Absoloot Hostel QT ("Absoloot", "we", "our" or "us") respects your privacy and is committed to handling personal information responsibly and in accordance with the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020.

This Privacy Statement explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we use and protect it, who we may share it with, how we use cookies and similar technologies, and your rights in relation to your information.

1. Who we are

This Privacy Statement applies to Absoloot Hostel QT, the accommodation business operated through Kelly Inc Unit Trust.

Absoloot Hostel QT operates from:

50 Beach Street
Queenstown 9300
New Zealand

For privacy enquiries, requests or concerns, please contact:

Privacy Officer
Email: [email protected]

2. What personal information we collect

The information we collect depends on how you interact with us.

It may include:

• your name;
• contact details such as your email address and phone number;
• reservation or confirmation number;
• arrival and departure or stay information;
• room, booking and guest-count information;
• booking source;
• date of birth and age-related information;
• gender;
• nationality or country and, where applicable, state or region;
• information about how you heard about us;
• your acceptance of our Terms & Conditions;
• marketing preferences and consent;
• payment and transaction information;
• correspondence you send to us by email, booking platform, website form or another communication channel;
• requests, complaints, feedback, lost-property information or information connected with an incident;
• information reasonably required when we arrange or assist with another guest service, such as a tour or activity booking;
• technical or usage information collected when you use our website; and
• CCTV footage where you enter an area monitored by our security cameras.

We only aim to collect information that is reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose.

3. Where we get your information

We may collect personal information directly from you when you:

• make a reservation directly with us;
• contact us;
• complete our guest check-in process;
• make a payment;
• use our website;
• request or purchase a guest service;
• opt in to marketing;
• provide feedback or make a complaint; or
• otherwise interact with Absoloot.

We may also receive information about you indirectly, including from:

• online travel agents and booking platforms such as Booking.com, Expedia.com and Hostelworld.com;
• travel agents or other booking intermediaries;
• another person who makes a reservation on your behalf, such as a group organiser or another member of your booking party;
• payment or booking service providers; and
• other service providers involved in delivering a service you have requested.

Where we receive your personal information from someone else, we use it for purposes connected with your reservation or the service being provided and handle it in accordance with this Privacy Statement.

4. Why we collect and use your information

We may use your personal information to:

• create, locate, confirm and manage reservations;
• provide accommodation and guest services;
• communicate with you before, during and after your stay;
• complete and reconcile guest check-in;
• confirm age or eligibility requirements;
• manage payments, refunds, receipts and billing matters;
• respond to questions, requests, complaints and feedback;
• assist with lost property, safety, security or incident management;
• arrange tours, activities or other services where requested;
• administer our Terms & Conditions and house rules;
• maintain operational, financial and audit records;
• improve our guest experience, systems and business operations;
• understand booking, website and marketing performance;
• send promotional communications where you have given the required consent;
• protect guests, staff, property and our business;
• prevent or investigate fraud, misuse or unlawful activity; and
• meet legal, accounting, regulatory or other legitimate business requirements.

We do not use personal information for an unrelated purpose unless this is permitted by law or you have authorised us to do so.

5. Information required for bookings and check-in

Some information is necessary for us to provide accommodation or complete our guest processes.

For example, our check-in process may require information including your booking reference, arrival date, name, date of birth, contact details and other information needed to identify and administer your stay.

If required information is not provided, we may be unable to:

• locate or confirm a reservation;
• complete check-in;
• determine whether accommodation requirements are met;
• process a requested service; or
• otherwise provide the relevant service.

Marketing consent is separate and optional. Declining marketing does not prevent you from completing check-in or staying with us.

6. Payments

Payment information may be processed through the booking, payment or online travel agent system applicable to your reservation.

For direct reservations, our booking and payment systems include Abode and AbodePay.

If you book or pay through an online travel agent, that platform may collect and process your payment information under its own privacy terms.

Absoloot does not require guests to provide full card numbers, CVV or security codes, online-banking credentials or similar payment credentials through ordinary email, ChatGPT or our Guest Communications AI tools.

7. Guest check-in information

Our current guest check-in process uses Wherewolf to collect information required for operational and guest-service purposes.

This may include booking and stay information, identity and contact information, date of birth, nationality, referral information, Terms & Conditions acceptance and marketing preference.

Where the check-in process identifies that a guest may be under 18, additional staff review may be required before normal check-in can be completed.

Our check-in systems and processes may change over time. Personal information is retained only for as long as reasonably necessary for its purpose or another lawful business requirement.

8. Marketing

We only send promotional email where we have the appropriate permission to do so.

Marketing consent is:

• optional;
• separate from acceptance of our accommodation Terms & Conditions; and
• not required to complete check-in.

Our current marketing process uses Brevo to deliver promotional email to guests who have opted in.

If you opt in, we may use your email address to send approved promotional information relating to Absoloot, accommodation offers, guest services or relevant Queenstown products and experiences.

You can unsubscribe from promotional email at any time using the unsubscribe option provided in the communication or by contacting us.

Operational emails relating to your reservation or stay are not marketing communications and may still be sent where necessary to provide the service you have requested.

9. Online travel agents and other booking sources

If you make a reservation through an online travel agent or another booking intermediary, that provider collects information from you under its own privacy terms and provides Absoloot with information required to manage your reservation.

This may include your:

• name;
• reservation information;
• contact details;
• stay details;
• payment status or payment-routing information; and
• correspondence with the booking platform.

The booking platform and Absoloot may each hold separate records relating to your booking.

If the online travel agent collected your payment directly, payment records relating to that transaction may be held by the online travel agent rather than Absoloot.

10. Service providers and sharing information

We use third-party systems and service providers to operate the business.

Depending on the service involved, these may include providers of:

• property management and reservation systems;
• online booking platforms;
• payment processing;
• guest check-in systems;
• email and communications;
• website hosting and technology;
• analytics and advertising;
• cloud storage and business software;
• approved artificial intelligence tools;
• tours and activities; and
• professional, accounting, IT or other support services.

We provide these organisations with personal information only where reasonably required for the service they provide or where otherwise permitted by law.

We may also disclose information where required or authorised by law, or where reasonably necessary for safety, security, fraud prevention, legal proceedings or the protection of our rights.

11. Artificial intelligence

Absoloot uses approved artificial intelligence tools, including ChatGPT Business and our management-controlled Guest Communications GPT, to assist staff with tasks such as:

• drafting guest communications;
• finding and applying approved internal information;
• helping staff interpret booking or communication requirements; and
• other approved administrative, research or business tasks.

AI is used as a staff-assistance tool. It does not replace staff responsibility for guest decisions or communications.

Staff are required to review AI-assisted output and important information before acting or sending a response.

When personal information is used with an approved AI tool:

• only information reasonably needed for the task should be used;
• highly sensitive credentials and identity documents are prohibited;
• AI chats are not treated as the official guest record; and
• the final business record remains in the relevant booking, email, OTA or company system.

Guest-related ChatGPT conversations should only be retained while reasonably useful for the matter.

As part of our regular clean-up process, guest chats that are no longer required and are approximately 30 days or older are deleted. Ongoing disputes or matters may be retained until resolved.

12. Website, cookies and similar technologies

Our website at absoloot.co.nz uses cookies and similar technologies to operate the website, understand how visitors use it, measure advertising performance and support our online marketing.

What are cookies?

Cookies are small files or pieces of information stored on your device when you visit a website.

Cookies can help a website operate correctly, remember certain information, understand how visitors interact with the site and measure the effectiveness of online advertising.

Cookies may be placed directly by our website or by third-party services used on the website.

Types of cookies and tracking we use

Our website currently uses the following main categories.

Essential cookies

These support the operation of the website and functions such as managing website or cookie preferences.

Essential cookies may be required for parts of the website to operate correctly.

Analytics and statistics

We use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to help us understand how visitors use our website.

This can help us understand information such as:

• how many people visit the website;
• which pages are viewed;
• how visitors arrive at the website;
• how visitors move through the site;
• the type of device or browser being used; and
• general website performance and engagement.

We use this information to understand and improve our website and online guest experience.

Marketing and advertising

We use:

• Google Ads conversion tracking;
• Google Ads remarketing; and
• Meta/Facebook Pixel.

These technologies help us:

• understand whether our advertising results in website visits, enquiries or bookings;
• measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns;
• understand how people interact with our website after seeing an advertisement; and
• support relevant advertising through Google and Meta services.

Advertising and analytics technologies may use cookies or similar identifiers to recognise a browser or device.

Information collected through website technologies

Depending on the technology used and your browser or device settings, information collected may include:

• browser and device information;
• IP address or approximate location information;
• pages viewed;
• website interactions;
• referring website or source;
• dates and times of website activity;
• advertising or analytics identifiers; and
• information about whether a website or advertising interaction resulted in an enquiry, booking or other conversion.

We use this information primarily in aggregated or analytical form to understand website and marketing performance.

Google, Meta and their associated service providers may also process information collected through their technologies in accordance with their own privacy terms.

Managing your cookie preferences

Where our website provides cookie controls, you can use those controls to manage your preferences for non-essential cookies.

You can also control, block or delete cookies using the settings in your web browser.

Different browsers provide different ways to manage cookies and website data. Blocking or deleting cookies may affect some website functionality or the way preferences are remembered.

Your cookie choices relate to the browser and device you are using. If you use another browser or device, you may need to set your preferences again.

You can change your preferences later using any cookie-preference controls made available on our website.

13. CCTV and security

Absoloot uses security cameras in parts of the property for safety, security, property protection and investigation of incidents.

CCTV footage may be reviewed where reasonably required for these purposes.

Our CCTV system ordinarily overwrites footage after approximately 30 days.

Relevant footage may be retained for longer where reasonably necessary for an active incident, investigation, complaint, insurance matter or legal requirement.

Footage is not intended to be used for unrelated purposes.

14. Overseas service providers

Some of the technology, booking, payment, communications, analytics, advertising, cloud and AI providers we use may process or store information outside New Zealand.

Where we use an overseas provider to process personal information on our behalf, we remain responsible for taking reasonable steps to protect that information and considering the privacy safeguards provided by that service.

Where personal information is disclosed overseas for another organisation's own purposes, we will handle that disclosure in accordance with the requirements of the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020.

15. How long we keep information

We keep personal information only for as long as it is reasonably required for the purpose for which it was collected, or where we have another lawful reason to retain it.

Specific controls include:

• guest-related ChatGPT conversations: ordinarily deleted during our regular clean-up process once no longer required and approximately 30 days or older;
• CCTV footage: ordinarily overwritten after approximately 30 days unless relevant footage needs to be retained for a specific matter;
• booking, transaction, accounting and business records: retained for the period reasonably required for operational, legal, accounting or dispute-management purposes; and
• information connected with an active complaint, incident, dispute or legal matter may be retained for longer where reasonably necessary.

Information that has been properly anonymised so that it no longer identifies an individual may be retained for reporting, analysis or business purposes.

16. Keeping information secure

We take reasonable technical and organisational steps to protect personal information against loss, unauthorised access, misuse, alteration or disclosure.

These controls include:

• limiting access to business systems;
• using approved systems and service providers;
• restricting highly sensitive information from AI tools;
• maintaining management controls over systems such as our Guest Communications GPT; and
• reviewing and responding to identified privacy or security issues.

No internet-based or electronic system can guarantee absolute security, but we take reasonable steps to manage the risks associated with the personal information we hold.

17. Your privacy rights

Under the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020, you can ask us:

• whether we hold personal information about you;
• for access to personal information we hold about you; and
• to correct information you believe is incorrect.

To make a request, contact:

Privacy Officer
[email protected]

We may need to verify your identity before providing access to personal information.

If we do not agree to a requested correction, you may ask us to attach a statement of correction to the information where applicable.

You can also contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner if you have concerns about how your personal information has been handled.

18. Changes to this Privacy Statement

We may update this Privacy Statement when our systems, service providers, website technologies, business processes or privacy requirements change.

The current version will be published on our website with its latest update date.