1. Who we are
HotelPing (hotelping.in) is a guest communication and hotel operations platform provided by [Legal company name], a company registered in India with its registered office at [registered address] ("HotelPing", "we", "us").
This policy explains how we handle personal data when you visit our website, when a hotel uses HotelPing, and when a hotel guest messages a hotel through HotelPing. It is written to meet our obligations under India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and its Rules, the Information Technology Act, 2000, the UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 on the Protection of Personal Data, and Australia's Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles, as they apply to us.
2. Our role: hotel data vs. our own data
We handle personal data in two different roles. Knowing which one applies tells you who to contact.
When the hotel is in charge (guest data)
When a hotel uses HotelPing to message its guests, the hotel decides why and how guest data is used. The hotel is the data fiduciary (or "controller"), and HotelPing processes that data only on the hotel's instructions as its data processor. This includes guest names, phone numbers, room numbers, stay dates, messages, voice notes, requests and feedback.
If you are a hotel guest, please contact the hotel first about your data. The hotel's own privacy notice applies to you. We will help the hotel respond to your request.
When we are in charge (our own data)
We decide how to use personal data about our website visitors, people who request a demo, and the hotel staff and owners who use HotelPing accounts. For this data, HotelPing is the data fiduciary, and this policy applies in full.
3. What we collect
| Who | What we collect |
|---|---|
| Website visitors and demo requests | Name, hotel name, country, city, number of rooms, WhatsApp number, email, current PMS, message, and basic technical data (browser, device, pages visited, approximate location from IP address). |
| Hotel clients and their staff | Business contact details, billing and GST/VAT details, staff names, phone numbers, roles and login details, and activity logs (such as tasks accepted and completed, and response times). |
| Hotel guests (processed for the hotel) | Name, WhatsApp number, room number, arrival and departure dates, preferred language, messages and voice notes sent to the hotel, service requests, feedback ratings and comments, offers sent and accepted, and tip amounts. We do not collect or store card numbers. Payments, where offered, are handled by licensed payment providers. |
We do not intentionally collect sensitive data such as health, religious or financial account information. Guests should not share such details in chat. If they do, we process them only as part of the conversation with the hotel.
4. How we use personal data
We use personal data only for these purposes:
- To provide the service: delivering WhatsApp messages, answering common guest questions, routing requests to the right hotel department, running SLA timers and escalations, and producing reports for the hotel.
- To respond to you: replying to demo and integration requests, and arranging calls.
- To run our business: account management, onboarding, training, support, invoicing and collecting payment.
- To keep things secure: preventing misuse, spam and fraud, and investigating incidents.
- To improve HotelPing: using aggregated or de-identified usage information to fix problems and improve features.
- To meet legal duties: tax, accounting, regulatory requests and legal claims.
- Marketing to businesses: occasional updates to hotel contacts. You can opt out at any time.
We process data on the basis of consent (for example, when you submit our forms), to perform our contract with a hotel, for legitimate uses permitted by law, or to comply with legal obligations.
5. AI and automated processing
HotelPing uses automated tools, including AI language models, to:
- read guest messages and transcribe voice notes;
- suggest or send answers to common questions, using the knowledge base the hotel provides;
- classify a request and route it to the right department;
- detect negative feedback so that the hotel is alerted and promotional offers are paused for that guest.
No decision with a legal or similarly significant effect on a guest is made solely by a computer. Requests are fulfilled by hotel staff. Chargeable services are booked only after the guest confirms the price. Guests can ask for a person at any time, and hotel staff can review and override automated outcomes.
The kinds of personal data used by these tools are the guest's messages, voice notes, language, room number, stay dates and feedback. We do not allow AI providers we work with to use hotel or guest data to train their own general-purpose models.
6. WhatsApp and guest messaging
Guest messages are sent and received through the official WhatsApp Business Platform, operated by Meta, using the hotel's own verified number and an authorised Meta business solution provider. WhatsApp's own terms and privacy policy also apply to your use of WhatsApp.
- Hotels must obtain a guest's permission (opt-in) before sending them messages, as required by WhatsApp's Business Messaging Policy and applicable law. Hotels are responsible for collecting and recording this permission.
- Guests can stop messages at any time by replying "STOP" or by telling the hotel.
- Automated messages are not sent between 9 PM and 8 AM hotel time, and promotional offers are limited per stay.
8. International transfers
Our service providers may store or process data outside the country where it was collected, including outside India, the UAE and Australia. When this happens, we use providers with appropriate safeguards and contractual protections. We do not transfer data to any country restricted by the Government of India, and we follow cross-border transfer rules under UAE and Australian law where they apply.
9. How long we keep data
| Data | How long |
|---|---|
| Demo and integration requests | Up to [24 months] after our last contact, unless you become a client |
| Hotel client account and billing records | For the contract, then as long as tax and accounting laws require (generally up to 8 years in India) |
| Guest data | As instructed by the hotel, within the task-history period of its plan. When the hotel's contract ends, we delete or return guest data within [30] days, except where the law requires us to keep it. |
| Backups and security logs | Deleted on a rolling basis, usually within [90] days |
When data is no longer needed, we delete it or make it anonymous.
10. How we protect data
We use reasonable security safeguards, including encryption in transit and at rest, role-based access so staff only see what their role needs, access logging, and regular reviews of our providers.
No system is completely secure. If a personal data breach affects you, we will notify the hotel concerned and the relevant authorities and individuals as required by law. This includes the Data Protection Board of India and, where applicable, the UAE Data Office and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.
11. Your rights
Depending on where you live, you can:
- ask what personal data we hold about you and how it is used;
- ask us to correct, complete or update it;
- ask us to erase it, where we no longer need it or you withdraw consent;
- withdraw consent at any time (this does not affect processing done before);
- nominate someone to exercise your rights if you die or become incapacitated (India);
- raise a grievance with us, and then complain to the regulator.
To make a request, email [email]. We may need to verify your identity. We will respond within the time required by law. Hotel guests should contact the hotel first. If you contact us, we will pass your request to the hotel and help it respond.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you can complain to the Data Protection Board of India, the UAE Data Office, or the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), as applicable.
13. Children
HotelPing is a business service and is not directed at children. Our website is not intended for anyone under 18. Hotels may occasionally process data about guests who are minors as part of a family stay. Where the law requires verifiable parental consent, the hotel is responsible for obtaining it. Hotels must not use HotelPing to send promotional messages to children.
14. Grievance Officer and contact
For any question, request or complaint about privacy, contact our Grievance Officer:
[Legal company name]
[registered address]
Email: [email]
India: [India phone] · UAE: [UAE phone] · Australia: [Australia phone]
We aim to acknowledge grievances within 48 hours and resolve them within the timelines set by applicable law.
15. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as our service or the law changes. We will post the new version here with a new "Last updated" date. If a change is significant, we will tell hotel clients by email or in the app before it takes effect.