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Why a Cookie Consent Management Platform is Essential for Hotels
Privacy, an important theme in the digital world
In the digital world, privacy has become an important topic. For hotels that use websites to inform guests and process bookings, it is crucial to comply with current privacy and data protection laws. One way to do this is by using a Cookie Consent Management Platform (CMP). In this blog, we explain why a cookie banner is essential for hotel websites and how to ensure it meets the regulations.
Why do I need a cookie banner on my hotel website?
A cookie banner is mandatory for any website that uses cookies, except for strictly necessary ones. This also applies to hotels. Cookies are used to collect visitor data, such as browsing behavior or preferences, which can include sensitive information, especially regarding bookings or personal guest data. That’s why the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requires visitors to your website to give prior consent before using cookies.
Without this consent, you cannot place non-essential cookies, such as tracking or advertising cookies. This means a clear and compliant cookie banner is necessary. For more information on legal obligations in The Netherlands, you can visit the Dutch government website: https://autoriteitpersoonsgegevens.nl/nl/onderwerpen/internet-telecom-tv-en-post/cookies.
What is a cookie banner or CMP?
A cookie banner is the window that often appears when you first visit a website. It informs the visitor about the use of cookies and asks for permission to place them. A Cookie Consent Management Platform (CMP), such as CookieFirst, ensures that this process is managed correctly. It provides an easy way for website visitors to indicate their preferences and ensures that cookies are only placed when consent has been given.
A CMP not only helps comply with the law, but it also gives you, as a hotel, insight into which cookies are used on your website and how they comply with regulations. When a visitor chooses to reject cookies through the CMP, certain types of cookies will not be placed or used during the website visit. Functional cookies, necessary for the basic use of the website, are often still placed because they are essential for the site to function properly. However, tracking cookies, analytics cookies, and marketing cookies, used to track visitor behavior or display personalized ads, will not be active.
CMP in action at Hotel Unplugged
How do I know if my banner or CMP is compliant?
It’s important that your cookie banner meets the following basic rules:
- Clear information: The banner must explain in plain language which cookies are used and for what purpose.
- Freedom of choice: Visitors must have the option to accept only essential cookies and the choice to reject non-essential ones.
- Prior consent: Cookies may only be placed after the visitor has explicitly given consent.
- Option to review: Visitors must be able to adjust their preferences at any time.
With CookieFirst as a CMP, you can easily check if your banner complies with GDPR guidelines. CookieFirst automatically scans your website for cookies and ensures they are correctly categorized (necessary, preferences, statistics, and marketing). Additionally, it offers a user-friendly interface for both visitors and website owners. At Becurious, we ensure that the CMP aligns with the hotel's branding or website design if desired.
Are there special rules for hotels?
While there are no specific rules that apply only to hotels, there are a few things hotels should pay extra attention to. Hotels, through the use of a booking engine, often collect more personal data than a regular website, such as guest names, addresses, and credit card information. This makes it even more important to handle privacy and data collection carefully. The GDPR requires that this data may only be collected and processed when explicit consent has been given. This also applies to the use of cookies related to this data.
Additionally, marketing in the hotel industry is often personalized, using tracking cookies to serve user-related ads. Explicit consent is required for the use of such cookies, further emphasizing the importance of a correct cookie banner and a well-functioning CMP.
Implement a CMP on your hotel website
As a hotel website, you must ensure you comply with the GDPR and implement a proper cookie banner. A Cookie Consent Management Platform like CookieFirst helps streamline this process and ensures your website is always in line with the legislation. By being transparent about cookie use and giving visitors control over their preferences, you build trust in your hotel and provide a safe online environment for your guests.
Want to know more about how to make your hotel website fully GDPR-compliant with our stylish cookie banner implementation? Contact us.
By Niels Drenth
Online Hotel Marketing Specialist
By Tom van den Tweel
Front-end Developer
English
Nederlands