Privacy policy

Botanika Uppsala is committed to the confidentiality of your information. This privacy policy describes our current practices regarding the use of personal information. Please take the time to read this privacy policy carefully.

This policy should be read in conjunction with the website's terms and conditions.

1. About us

This is the privacy policy of Botanika Uppsala AB, under the brand name Botanika Rooms, Beds & Bars. We are a company registered in Uppsala, Sweden under registration number 559215-7332, at Skolgatan 45, Uppsala 75232.

Botanika is a botanical oasis in the heart of Uppsala, with a great variety of rooms, two bars, café, social gaming area and coworking. Botanika is a biophilic experience for the modern traveller. As a service provider, we collect and process data so that we can manage your booking, handle your booking requests, improve your experience when using our website and deal with any issues you may have. This makes us a 'controller' of your personal data.

We also use third party service providers ("Partners") who deliver services where we will use your personal information to book services for you. For this activity, our Partners are also "Controllers" and this Privacy Policy covers their processing of your personal data. Any processing of your personal information by our partners that is outside the above scope will be carried out in accordance with that partner's privacy policy.

2. Our processing of your personal information

We collect and use different personal information about you for different reasons, depending on our relationship with you. Sometimes we receive "special categories of personal information" (which is information relating to your health, racial or ethnic origin, religious or philosophical beliefs) where you provide this to us as part of a special request about your stay. Where you give us your special category of personal information, we will use this to advise you and to help you find a service that is tailored to your needs.

Where you provide personal information to us about other individuals (such as family members or other guests staying in the accommodation), we will also check their personal information and we are responsible for protecting their personal information and using it appropriately. This policy will therefore apply to those individuals and you should refer them to this policy.

What personal information do we collect?

At the booking stage

-Your full name and title, address, telephone numbers and email addresses, date of birth and gender.
-Identity documents such as passport, driving licence and national insurance number.
-Employment status and related information, such as
-Details of your special requests relevant to your booking.
-Details of your previous stays or bookings with Botanika.
-The registration number of the vehicle.
-The number of adults and children living with you.
-Details of the payment card used to make the booking, including card type, expiry date and last four digits.
-Recordings of phone calls we make when you book by phone.

On arrival at your accommodation
-Identity documents such as passport, driving licence and national insurance number.
-Your full name and title.
-Your unique booking reference number.
-CCTV recordings on the property.

During or after your stay
-Any feedback you give us, including any complaints you may have.
-What special category information do we collect?
-Information about your health if relevant to your booking (for example, if you have a physical disability that would require you to have wheelchair access to an apartment).
-We will also collect information that you provide to us through a specific request as part of your booking where you deem it relevant, for example, that reveals or is likely to reveal your race or ethnicity, religious or philosophical beliefs, political opinions, or details of your sex life or sexual orientation.

How do we collect your personal information?

Directly from you:
-When you book one of our accommodations through our website or by email.
-When you book one of our accommodations by phone; during subsequent communications we have with you, such as by phone, email or live chat or when you make a general enquiry.

We also collect your personal information from:
-Demployer, if the booking is made by your employer on your behalf.

Who do we share your personal information with?

We do not share or disseminate your personal information other than to the following third parties and only in the limited circumstances we have set out above:
-Service providers we have contracted with include payment service providers, our subcontractors and agents, auditors, our lawyers, actuaries, IT and database providers, marketing email providers and business suppliers.
-Any third parties in the event of a sale, merger, reorganisation, transfer or dissolution of our business.
-law enforcement agencies such as the police, HMRC and tax authorities

What will we use your personal information for?

We use your information for the following legal reasons: We need to use your personal information to enter into the booking contract with you. We will rely on this legal reason for all activities connected to your booking and without using your personal information we would not be able to do, for example, confirm your booking information after confirming the payment.

We have a business need to use your personal information. This will include for the purposes of operating and improving our website, ensuring the security of our website and services, maintaining backups of our databases and responding to your requests. When relying on this legal basis, we are required to assess your rights and ensure that we do not use your information unless we can demonstrate a legitimate business need.

When we use your 'special category information' (e.g. information about your health), we will ask for your explicit consent. We are also authorised to use your special category information if we need to establish or defend our legal rights.

3. What marketing activities do we carry out?

When you subscribe to our emails and/or newsletters, we will send you relevant notifications and/or newsletters - but only if you have agreed. You can unsubscribe from this type of communication at any time by clicking the link in the footer of the email or emailing us at contact@botanika.se. We also collect additional information about your participation in any competitions we run. We also use Facebook marketing services to promote our services and accommodation on Facebook and Instagram. We do not sell your information to third parties.

4. automatic decision making

Automated decision-making refers to a situation where a decision is made using personal information processed solely by automatic means (i.e. using an algorithm or other computer software) rather than a decision made with any form of human involvement. Botany currently does automated decision-making. 

We do this in several ways:
Automatically send pre- and post-stay emails based on the dates of your stay.
-Assign housing types based on any special requirements that have been received (for example, a wheelchair accessible room).
-Automatically allocate specific rooms based on arrival dates and availability.
-We can also send email communications based on your chosen language; this will be done automatically.
-If you stay with us on more than one occasion, our systems will label you as a returning customer. This allows us to offer a more personalised service based on previous stays.

5. How long do we store personal information for?

We will only retain your personal information for as long as is reasonably necessary to fulfil the purposes set out in section 3 above and to comply with our legal and regulatory obligations. If you would like more information about how long we will retain your personal information for, please contact us using the information in section 9.

6. What is our approach to sending your personal information abroad?

We are entitled under European data protection laws to transfer your personal information to countries outside the EEA in the following circumstances: 
It is necessary for the performance of the contract we have with you.
It is necessary to protect your vital interests, i.e. it is a life or death situation.
There may also be some cases where your personal information is transferred to countries outside the EEA, for example when we transfer information to third party suppliers based outside the EEA or when third parties acting on our behalf transfer your personal information to countries outside the EEA.
If such a transfer takes place, we will take appropriate safeguards to ensure that your personal information is adequately protected.

We will do it in several ways including:
Enter into data transfer contracts and use specific contractual provisions approved by European data protection authorities, otherwise known as "standard contractual clauses".
Transfer of personal data to companies in the United States that are certified under the "Privacy Shield". Privacy Shield is a scheme whereby companies certify that they provide adequate data protection;
We will only transfer personal data to companies in countries outside the EEA that are considered by European data protection authorities to have adequate levels of data protection to protect personal information. 

If you would like more information about our data transfers and the steps we take to protect your personal information, please contact us using the information in section 9.

7. How do we protect your information?

Botanika ensures that all our systems are protected with secure passwords and multi-factor authentication mechanisms. All customer information is stored in secure data centres with industry standard protection and encrypted where applicable. All data access is segmented by role and user rights.

8. Your rights

You have several data protection rights which give you the right to request information about your personal information, to dictate what we do with it or to stop us using it in certain ways. If you wish to exercise the rights set out below, please contact us at any time using the information in section 9. There will normally be no charge for this. We respect your rights in relation to personal information we hold about you, but we cannot always comply with your requests, for example: we may not be able to delete your information if we are required by law to keep it for a longer period of time; or if we delete your information we would not have the necessary information we need to complete your booking or manage your Botanika account.

The right of access to your personal information ►
You can request a copy of the personal information we hold about you and certain details of how we use it. Your personal information will normally be provided in writing unless you request otherwise or if you have made a request by electronic means such as email, we will provide such information in electronic form where possible.

The right to withdraw your consent ►
If we rely on consent as the legal basis for using your personal information, you have the right to withdraw the original consent.

The right of rectification ►
We make reasonable efforts to keep your personal information updated, complete and accurate as necessary. We encourage you to ensure that your personal information is accurate so please notify us regularly if you believe the information we hold about you may be inaccurate or not complete. We will correct and amend any such personal information and notify third party recipients of any necessary changes.

The right to restriction of processing ►
Subject to the circumstances in which you exercise this right, you may request that we stop using your personal information, for example where you believe that we no longer need to use your personal information.

The right to data portability ►
Subject to the circumstances in which you exercise this right, you may request that we transfer personal information that you have provided to us to a third party in a commonly used and machine-readable format.

The right to delete ►
You can request that we delete your personal information. For example, where we no longer need your personal information for the original purpose we collected it for or where you have exercised your right to withdraw consent. Although we will evaluate each request, this request is subject to legal and regulatory requirements that we must fulfil.

The right to object to direct marketing ►
You can request that we stop sending you marketing messages at any time by clicking on the "unsubscribe" button in any email we send you or by contacting us using the information in section 9. Please note that even if you exercise this right because you do not want to receive marketing messages, we may still send you service-related communications where necessary.

The right to complain to the ICO ►
If you believe that we have violated data protection laws when using your personal information, you can complain to the Centre by contacting info@hotellbotanika.se. Please note that exercising this right and filing a complaint will not affect any other legal rights or remedies you may have.

9. Contact us

If you would like more information about how we use your personal information, further clarity on how we use your personal information or anything referred to in this policy, please contact us at info@hotellbotanika.se.

10. Updates to this privacy policy

We are continuously improving our methods of communication and along with changes in legislation and the changing nature of technology, our data practices and how we use your data will change from time to time. If and when our data practices change, we will notify you and we will provide you with the most up-to-date policy. You can see it by checking our website www.botanika.se

This policy was last updated on 22 January 2020.