Privacy Policy

Effective 26 September 2026 · Applies to luxuryhotelsjournal.com and the Luxury Hotels Journal apps for Android, iOS and the web (luxuryhotelsjournal.com/app/).

Luxury Hotels Journal is an independent guide to luxury hotels. We built it to need as little of your data as possible: there are no user accounts, no sign-up forms and no newsletters, and we never sell personal data. This policy explains exactly what data is processed, by whom and why.

1. Who we are

Luxury Hotels Journal (luxuryhotelsjournal.com) is responsible for the processing described here. Contact: privacy@luxuryhotelsjournal.com.

2. Data processed when you use the website

Server logs. Like every website, our web server records technical request data: IP address, date and time, the page requested, browser type (user agent) and referring page. We use these logs only to operate, secure and troubleshoot the site, and we do not combine them with other data.
Advertising (Google AdSense). Our pages show ads served by Google. Google and its partners may use cookies and similar identifiers to serve ads, including ads based on your prior visits to this and other websites, and to measure them. You can control personalised advertising at Google Ad Settings, and learn more in How Google uses information from sites that use its services. Where required by law, you will be asked for consent before such cookies are used.
Maps. Area pages display maps whose tiles load from OpenStreetMap's tile servers and whose map library loads from unpkg.com. These providers receive your IP address and browser details when your browser fetches the files. See the OpenStreetMap Foundation privacy policy.
"Hotels near me". If you choose this feature, your browser asks for your permission and uses your location only inside your browser to sort hotels by distance. Your location is never sent to us or stored.
Links to other sites. Hotel names link to the hotels' official websites, and some pages link to booking partners such as Booking.com. When you follow a link, that site's own privacy policy applies. Some links may be affiliate links: the partner can see that you arrived from our site and may pay us a commission, at no extra cost to you.

3. Data processed by the apps (Android, iOS, web)

No account, no analytics, no ads. The apps have no sign-in and contain no advertising or analytics software.
Hotel list and photos. The apps download the hotel list (/api/app.json) and photos from luxuryhotelsjournal.com. This creates the same server log entries described above.
Location. Only if you tap "Show hotels near me" and grant permission, the app reads your device location to sort hotels by distance. This happens entirely on your device: your location is never sent to us, stored, or shared. On Android, location may be determined by the device's system location services (for example Google Play services) under their own terms. You can withdraw the permission at any time in your device settings.
External links. Buttons such as "Official website", "Map" (OpenStreetMap) and "Area guide" open in your browser or another app; the privacy policy of that site applies.

4. Legal bases (EU/UK GDPR, Türkiye KVKK)

Server logs are processed on the basis of our legitimate interest in running a secure website. Advertising cookies are used on the basis of your consent where the law requires consent. Location is processed only on your device, with your explicit permission.

5. Retention

Server logs are kept only as long as needed for security and troubleshooting and are then deleted. We do not keep any other personal data about you.

6. International transfers

Google, OpenStreetMap's tile infrastructure and unpkg.com may process data outside your country. These providers apply their own safeguards, described in their privacy policies.

7. Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct or delete personal data about you, to object to or restrict processing, to withdraw consent, and to complain to your data protection authority (in Türkiye, the Personal Data Protection Authority, KVKK). Because we do not hold accounts or profiles, the only data we could hold about you is in server logs. To make a request, write to privacy@luxuryhotelsjournal.com.

8. Children

Our website and apps are general travel guides and are not directed at children under 13 (or the minimum age in your country). We do not knowingly collect personal data from children.

9. Photos and data sources

Hotel photos come from Wikimedia Commons under the licences shown next to each image (photo credits). Hotel and area data come from Wikidata (CC0), © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), official hotel and brand websites, and the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Culture and Tourism register.

10. Changes

If we change how data is processed, we will update this page and its effective date.