Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

AusStayFinder respects the importance of privacy and aims to provide clear information about how this website handles information when you browse pages, use the contact form, change cookie preferences or interact with third-party content. This Privacy Policy describes the website's current technical behaviour and the choices available to visitors.

This website is designed primarily to provide information about accommodation, rooms, facilities, the Gold Coast location and ways to make an enquiry. It does not require visitors to create an account in order to browse general content. Where personal information is requested, the relevant form or feature explains what is required and why.

This policy should be read together with the Cookie Policy and Terms & Conditions. It is intended to explain current website practices in plain English and should not be interpreted as a representation that the website satisfies every privacy or data-protection framework in every jurisdiction.

2. Information We Collect

The information associated with a visit depends on how you use the website. You may browse most pages without directly providing your name, email address or telephone number. If you choose to complete an enquiry form, the form asks for information needed to understand the nature of your request.

Information you may enter includes your first name, last name, email address, telephone number, enquiry subject, message and confirmation that you have read the Privacy Policy. These fields are used to structure the enquiry experience and to help ensure that the form contains the information normally needed to respond to accommodation-related questions.

Technical information may also be processed as part of ordinary web browsing. Depending on your browser, device, hosting environment and third-party services, this can include an IP address, browser type, operating system, approximate device characteristics, referring page, requested URL, date and time of a request, and basic connection information. Much of this technical processing is performed automatically by browsers, hosting infrastructure or external content providers rather than by a dedicated AusStayFinder customer database.

The website also stores your cookie and privacy preference choices in your browser's localStorage. Those settings do not contain your contact-form message, name, phone number or email address.

3. Contact Form Information

The Contact page contains fields for First Name, Last Name, Email Address, Phone Number, Subject and a message under “How can we help?”. A privacy checkbox must also be selected before the form can pass validation. Required-field, email-format and basic telephone-format checks are performed in your browser.

The current contact form does not transmit the contents of the form to a website server, email service, reservation platform or customer relationship management system. After the required fields have been validated, the page displays an on-screen status message and clears the form. Because there is no server-side form-processing endpoint connected to this website, completing the form does not by itself create a reservation, send an email or establish a confirmed service request.

If you need to make a time-sensitive enquiry, request accessibility information, discuss an existing stay or seek a response from hotel staff, use a published direct contact method such as the email address or telephone number displayed on the Contact page.

If the contact form is connected to a server, email service, booking platform or CRM in the future, the website should be updated so that visitors are informed about the recipient of the information, the purposes for which it is used, applicable retention periods and any relevant third-party providers before such processing begins.

4. How Information Is Used

Information and technical data associated with the website may be used to present pages correctly, maintain site functionality, remember privacy choices, protect the website against misuse, troubleshoot technical issues and understand whether content is loading as intended.

Where a direct communication channel is used, information supplied by a visitor may be used to understand and respond to questions about room types, rates, accessibility, location, facilities, hotel information, reservations or general enquiries. Information should be used only in a manner consistent with the purpose for which it was provided and with any additional notice shown at the point of collection.

AusStayFinder does not use the browser-only contact form to build marketing lists because the form is not currently connected to a transmission or storage service. Optional cookie categories shown in Cookie Settings also do not activate analytics or marketing technologies unless such technologies are actually added to the site.

5. Cookies and Local Storage

This website uses browser localStorage to remember privacy choices. The storage key used by the current implementation is ausstayfinder_cookie_preferences. It records whether Necessary, Preferences, Analytics and Marketing categories have been selected, together with the time at which the preference record was saved.

Necessary storage is used so the website can remember that you have already made a privacy choice and avoid showing the consent banner on every page view. The Preferences, Analytics and Marketing values represent your selected preferences. At present, Analytics and Marketing selections do not cause third-party analytics or advertising scripts to load because those integrations are not enabled.

You can reopen Cookie Settings from the footer at any time. You may also remove the saved preference record by clearing site data or localStorage through your browser settings. If localStorage is unavailable or blocked, the website may be unable to remember your selection between page loads.

6. Analytics

AusStayFinder does not currently load a dedicated analytics platform through the cookie-consent controls. The Analytics switch is available as a preference category so visitors can make a choice if measurement tools are introduced later, but enabling the switch does not currently activate Google Analytics, Meta Pixel, advertising tags or comparable tracking scripts.

Separate from website analytics, a hosting provider or content-delivery provider may create standard technical logs needed to serve pages, prevent abuse, monitor availability or diagnose errors. Such logs can include network and request information. The handling of infrastructure logs is determined by the provider operating the relevant hosting or delivery service.

If a dedicated analytics service is added, this policy and the Cookie Policy should be updated to identify the service, describe the information it processes, explain the purpose of measurement, state whether consent is required before loading it and provide an appropriate method for changing preferences.

7. Data Sharing

The website does not currently send contact-form contents to AusStayFinder or to a marketing database. However, external resources used to display parts of the site may receive technical request information when your browser connects to them.

Examples include font delivery, icon delivery and embedded map services. Those providers may receive information such as your IP address, browser information and the page from which the request originated because that information is generally required for internet resources to be delivered to your device.

Information should not be sold or disclosed to unrelated parties solely because you browse the website. If operational providers are introduced for reservations, payments, email delivery, customer support, security, analytics or similar functions, relevant privacy information should be updated to reflect the categories of recipients and the reasons for disclosure.

8. Data Retention

The website does not maintain a server-side archive of contact-form submissions because the form is not currently connected to a transmission endpoint. Your typed form information exists in the page while you complete the form and is cleared from the form after a successful browser-side validation event or when you otherwise leave, refresh or reset the page, subject to normal browser behaviour.

Cookie preference information stored under ausstayfinder_cookie_preferences remains in localStorage until it is replaced by a new preference selection, removed by browser settings, removed by you when clearing site data, or changed by a future website update.

Third-party infrastructure providers may retain technical logs according to their own operational, security and legal requirements. AusStayFinder does not control the independent retention schedules of external providers.

9. Data Security

Reasonable care should be taken to protect information handled through any website. The current site reduces direct data handling by not maintaining user accounts, a customer database or a server-side contact-form repository. This limits the amount of visitor information stored directly through the website.

No internet service can guarantee absolute security. Risks can arise from browsers, devices, network connections, hosting providers, external integrations or future changes to website functionality. Visitors should avoid sending highly sensitive information through general enquiry channels unless a secure and appropriate method has been provided for that purpose.

If online reservations, payments, accounts or server-side enquiry handling are introduced, additional safeguards should be implemented appropriate to those functions, such as encrypted transport, restricted administrative access, secure credential management, software updates, backup controls, monitoring and documented retention practices.

10. Third-Party Services

The website may rely on third-party services to provide fonts, interface icons, map functionality, hosting or other technical resources. Current pages may request resources from Google Fonts, Font Awesome infrastructure and Google Maps. When a browser loads external content, the provider can receive technical request information and may operate under its own terms and privacy practices.

An embedded map is interactive third-party content. Depending on the provider's technology and your browser settings, interaction with the map may result in additional requests to the provider. AusStayFinder does not control the provider's independent processing once you interact with an external service.

Visitors who prefer to minimise connections to third-party content can use browser privacy controls, content-blocking tools or settings provided by the relevant service, although doing so may prevent some website features from displaying correctly.

11. External Links

The website may include links to external websites for convenience, location information, responsible-gaming resources or other relevant information. Following an external link takes you to a service that is controlled by another organisation.

AusStayFinder is not responsible for the content, security, accessibility, availability or privacy practices of websites operated by third parties. Before providing personal information to an external website, review the privacy information and terms provided by that website.

12. Your Privacy Choices

You can make and revise privacy choices through the Cookie Settings control available in the website footer. The settings interface allows you to accept all categories, reject non-essential categories or make individual selections for Preferences, Analytics and Marketing. Necessary technology remains enabled because it is required to remember the consent choice and support core site behaviour.

You can also manage storage through your browser. Most modern browsers allow you to clear site data, block storage, restrict third-party content or remove stored information for a particular domain. The exact controls vary by browser and device.

If you have communicated with AusStayFinder through a direct email or telephone channel and want to ask how information from that communication is being handled, use the contact information at the end of this policy. Privacy requests may require reasonable information to identify the relevant correspondence without collecting more information than necessary.

13. Children's Privacy

The website provides general information about accommodation and the Gold Coast and is not designed to knowingly collect personal information from children through an online account or registration service. The contact form is intended for people making genuine accommodation or hotel-related enquiries.

Adults responsible for a child should avoid providing unnecessary personal information about the child through general enquiry channels. If information relating to a child is required for an accommodation request, provide only what is reasonably necessary and use an appropriate direct communication channel.

Any casino gaming area referenced on this website is restricted to persons aged 18 years or over. Information about accommodation for families or younger guests does not change the age restrictions that apply to adults-only gaming areas.

14. Changes to This Policy

This Privacy Policy may be updated when website functionality, contact methods, third-party services, reservation features, analytics tools, marketing technologies or data-handling practices change. Material changes should be reflected in the text of this page and in the “Last updated” date displayed near the top.

Visitors are encouraged to review this page periodically, particularly before submitting information through a new website feature. Continued use of general website content after a policy update does not by itself replace any consent that may be required for a specific optional technology or data-processing activity.

15. Contact

Questions about this Privacy Policy, website privacy choices or the handling of information associated with AusStayFinder may be sent to [email protected].

When contacting us about privacy, include enough information to explain your question or identify the communication you are asking about, but do not send passwords, payment-card details, identity documents or other highly sensitive information through a general email unless specifically requested through a secure process.