1. Who controls your information
The Hospitality Dude is the controller for personal information collected through this website and service. Privacy enquiries may be sent to privacy@thehospitalitydude.com.
2. Information we collect
- Account and profile information, including name, email, role, location, business type, profile photo and preferences.
- Club, enquiry, consultation, order and supplier-application details, including correspondence and agreed deliverables.
- Community content, reviews, reactions, reports, friend connections and private messages. Private means unavailable to other members; authorised staff or service providers may access content where needed for delivery, safety, moderation, security or law.
- Job advertisements, talent profiles and application details where you use the Jobs service.
- Technical and usage information such as IP-derived security identifiers, device/browser data, timestamps, logs, cookie choices and pages or features used.
- AI chat inputs and outputs. Do not submit passwords, payment credentials, identity documents, health information, allegations or confidential employee/customer data.
- Payment status and transaction references received from our payment provider. We do not ask you to enter bank details on this website.
3. Why we use it and our lawful bases
- Contract: to create accounts, provide Club access, deliver requested services, manage payments, operate member features and respond to enquiries.
- Legitimate interests: to secure and improve the platform, prevent fraud and abuse, moderate content, understand service performance and run proportionate business-to-business administration, balanced against your rights.
- Consent: for optional marketing, non-essential cookies and any other processing where consent is requested. You may withdraw consent at any time.
- Legal obligation: to keep required tax, accounting, consumer, safeguarding and compliance records, and respond to lawful requests.
- Legal claims and substantial public interest conditions may apply in exceptional cases involving disputes, safety or unlawful content. Please avoid special-category or criminal-offence information unless we specifically request it through a secure route.
4. Sharing and processors
We disclose only what is reasonably necessary to providers supporting hosting, authentication, database storage, email, payment collection, security, analytics selected with consent, customer support and AI processing; to a supplier or expert when you ask for an introduction; to an employer when you apply for a role and consent to the transfer; and to authorities, advisers or insurers where required by law or to protect legal rights.
- Supplier and expert introductions are not automatic consent to unrelated marketing.
- Public profile and forum fields are visible according to the audience and privacy choices shown when you post.
- We require processors to act on instructions, protect information and use it only for the contracted service.
5. International transfers
Some technology providers may process information outside the UK. Where UK data protection law requires safeguards, we use an adequacy regulation, the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or Addendum, or another lawful transfer mechanism, together with proportionate security checks.
6. Retention
- Account and profile data: while the account is active and normally up to 24 months after closure, unless a longer period is needed for disputes or law.
- Community posts: until removed by you or us; limited copies may remain in backups or moderation records for up to 12 months.
- Private messages: while needed for the messaging service and normally up to 12 months after deletion or account closure, subject to reports, security holds and backups.
- Enquiries and support records: normally 24 months after closure.
- Contracts, payments and invoices: normally 6 years after the relevant accounting period or contract ends.
- Security and rate-limit logs: normally up to 12 months.
- Unsuccessful job applications and talent enquiries: normally up to 6 months unless you ask us to retain a talent profile or law requires longer.
7. Your rights
Depending on the circumstances, you may ask for access, correction, erasure, restriction, portability or objection; withdraw consent; and object absolutely to direct marketing. We may verify identity and explain if an exemption applies. You can complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk, but we would appreciate the chance to resolve the issue first.
8. Children and security
The service is intended for people aged 18 or over and for hospitality businesses. We do not knowingly offer accounts to children. We use access controls, encryption in transit, minimisation, monitoring and backups appropriate to the service, but no online system can promise absolute security. Tell us promptly if you believe an account or message has been compromised.
9. Changes
We may update this policy when features, providers or law change. Material changes will be highlighted on the service or sent to account holders where appropriate. The date at the top identifies the current version.