Welcome to Wood Chalets Ella. We are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our official website (woodchaletsella.com.lk) or make a reservation with us. Please read this policy carefully. If you do not agree with the terms described here, please discontinue use of our website.
01. Information We Collect
We collect information you provide directly to us as well as information gathered automatically when you use our website. This includes:
A. Personal Information You Provide
Full name, email address, phone number, and nationality when making a reservation or enquiry
Billing information including postal address and payment card details (processed securely via PCI-DSS-compliant payment gateways)
Guest preferences such as arrival time, room type, dietary requirements, or special requests
Feedback, reviews, or messages submitted through our contact form or email
Account credentials if you create a profile on our website
B. Information Collected Automatically
IP address, browser type and version, operating system, and referring URL
Pages visited, time spent on each page, and click-through data
Device identifiers and session information via cookies and similar tracking technologies
Geographic location data at the country or city level derived from your IP address
02. How We Use Your Information
Wood Chalets Ella uses the information we collect for the following purposes:
Reservation Management: To confirm, process, and manage your bookings and provide you with pre-arrival and post-stay communications
Guest Experience: To personalise your stay, accommodate special requests, and improve our hospitality services
Customer Support: To respond to your enquiries, resolve complaints, and provide assistance before, during, and after your visit
Marketing Communications: To send you promotional offers, newsletters, and updates about Wood Chalets Ella — only with your explicit consent
Website Improvement: To analyse website traffic, understand user behaviour, and optimise our online booking experience
Legal Compliance: To comply with applicable laws, regulations, and legal obligations including tax, immigration, and anti-fraud requirements
Security: To detect and prevent fraudulent transactions, unauthorised access, and other potentially illegal activities
03. Legal Basis for Processing
Where applicable under data protection laws (including GDPR for guests from the European Union), we process your personal data on the following legal grounds:
Contractual Necessity: Processing required to fulfil your reservation or service agreement with us
Legitimate Interests: Processing necessary for our legitimate business interests such as fraud prevention, website security, and service improvements
Legal Obligation: Processing required to comply with Sri Lankan law or applicable international regulations
Consent: Processing for marketing communications, for which you may withdraw consent at any time
04. Sharing Your Information
Wood Chalets Ella does not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. We may share your information only in the following limited circumstances:
Service Providers: Trusted third-party vendors who assist us in operating our website and providing services (such as payment processors, email marketing platforms, and analytics providers), all of whom are contractually bound to protect your data
Online Travel Agents (OTAs): If your booking was made through a third-party booking platform, we may exchange reservation details with that platform as necessary to fulfil your stay
Legal Authorities: Government agencies or law enforcement where required by law, regulation, or legal process, including Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) compliance requirements
Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or part of our assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction, with notice provided to you
With Your Consent: Any other sharing of your personal data will only occur with your explicit consent
05. Cookies & Tracking Technologies
Our website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience. Cookies are small text files placed on your device. We use the following types of cookies:
Essential Cookies: Necessary for the basic functionality of our website, such as session management and secure login. These cannot be disabled.
Performance & Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how visitors interact with our website using tools such as Google Analytics, allowing us to improve page performance and content relevance
Functional Cookies: Remember your preferences (such as language or currency) to provide a more personalised experience
Marketing Cookies: Used to deliver relevant advertisements and track the effectiveness of our campaigns across third-party platforms
You can control and manage cookies through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of our website. To learn more about managing cookies, visit www.allaboutcookies.org.
06. Data Retention
We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.
Reservation and guest records are retained for a minimum of five (5) years in accordance with Sri Lankan financial and hospitality regulations
Marketing consent records are maintained until you withdraw consent or request deletion
Website analytics data is retained in anonymised or aggregated form for up to 26 months
Cookie data is retained according to the lifespan of each cookie category as described in our Cookie Policy
When your data is no longer required, it is securely deleted or anonymised.
07. Your Privacy Rights
Depending on your country of residence, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:
Right of Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
Right to Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
Right to Erasure: Request deletion of your personal data under certain circumstances (“right to be forgotten”)
Right to Restriction: Request that we limit the processing of your data in certain situations
Right to Data Portability: Receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format
Right to Object: Object to the processing of your data for direct marketing or based on legitimate interests
Right to Withdraw Consent: Withdraw any previously given consent for marketing communications at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in Section 12. We will respond to your request within 30 days. We may require identity verification before fulfilling certain requests.
08. Data Security
Wood Chalets Ella implements appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, or disclosure. These measures include:
SSL/TLS encryption for all data transmitted through our website
Secure, access-controlled servers with restricted staff access to personal data
PCI-DSS-compliant payment processing — we do not store full payment card numbers on our servers
Regular security assessments and staff training on data protection practices
However, please be aware that no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your data, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.
09. Third-Party Websites
Our website may contain links to third-party websites, including online booking portals, travel review platforms (such as TripAdvisor), and social media channels. This Privacy Policy applies solely to our official website (woodchaletsella.com.lk).
We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of any third-party websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any external sites you visit through links on our website.
10. Children’s Privacy
Our website is not directed to children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal data, please contact us immediately at the address in Section 12 and we will promptly delete such information from our records.
11. Changes to This Privacy Policy
Wood Chalets Ella reserves the right to update or modify this Privacy Policy at any time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make material changes, we will:
Update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page
Post a prominent notice on our website homepage
Where appropriate, notify registered users or recent guests by email
We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information. Your continued use of our website after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.
12. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please do not hesitate to contact us:
Wood Chalets Ella Madhuragama Junction, Halpe, Hela Halpe, Bandarawela [email protected] +94771416733 Ella, Sri Lanka
We aim to respond to all privacy-related enquiries within 5 business days. For urgent matters concerning data breaches or sensitive personal information, please mark your correspondence as URGENT – DATA PRIVACY.
