Privacy Policy

StayRatings is an independent editorial publication focused on luxury hotel reviews. We take a restrained approach to data — we collect only what is necessary to operate the site, respond to correspondence, and understand how our content is read.

This Privacy Policy explains what information we may collect when you visit stayratings.com, subscribe to our newsletter, or contact us through our forms. We do not operate user accounts, process payments, or run a hotel booking marketplace.

By using our website, you agree to the practices described on this page. If you do not agree, please discontinue use of the site.

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

Information you provide

• Email address when you subscribe to our newsletter
• Name, email address, subject and message when you contact us through our form
• Any additional information you choose to include in correspondence

Information collected automatically

• Browser type, device type and operating system
• Pages visited, time spent on pages and referring URLs
• General location derived from IP address (country or region level)
• Cookie and analytics identifiers, where applicable

We do not intentionally collect sensitive personal information, financial details, passport data, or payment card numbers.

We use the information we collect for clear, limited purposes:

• To deliver editorial content and operate the website
• To send newsletter dispatches you have requested
• To respond to enquiries submitted through our contact form
• To understand aggregate readership and improve the site
• To maintain security and prevent misuse
• To comply with applicable legal obligations

We do not sell your personal information. We do not use your data for targeted advertising on behalf of hotels, booking platforms or travel brands.

Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website. StayRatings uses a minimal set of cookies to ensure the site functions correctly and to understand how it is used.

Essential cookies

These cookies are necessary for basic site functionality, such as remembering preferences or maintaining session integrity. They cannot be switched off without affecting how the site works.

Analytics cookies

With your consent where required, we may use analytics cookies to understand traffic patterns in aggregate. These cookies help us measure readership — not to profile individual visitors for advertising.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may limit certain features of the site.

We use basic analytics tools to understand how readers discover and engage with our reviews, journal articles and editorial pages. This information is typically aggregated and does not identify you personally.

Analytics data may include page views, scroll depth, referral sources and device categories. We use these insights to improve content quality, site performance and editorial priorities — not to build advertising profiles.

Where analytics providers process data on our behalf, we require them to handle information in accordance with this policy and applicable privacy laws.

StayRatings may rely on a small number of trusted third-party services to operate the site. These may include:

• Email delivery services for newsletter and contact form messages
• Analytics providers for aggregate traffic measurement
• Hosting and infrastructure providers
• Content delivery networks for images and site assets

These providers may process limited personal information solely to perform services on our behalf. We do not authorise them to use your data for their own marketing purposes.

Our website may contain links to external sites — including hotels, destinations and publications we reference editorially. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those third-party websites.

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this policy.

• Newsletter subscriptions are retained until you unsubscribe
• Contact form messages are retained as long as needed to respond and maintain a record of correspondence
• Analytics data is retained in aggregated form according to our analytics provider's standard retention periods

When information is no longer required, we delete it or anonymise it in a reasonable timeframe.

Depending on your location, you may have rights regarding your personal information. These may include the right to:

• Request access to the personal information we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate information
• Request deletion of your information
• Withdraw consent for newsletter communications at any time
• Object to certain processing activities
• Request a copy of your data in a portable format

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at the email address below. We will respond within a reasonable period and in accordance with applicable law.

If you are subscribed to our newsletter, you may unsubscribe at any time using the link included in every email we send.

Questions regarding this Privacy Policy, or requests relating to your personal information, may be directed to:

We aim to respond to all privacy-related enquiries promptly and in good faith.