ABBEY GRANGE HOTEL & PIERRE'S RESTAURANT GDPR Compliance Statement & Privacy Policy

 

Introduction

The EU General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) comes into force across the European Union on 25th May 2018 and brings with it the most significant changes to data protection law in two decades. Based on privacy by design and taking a risk-based approach, the GDPR has been designed to meet the requirements of the digital age.

 

The 21st Century brings with it broader use of technology, new definitions of what constitutes personal data, and a vast increase in cross-border processing. The new Regulation aims to standardise data protection laws and processing across the EU; affording individuals stronger, more consistent rights to access and control their personal information.

 

Our Commitment

We are committed to ensuring the security and protection of the personal information that we process, and to provide a compliant and consistent approach to data protection. We have always had a robust and effective data protection program in place which complies with existing law and abides by the data protection principles. However, we recognise our obligations in updating and expanding this program to meet the demands of the GDPR and the UK’s Data Protection Bill.

 

We are dedicated to safeguarding the personal information under our remit and in developing a data protection regime that is effective, fit for purpose and demonstrates an understanding of, and appreciation for the new Regulation. Our preparation and objectives for GDPR compliance have been summarised in this statement and include the development and implementation of new data protection roles, policies, procedures, controls and measures to ensure maximum and ongoing compliance.

 

How We are Preparing for the GDPR

We already have a consistent level of data protection and security across our organisation, however it is our aim to be fully compliant with the GDPR by 25th May 2018. Our preparation includes: -

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• Information Audit - carrying out a company-wide information audit to identify and assess what personal information we hold, where it comes from, how and why it is processed and if and to whom it is disclosed.

• Policies & Procedures – revising and implementing new data protection policies and procedures to meet the requirements and standards of the GDPR and any relevant data protection laws, including: -

  • Data Protection – our main policy and procedure document for data protection has been overhauled to meet the standards and requirements of the GDPR. Accountability and governance measures are in place to ensure that we understand and adequately disseminate and evidence our obligations and responsibilities; with a dedicated focus on privacy by design and the rights of individuals.

  • Data Retention & Erasure – we have updated our retention policy and schedule to ensure that we meet the ‘data minimisation’ and ‘storage limitation’ principles and that personal information is stored, archived and destroyed compliantly and ethically. We have dedicated erasure procedures in place to meet the new ‘Right to Erasure’ obligation and are aware of when this and other data subject’s rights apply; along with any exemptions, response timeframes and notification responsibilities.

  • Data Breaches – our breach procedures ensure that we have safeguards and measures in place to identify, assess, investigate and report any personal data breach at the earliest possible time. Our procedures are robust and have been disseminated to all employees, making them aware of the reporting lines and steps to follow.

  • International Data Transfers & Third-Party Disclosures – where ASA stores or transfers personal information outside the EU, we have robust procedures and safeguarding measures in place to secure, encrypt and maintain the integrity of the data. Our procedures include a continual review of the countries with sufficient adequacy decisions, as well as provisions for binding corporate rules; standard data protection clauses or approved codes of conduct for those countries without. We carry out strict due diligence checks with all recipients of personal data to assess and verify that they have appropriate safeguards in place to protect the information, ensure enforceable data subject rights and have effective legal remedies for data subjects where applicable.

  • Subject Access Request (SAR) – we have revised our SAR procedures to accommodate the revised 30-day timeframe for providing the requested information and for making this provision free of charge. Our new procedures detail how to verify the data subject, what steps to take for processing an access request, what exemptions apply and a suite of response templates to ensure that communications with data subjects are compliant, consistent and adequate.

• Legal Basis for Processing - we are reviewing all processing activities to identify the legal basis for processing and ensuring that each basis is appropriate for the activity it relates to. Where applicable, we also maintain records of our processing activities, ensuring that our obligations under Article 30 of the GDPR and Schedule 1 of the Data Protection Bill are met.

• Privacy Notice/Policy – we have revised our Privacy Notice(s) to comply with the GDPR, ensuring that all individuals whose personal information we process have been informed of why we need it, how it is used, what their rights are, who the information is disclosed to and what safeguarding measures are in place to protect their information.

• Obtaining Consent - we have revised our consent mechanisms for obtaining personal data, ensuring that individuals understand what they are providing, why and how we use it and giving clear, defined ways to consent to us processing their information. We have developed stringent processes for recording consent, making sure that we can evidence an affirmative opt-in, along with time and date records; and an easy to see and access way to withdraw consent at any time.

• Direct Marketing - we have revised the wording and processes for direct marketing, including clear opt-in mechanisms for marketing subscriptions; a clear notice and method for opting out and providing unsubscribe features on all subsequent marketing materials.

• Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIA) – where we process personal information that is considered high risk, involves large scale processing or includes special category/criminal conviction data; we have developed stringent procedures and assessment templates for carrying out impact assessments that comply fully with the GDPR’s Article 35 requirements. We have implemented documentation processes that record each assessment, allow us to rate the risk posed by the processing activity and implement mitigating measures to reduce the risk posed to the data subject(s).

• Processor Agreements – where we use any third-party to process personal information on our behalf (i.e. Payroll, Recruitment, Hosting etc), we have drafted compliant Processor Agreements and due diligence procedures for ensuring that they (as well as we), meet and understand their/our GDPR obligations. These measures include initial and ongoing reviews of the service provided, the necessity of the processing activity, the technical and organisational measures in place and compliance with the GDPR.

• Special Categories Data - where we obtain and process any special category information, we do so in complete compliance with the Article 9 requirements and have high-level encryptions and protections on all such data. Special category data is only processed where necessary and is only processed where we have first identified the appropriate Article 9(2) basis or the Data Protection Bill Schedule 1 condition. Where we rely on consent for processing, this is explicit and is verified by a signature, with the right to modify or remove consent being clearly signposted.

 

Data Subject Rights

In addition to the policies and procedures mentioned above that ensure individuals can enforce their data protection rights, we provide easy to access information via our website, in the office and during studio hours of an individual’s right to access any personal information ASA processes about them and to request information about: -

• What personal data we hold about them

• The purposes of the processing

• The categories of personal data concerned

• The recipients to whom the personal data has/will be disclosed

• How long we intend to store your personal data for

• If we did not collect the data directly from them, information about the source

• The right to have incomplete or inaccurate data about them corrected or completed and the process for requesting this

• The right to request erasure of personal data (where applicable) or to restrict processing in accordance with data protection laws, as well as to object to any direct marketing from us and to be informed about any automated decision-making that we use

• The right to lodge a complaint or seek judicial remedy and who to contact in such instances

 

Information Security & Technical and Organisational Measures

We take the privacy and security of individuals and their personal information very seriously and take every reasonable measure and precaution to protect and secure the personal data that we process. We have robust information security policies and procedures in place to protect personal information from unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure or destruction and have several layers of security measures, including: -

Access controls, password protection, encryptions, IT, authentication

 

GDPR Roles and Employees

We have designated Pierre Shirley as our [Data Protection Officer (DPO)  and have appointed a data privacy team to develop and implement our roadmap for complying with the new data protection Regulation. The team is responsible for promoting awareness of the GDPR across the organisation, assessing our GDPR readiness, identifying any gap areas and implementing the new policies, procedures and measures.

 

We understand that continuous employee awareness and understanding is vital to the continued compliance of the GDPR, and has involved our employees in our preparation plans. We have implemented an employee training program specific to the new regulations, will be provided to all employees prior to May 25th, 2018, and forms part of our induction and annual training program.

 

If you have any questions about our preparation for the GDPR, please contact Pierre Shirley.

 

What we do at ABBBEY GRANGE HOTEL:

• We do not disclose or sell personal data to third parties.

• Personal data is stored securely using online booking systems such as booking.com, expedia.com and laterooms.com.

• We use contact numbers and emails for newsletters, updates, individual communication, invoices, promotions and general information relating to bookings.

• Details taken over the phone are stored on paper booking forms , and are stored in a secured filing cabinet at the hotel's office.

• Hard copy information is destroyed after use via secure information shredding service.

• All bookings including name, telephone number and email are transferred to the hotel's paper diary upon confirmation.

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Abbey Grange Hotel collects an amount of personal data every year including; names, addresses, contact telephone and email addresses and credit/debit card details of customers. These records are shredded if the customer does not attend or after the customer has completed their period of custom with us.​

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​We receive personal data including names, addresses, contact telephone and email addresses and credit/debit card details of customers from booking sites such as booking.com, expedia.com and laterooms.com. These sites have their own GDPR policies and procedures in place to ensure the safe transfer of data.

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As an employer of PAYE employees, we are required to hold data on our staff, such as names, addresses, email addresses, telephone numbers, national insurance numbers, and bank details. This data is used to process pay and contact staff regarding work related matters only. Information such as Disclosure and Barring Service checks (DBS), First Aid Certificate's, membership details and any qualification's. This information stored via a secure electronic system –Sage One, and paper forms are stored in a secured filing cabinet at the hotel's office. 

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The right of access

At any point an individual can make a request relating to their data and Abbey Grange Hotel will need to provide a response (within 1 month). Abbey Grange Hotel can refuse a request, if we have a lawful obligation to retain data, but we will inform the individual of the reasons for the rejection. 

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The right to erasure

You have the right to request the deletion of your data where there is no compelling reason for its continued use. However, we have a legal duty to retain any records relating to a customer or employee's accident and injury records for 19 years (or until the child reaches 21 years), and 22 years (or until the child reaches 24 years) for Child Protection records. Employees records will be erased when the member of staff leaves their position. All hard copy information is destroyed via secure information shredding service.​

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The right to restrict processing

Customers, visitors and staff can object to Abbey Grange Hotel processing their data. This means that records can be stored but must not be used in any way. In this situation, we have no obligation to refund any missed bookings due to 'lack of communication'. It will be the customer's responsibility to ensure they are informed. We have no obligation to employees to reimburse any missed shifts and loss of earnings due to 'lack of communication'. It will be the employee's responsibility to ensure they are informed.

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The right to data portability

Abbey Grange Hotel requires data, for example customer bookings, names, addresses, medical information, contact information to be transferred from management, to staff members, in order to process bookings.

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The right to object

Customers, visitors and staff can object to their data being used for certain activities like marketing or research.

 

The right not to be subject to automated decision-making including profiling.

Automated decisions and profiling are used for marketing based organisations. Abbey Grange Hotel does not use personal data for such purposes.

 

This Policy was issued by Pierre Shirley, owner of The Abbey Grange Hotel in May 2018.

 

Policy review date: 25th May 2021