Privacy Policy

The aim of our Privacy Policy is to explain how we collect, use and disclose your personal information. Our Privacy Policy also explains how you can seek access to any personal information we have collected about you; how you can have that personal information corrected if need be; and how you can lodge a complaint if you feel that we have not handled your personal information appropriately.

The terms “we”, “our” and “us” refers to the Veriu Group which comprises Punthill Holdings Pty Ltd and Veriu Holdings Pty Ltd and includes, where applicable, their related bodies corporate and all current and former officers, employees and agents of the Veriu Group. The term “personal information” means information or an opinion (including information or an opinion forming part of a database) that is recorded in any form and whether true or not, about an individual whose identity is apparent, or can reasonably be ascertained, from the information or opinion, but does not include information of a kind to which would be construed as health information (save and except for health information that you choose to provide to us such as food or other allergies). Personal information does not include data where all identifying details have been removed. The term “our website” refers to our official websites at punthill.com.au and veriu.com.au.

Three Basic Principles We Abide By
Our Privacy Policy is based on the Australian Privacy Principles.

Your privacy is of paramount importance to us. We have three fundamental principles which are core to the way in which we run our business. We do not:

  • ask you for personal information unless we truly need it;
  • share your personal information with anyone except to provide you with one of our services, to develop our productsm, or to comply with the law or protect our rights; and
  • store personal information on our servers unless required for the on-going operation of one of our services.

Different Types of Personal Information We Might Collect About You
We may collect, use, store and transfer different kinds of personal information about you including:

  • contact information such as name, date of birth, email address, mailing address and phone number;
  • payment information including payment card numbers, billing address and bank account information (if we are required to process a refund by way of a bank transfer);
  • demographic data such as age, gender, country and preferred language;
  • information related to your reservation including the hotel/s where you have stayed, date/s of arrival and date/s of departure and services or products purchased;
  • information necessary to fulfil your special requests and/or specific accommodations;
  • employment information such as company name, job title and work contact information to respond to requests (if provided to us or in the case of corporate reservations);
  • Members Program member information, online account details and profile details;
  • copies of your correspondence if you contact us;
  • your interests and preferences if you share these with us;
  • feedback and survey responses;
  • information collected through the use of closed-circuit television systems, card key and other security systems;
  • information related to your use and interaction with our website and network; and
  • information if requested by Government authorities to fulfil our legal obligations.

We do not collect personal information about your race or ethnicity, religious or philosophical beliefs, sex life, sexual orientation, political opinions, trade union membership, genetic and biometric data, criminal convictions and/or offences.

Ways in Which We Collect Personal Information About You
We have the ability to collect personal information about you from many sources. Sometimes that information is non-personally identifying information and at other times that information is personally identifying information.

Some examples of the collection channels that we use to collect personal information about you include when you:

  • use our services, partner with us, attend our events, or make a reservation to stay with us;
  • browse our website;
  • contact us using mobile applications such as SMS, MMS or instant messaging;
  • submit website-based forms or enquiries;
  • engage with us through our social media accounts;
  • sign-up or register an account with us (including signing-up to our Members Program); and
  • contact us or submit an enquiry by email (including through our website) or by telephone.

We also collect personal information from about you from third parties such as booking channels or travel agents.

As far as practicable, we combine all the personal information we collect about you with any existing personal information we might already hold about you.

Potentially Personally-Identifying and Personally-Identifying Information
We disclose potentially personally-identifying and personally-identifying information only to those of our employees, contractors and affiliated organisations that:

  • need to know that information in order to process it on our behalf or to provide a service to you; and
  • have agreed not to disclose it to others.

Some of our employees, contractors and affiliated organisations may be located outside of your home country. By using our website, phoning us to make a reservation to stay with us or using our services, you provide your irrevocable consent to the transfer of potentially personally-identifying and personally-identifying information to our employees, contractors and affiliated organisations.

If you are a registered user of our website (or opted to join our Members Program) and have furnished us with your email address, we may occasionally send you an email to inform you about new features, solicit your feedback, or just keep you updated on us and our services and products. If you do not wish to hear from us in this manner, you can unsubscribe from our marketing and promotional mailing list. At the end of any marketing or promotional email from us, there will be an option to “Unsubscribe” from our mailing list.

Non-Personally Identifying Information
Not all of the personal information we collect about you is considered potentially personally-identifying or personally-identifying information. The use of our website demonstrates the ways in which we collect non-personally-identifying information.

Google Analytics and cookies operate in such a way to gather non-personally-identifying information about you as a means of tracking your interactions with our website and, as far as possible, personalising our website experience for your preferences.

Google Analytics is a platform that collects data obtained from our website to enable us to create in-depth reports that provide us with insights into our business and the ways in which you (and other visitors) are interacting with our website. Some of the information that Google Analytics tracks about you is device and browser information (e.g. type of device, operating systems and web browser), traffic source (e.g. search engines, websites and social networks that are referring traffic to our website), the date and time of your request including the duration of your request, the geographical location of the request and your language preference.

In accepting a cookie, text files from your internet browser are stored on your device. There are different types of cookies however, generally cookies improve your web browsing by monitoring and remembering your online activity and behaviour and, over time, creating a more personalised browsing experience for you. Many internet sites use cookies and cookies often contain what is known as a cookie ID which is a unique identifier of that cookie. A cookie ID allows us to differentiate your internet browser and recognise your internet browser as a previous user of our website. In having the ability to recognise your internet browser, we can tailor a more user-friendly web browsing experience for you (such as tailoring offers that may be of particular interest to you).

It is important that you are aware that any advertisement that might appear on your web browser when visiting our website may be delivered by our advertising partners but might also appear due to your previous web browsing and third-party cookies.

You can opt out of Google Analytics by downloading an add-on from Google or by visiting the Google Display Network Ads Preference Manager. You can manage, allow and delete cookies by accessing the settings of your web browser. You may also have the option to “Reject” cookies if a pop-up appears on your screen when using our website.

How We Store and Secure Your Personal Information
We take all measures reasonably necessary to protect against the unauthorised access, use, alteration or destruction of potentially personally-identifying and personally-identifying information.

For tax and insurance purposes, we may need to keep your personal information for a period of seven years after you were a guest or customer with us. After that date, any personally-identifying information about you will be anonymised (unless you have opted in to receive ongoing communications from us).

Who We Might Share Your Personal Information With
We disclose potentially personally-identifying or personally-identifying information to our employees, contractors and affiliated organisations. We also disclose potentially personally-identifying or personally-identifying information when required to do so by law; or when we believe in good faith that disclosure is reasonably necessary to protect our property or rights, a third-party or the public at large.

General Data Protection Regulation
We use all reasonable endeavours to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (hereinafter referred to as the GDPR) (only applicable to you if you reside in the European Union (hereinafter referred to as the EU)).

The GDRP governs how personal data of residents and citizens of the EU may be held, processed and transferred. At check-in, your guest registration card will ask if you are a resident or citizen of the EU. We only ask this question to ensure we comply with the GDRP if you are a resident or citizen of the EU.

General
The amount and type of information we gather about you depends on the nature of our interaction with you however, it is our absolute priority that we only collect information about you insofar as it is necessary or appropriate to fulfil the purpose of your interaction with us. We collect all personal information lawfully, fairly and transparently.

You can refuse to provide potentially personally-identifying and personally-identifying information. If you choose to do so, you understand this could significantly impact on the products and services that we can provide to you and might result in your reservation not being completed or secured.

Acceptance of our Privacy Policy
By making a reservation to stay with us, staying with us or using our services without providing us with a written objection, you agree to our using your personal information in accordance with our Privacy Policy and any applicable laws. If at any time you do not agree to our Privacy Policy, please advise us in writing at info@veriugroup.com.au.

Changes to our Privacy Policy
To ensure our ongoing compliance with applicable laws, we periodically review our Privacy Policy and reserve the right acting reasonably to modify or remove portions of our Privacy Policy at any time. You should review our Privacy Policy every time you stay with us or use our services so that you are up to date with any changes to our Privacy Policy.

How You Can Contact Us to Discuss any Privacy Related Concern or to Make a Complaint About Our Handling of Your Personal Information
We welcome any question, comment or remark regarding our Privacy Policy or our handling of your personal information. In the event that you have specifics questions about an individual hotel’s practices or the information it has, please make direct contact with that hotel.

If you have a concern or complaint regarding our handling of your personal information, please direct that concern or complaint to us in writing on the details provided below. We may require you to verify your identity and may ask you a series of questions to enable us to properly investigate your concern or complaint.

By Phone:
1300 964 821 (Monday-Friday, 9.00am-5.00pm Australian Eastern Standard Time)

By Mail:
Attention: Privacy Officer
Legal Department
Veriu Group
Level 13 – 484 St. Kilda Road, Melbourne, VIC, 3004

By Email:
info@veriugroup.com.au (please attention your email to the Legal Department)

Except in the case of an imminent threat to safety or concerns or complaints relating to minors, we will endeavour to respond to your concern or complaint within 30 days of receipt.

The Australian Government Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (hereinafter referred to as the OAIC) is the independent national regulator for privacy and freedom of information in Australia. If you have raised a complaint about our handling of your personal information with us and you believe we have not appropriately addressed your complaint within a reasonable period of time, you can escalate your complaint to the OAIC. Further information can be found at the OAIC.