or to any online travel agency relating to a guest’s booking. It also includes data we, or our clients, are obliged to collect according to government regulations.
Personal data we process may include, but is not limited to: name, address, e-mail address, phone number and credit card information, ID or passport number, records of our interactions and travel information.
We will hold your personal data on our systems for as long as is reasonable for contracting, fiduciary responsibilities or statutory obligations.
Cookies
If you leave a comment on our site you may opt-in to saving your name, email address and website in cookies. These are for your convenience so that you do not have to fill in your details again when you leave another comment. These cookies will last for one year.
If you visit our login page, we will set a temporary cookie to determine if your browser accepts cookies. This cookie contains no personal data and is discarded when you close your browser.
When you log in, we will also set up several cookies to save your login information and your screen display choices. Login cookies last for two days, and screen options cookies last for a year. If you select “Remember Me”, your login will persist for two weeks. If you log out of your account, the login cookies will be removed.
If you edit or publish an article, an additional cookie will be saved in your browser. This cookie includes no personal data and simply indicates the post ID of the article you just edited. It expires after 1 day.
Embedded content from other websites
Articles on this site may include embedded content (e.g. videos, images, articles, etc.). Embedded content from other websites behaves in the exact same way as if the visitor has visited the other website.
These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that embedded content, including tracking your interaction with the embedded content if you have an account and are logged in to that website.
How do we collect your information?
We get information from you directly when you communicate with us by phone, e-mail or through our website. Examples might be to ask about our service or signing up as a client (booking accommodation). Or, when you have a query or report a website problem.
If you make a booking via the LookOut contact form on our websites, we record and store that information.
If you make a booking via the Service provider’s contact form on our clients’ websites, they record and store that information for our clients and share the information with us to provide the necessary service.
When you use our web services, we collect technical information, including the Internet protocol (IP) address used to connect your computer to the Internet, browser type and version, time zone setting, browser versions and operating system and platform. As a client, we collect your login information.
The travel agents or travel sites that take bookings on our behalf (channel management integrations), pass guest information and travel arrangements to us via their interface.
When you use the services we connect to, e.g. payment providers, we collect the data required to conclude the transaction.
We collect information about our guests that we store, as part of our service.
How might we use your information?
We use data for the purposes of concluding a contract the data subject is party to. An example is the processing of guest data to secure a booking with an accommodation provider, or clients agreeing to use our channel management services.
As a client, to provide you with advice, notices, information, products or services you expect from us. Or to tell you about other services or goods we may offer or integrate with, that are similar or complementary to the service we’re already providing you.
We might use your information for internal operations and product improvements, data analysis or testing. Should we use information for research, statistical or survey purposes, we aggregate the data in a manner that safeguards your personal and business anonymity.
We use data from third-party agents to facilitate payment processing, booking and other services like guest communication, on behalf of our clients, as an agreed service.
How do we process your information?
We process data between our clients and 3rd party online travel agent (OTA) connections. We also offer integrations to some third-party systems, e.g. Nightsbridge.
To provide these services, we must process your personal data as a guest or client and, from time to time, collect and use your personal data in order to make contact with you related to our support, training or maintenance services.
While we advise our clients on best practice regarding data collection, we recommend that you review the privacy policy for the establishment you work with. Use of our products and services is based on acceptance of our terms of use and privacy policies.
Conditions for sharing your information
Any data in our systems, belongs to us. We do not share or market any guest information. We only share or process data in a client system, with permission or written instruction from the client.
We may share your personal information with:
- An affiliate, in which case we will seek to require the affiliates to honour this privacy and personal information policy;
- Credit bureaus to report account information, as permitted by law.
We may disclose personal information if required:
- by a subpoena or court order;
- to comply with any law;
- to protect the safety of any individual or the general public; and
- to prevent violation of our service terms.
We may need to disclose personal information to our employees who require the personal information to do their jobs.
If we should undergo a change in ownership, or a sale of assets to another entity, we may assign our rights to the personal information we process to a successor, purchaser, or separate entity. We will disclose the transfer on the website. If you are concerned about your personal information migrating to a new owner, you may request us to delete your personal information.
Security of personal information
We take reasonable measures to secure your personal or payment information from accidental loss and from unauthorised access, use or alteration. Generally we use computer safeguards such as firewalls and data encryption.
We authorise access to personal information only for those employees who require it to fulfill their job responsibilities. We require our staff to review safety protocols and implement secure processes. Our technical team monitors security standards on employee workstations.
Please be aware that no security measures are perfect or impenetrable. We cannot control the actions of the recipients you connect to, who may forward them to other third parties or otherwise disclose them. The safety and security of your information also depend on you. Although we make efforts to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee the security of your personal information transmitted to a website. Any transmission of personal information is at your own risk.
Some of our clients store guest data and other personal information online. We do not accept responsibility for data breaches in their software environment as we have no control over access at these locations. We recommend that clients get professional advice to ensure their infrastructure and environment are secure.
Client responsibility advisory
We reserve the right to suspend a client connection with immediate effect where we suspect that data protection policies are being violated.
Our subscriber policy
We only communicate with our clients to advise on changes or updates to our system, or to provide education material. Email addresses and personal data that individuals consent to provide us with, is only used for contacting the individual with business-related information. We do not port private information to other data collectors.
Should an individual wish to no longer receive our correspondence, they can unsubscribe at any time.
Keeping data accurate and up-to-date
We will try to keep the personal information we collect as accurate, complete and up-to-date as is necessary for the purposes explicitly defined in this policy. From time to time we will request you to update your personal information on our system.
You are able to review or update any personal information that we hold on you by accessing your account online, by emailing us, or by phoning us. Please note that in order to better protect you and safeguard your personal information, we take steps to verify your identity before granting you access to your account or making any corrections to your personal information.
Retention of personal information
We will only retain your personal information for as long as we determine is necessary to fulfill the purposes explicitly set out in this policy, or a period reasonably required in the legitimate interest of our business activities.
During the period of retention, we will continue to abide by our obligations. Unless explicitly directed otherwise, your access to our website or use of our services is deemed consent to retain records of the information outlined in this privacy and personal information policy.
Transfer of personal information outside South Africa
We may transmit or transfer personal information outside South Africa to a foreign country. Personal information may be stored on servers located outside South Africa in a foreign country whose laws protecting personal information may not be as stringent as the laws in South Africa. You consent to us processing your personal information in a foreign country whose laws regarding the processing of personal information may be less stringent.
Limitation
We are not responsible for, give no warranties, nor make any representations in respect of the privacy policies or practices of linked or any third-party websites.
Contact Us
If you have any questions or concerns arising from this privacy & personal information policy or the way in which we handle personal information, please contact us at:
Company Name: LookOut
Company Tel: +27 72 441 5192
Company Address: 2454 Ivanstan Drive, Ramsgate, 4285, South Africa
Company Email: lookoutmanagement2023@gmail.com