Guidemaster ("Guidemaster", "we", "our", "us") is an online service that provides users ("you") with recommendations for hotels, resorts, inns, vacations, travel packages, travel guides, flights, vacation rentals, and lots more. Our website, mobile properties, and related applications (collectively, our “Website”) are owned and operated by Guidemaster Pte. Ltd.
By accessing our Website and utilizing our services, you acknowledge that you have read understood this Privacy Policy and the information collection and handling practices outlined in it.
SCOPE
This Privacy Policy describes in detail our policy and practices regarding our collection, use and disclosure of information about you.
We understand that providing information online involves a great deal of trust on your part. We take this trust very seriously, and make it a high priority to ensure the security and confidentiality of the Personal Data you provide to us when you visit our Website or use our services.
- What information we collect from you
- How we use your information
- With whom we share your information
- How Long We Keep Your Information for
- Your rights and choices with respect to the collection and use of your information
- How we protect your information
- Children's privacy
- External links
- International Transfers
- Changes to this Privacy Policy
- How you can contact us
WHAT INFORMATION WE COLLECT FROM YOU
In General
We receive and store any information you enter on our Website or give us in any other way. This includes information that can be used to identify you as an individual or to contact you directly ("Personal Data").
Personal Data includes information you provide us such as your email address, user name and password. We may also request information about your travel plans, style, and preferences.
You can choose not to provide this Personal Data to us, but in general some information about you is required in order for you to receive relevant offerings from Guidemaster and enjoy other benefits of being a registered member. For example, only registered members are able to post travel reviews, receive Guidemaster points, access members-only newsletters and travel planning content, and enter surveys, contests, or sweepstakes.
Other information we may choose to collect may also include details such as your IP address, information identifying your device, and website browsing history to the extent that information is about you.
Cookies and Other Web Technologies
We collect information via cookies and other similar technologies (such as web beacons). Cookies are small text files that are automatically placed on your computer or mobile device when you visit almost any website. They are stored by your Internet browser. Cookies contain basic information about your Internet use. Your browser sends these cookies back to the site every time you revisit it, so it can recognize your computer or mobile device and personalize and improve your site experience.
You can find out more about cookies generally, including how to see what cookies have been set on your device and how to manage and delete them at websites such as www.allaboutcookies.org and www.youronlinechoices.eu
Guidemaster uses cookies for the following general purposes:
- To help us recognize your browser as a previous visitor and save and remember any preferences that may have been set while your browser was visiting our site. For example, if you register on our site, we may use cookies to remember your registration information, so you do not need to log into our site each time you visit. We also may record your password in a cookie, if you checked the box entitled "Keep me signed in on this computer unless I sign out." Please note that passwords included in such cookies are encrypted for security purposes.
- To help us customize the content, experience, and advertisements provided to you on our websites and Apps and on other websites across the Internet. For example, when you access a web page, a cookie is automatically set by us to recognize your browser as you navigate on the Internet and to present you with information and advertising based on your apparent interests. See Display of Advertising/Your Choices for more information about our online advertising practices and your choices.
- To help measure and research the effectiveness of features and offerings, advertisements, and email communications (by determining which emails you open and act upon).
The Help portion of the toolbar on most browsers should tell you how to prevent your browser from accepting new cookies, how to have the browser notify you when you receive a new cookie, or how to disable non-essential types of cookies. Please note that if you refuse to accept cookies, you may not be able to access some of the travel tools offered on our Website.
Our Website also may use Web beacons (also known as clear gifs, pixel tags or Web bugs), which are tiny graphics with a unique identifier, similar in function to cookies, that are placed in the code of a Web page. We use Web beacons to monitor the traffic patterns of users from one page within our sites to another, to deliver or communicate with cookies, to understand whether you have come to our site from an online advertisement displayed on a third-party website, and to improve site performance. We also may allow our service providers to use Web beacons to help us understand which emails have been opened by recipients and to track the visitor traffic and actions on our site. This helps us measure the effectiveness of our content and other offerings.
Display of Advertising/Your Choices
Guidemaster is committed to providing you with relevant content and information on our Website.
To do this, we may collect information about your travel-related searches and other site activities, such as whether you are looking for hotels or restaurants, and use this information to serve you with ads on our sites or elsewhere online that match your interests.
We currently do not share your personal contact information (such as email addresses) with anyone.
HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION
General purposes
Guidemaster uses the information we collect about you for the following general purposes:
- for registration and to manage your account, including to allow your access to and use of our site;
- to communicate with you in general, including to provide information about Guidemaster and invitations from the Guidemaster community;
- to enable us to publish your reviews and other content to the Guidemaster community;
- to respond to your questions and comments;
- to measure interest in and improve our products, services, and Website;
- to notify you about special offers and products or services available from us that may be of interest to you in accordance with your marketing preferences;
- to otherwise customize your experience with Guidemaster,
- to solicit information from you, including through surveys;
- to resolve disputes or troubleshoot problems;
- to prevent potentially prohibited or illegal activities;
- to enforce our Terms of Use; and
- as otherwise described to you at the point of collection.
Email Communications
We want to make it easy for you to take advantage of travel-related opportunities on our Website. One way we do this is by sending you email messages that contain information about your travel-related interests in accordance with your marketing preferences. For example, if your marketing preference is to receive email marketing messages, then if you search for a hotel in New York on our website, we may send you an email message about hotels and travel to New York or other destinations. We believe these email messages will provide you with useful information about travel-related special offers available through our Website. Please note that you will have the opportunity to choose not to receive these email messages in any such email we send.
Please review "Your rights and choices with respect to the collection and use of your information" section below for more information.
WITH WHOM WE SHARE YOUR INFORMATION
Guidemaster may share your information with the following entities:
- Business partners with whom we may offer products or services in conjunction. You can tell when a third party is involved in a product or service you have requested because their name will appear either with ours or separately. If you choose to access these optional services, we may share information about you, including your personal information, with those partners. Please note that we do not control the privacy practices of these third-party business partners.
- Referring Websites. If you were referred to Guidemaster from another website, we may share your registration information, such as your name, email address, mailing address, telephone number and travel preferences, about you with that referring website. We have not placed limitations on the referring websites’ use of personal information and we encourage you to review the privacy policies of any website that referred you to Guidemaster.
- Social Media Services. You can choose to access certain third party social media websites and services through our site (such as Facebook). When you do so, you are sharing information with those sites, and the information you share will be governed by their privacy policies. You may also be able to modify your privacy settings with these third party social media websites.
- Third-party vendors who provide services or functions on our behalf, including business analytics, payment processing, customer service, marketing, public relations, distribution of surveys or sweepstakes programs, and fraud prevention. We may also authorize third-party vendors to collect information on our behalf, including, for example, as necessary to operate features of our Website or to facilitate the delivery of online advertising tailored to your interests. Third-party vendors have access to and may collect information only as needed to perform their functions and are not permitted to share or use the information for any other purpose.
- Suppliers, including but not limited to hotel, airline, cruise, car rental, or activity providers, or vacation rental managers or owners who fulfill your travel reservations. Throughout Guidemaster and its affiliated sites, all products and services provided by third-party suppliers are described as such. Information that we share with suppliers to facilitate reservations will be treated according to applicable suppliers’ privacy policies, except for payment information. We share payment information only when it is necessary for travel reservations facilitated through or made on Guidemaster, and we restrict suppliers’ use of payment information for these purposes. We encourage you to review the privacy policies, terms of use, and other policies of any travel supplier whose products and services you may purchase through Guidemaster. Please note that these suppliers also may contact you as necessary to obtain additional information about you or your travel plans, to facilitate your travel reservations, or for other purposes consistent with the practices described in their privacy policies and terms of use.
We also may share your information if we believe, in our sole discretion, that such disclosure is necessary...
- to comply with legitimate and enforceable subpoenas, court orders, or other legal process; to establish or exercise our legal rights; to defend against legal claims; or as otherwise required by law. In such cases we reserve the right to raise or waive any legal objection or right available to us;
- to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding illegal or suspected illegal activities; to protect and defend the rights, property, or safety of Guidemaster, our customers, or others; and in connection with our Terms of Use and other agreements; or
- in connection with a corporate transaction, such as a divestiture, merger, consolidation, or asset sale, or in the unlikely event of bankruptcy.
If you choose to create a profile on Guidemaster, certain information in your profile will be publicly viewable. You will have the ability to view your profile as members of the public will see it. However, Guidemaster will not share your email address with any other members nor display it any public manner.
HOW LONG WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION FOR
We may retain certain information associated with your account in our archives, including for analytical purposes as well as for recordkeeping integrity. The periods for which we retain your information depend on the purpose for which we collected it and we use it.
We will not retain your Personal Data for longer than is necessary for our business purposes or for legal requirements. We may retain some information for a period of time after you have closed your account with us, for instance if this is necessary to meet our legal obligations or to exercise, defend or establish legal rights.
YOURS RIGHTS AND CHOICES WITH RESPECT TO THE COLLECTION AND USE OF YOUR INFORMATION
- You can choose not to provide us with your Personal Data, although it may be needed to take advantage of certain features offered on Guidemaster.
- You have the right to ask us what Personal Data we hold about you by contacting us (see "Contact Us").
- We endeavor to ensure that your Personal Data is relevant to its intended use, accurate, and complete. You can also review, add or update the information you have provided to us through your user profile page.
- You can close your Guidemaster account by contacting us (see "Contact Us"). We will send you an email to confirm your request. Please note that if you decide to close your Guidemaster account, we will deactivate your account and remove your profile information from active view. After you close an account, you will not be able to sign in or access any of your Personal Data. However, you can open a new account at any time.
- If you wish to have your Personal Data erased and if we do not have a legal reason to continue to hold and process it, you can do so by contacting us (see "Contact Us").
- When you register as a member of Guidemaster you will have the opportunity to provide us with your marketing preferences, and will be given a choice as to whether you want to receive email marketing messages from Guidemaster. As a registered Guidemaster member, you can modify your choices at any time through your user profile page.
- Whether registered as a Guidemaster member or not, you also will be given the opportunity to unsubscribe from promotional messages in any such email we send.
- Please note that we may send you other communications, including service announcements, and administrative messages relating to your Guidemaster account.
The Help portion of the toolbar on most browsers will tell you how to prevent your browser from accepting new cookies, how to have the browser notify you when you receive a new cookie, or how to disable cookies altogether. Please note that if you refuse to accept cookies from Guidemaster, you will not be able to access portions of our site.
HOW WE PROTECT YOUR INFORMATION
We want you to feel confident about using Guidemaster, and we are committed to protecting the information we collect. While no website can guarantee security, we have implemented and maintain appropriate physical, administrative, technical, and organisational measures to protect the Personal Data you provide us against unauthorized or unlawful access, use of disclosure, and against accidental loss, damage, alteration or destruction. For example, only authorized employees are permitted to access Personal Data, and they only may do so for permitted business functions.
In addition, we use encryption when transmitting your Personal Data between your system and ours, and between our system and those of the parties with whom we share sensitive information, and we employ firewalls and intrusion detection systems to help prevent unauthorized persons from gaining access to your information.
CHILDREN’S PRIVACY
Guidemaster is a general audience site and does not offer services directed to children. Should an individual whom we know to be a child under age 18 send Personal Data to us, we will delete or destroy such information as soon as reasonably possible.
EXTERNAL LINKS
Our Website may include links to third party websites. If you access other websites from the links provided on our Website, the operators of those websites may collect information from you which will be used by them in accordance with their privacy policy, which may differ from our Privacy Policy. We recommend that you examine the privacy statements posted on those other websites to understand their procedures for collecting, using, and disclosing Personal Data.
INTERNATIONAL TRANSFERS
Your Personal Data may be transferred to, stored, used and processed in a jurisdiction outside of Singapore while using any services provided by Guidemaster. You understand and consent to the transfer, storage, usage and processing of your Personal Data outside of Singapore.
CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY
Guidemaster may change or modify this Privacy Policy in the future. We will note the date that revisions were last made to this Privacy Policy at the bottom of this page, and any revisions will take effect upon posting. We will notify our members of material changes to this Privacy Policy by either sending a notice to the email address you provided to us or by placing a notice on our Website. We encourage you to check this Privacy Policy from time to time to review the most current version.
HOW YOU CAN CONTACT US
You may request for access to, correction of, limiting the processing of your Personal Data and/or make enquiries regarding your Personal Data by emailing to the Guidemaster Data Protection Officer at: dpo@theguidemaster.com