Privacy & Data Use

How we handle guest registration data

SecureStay is a compliance ledger, not a marketing platform. We collect the minimum data required by law and delete it when the legal hold expires.

Last updated: May 2026

Why we collect data

UK law requires hotels to record every guest aged 16 and over. The Immigration (Hotel Records) Order 1972 mandates that properties capture full name, nationality, and passport or identity document details for all guests who are not British or Irish nationals.

SecureStay processes this data on two lawful bases under UK GDPR:

  • Article 6(1)(c) — legal obligation. Compliance with the Immigration (Hotel Records) Order 1972.
  • Article 6(1)(b) — contractual necessity. Performance of the hotel-guest accommodation contract.

What we collect

We collect only what the law and the accommodation contract require. Nothing more.

Data fields
Full name
Nationality
Passport or identity document number
Date of arrival
Date of departure

We do not collect email addresses, phone numbers, home addresses, or payment details. ID document numbers are encrypted at field level (AES-256-GCM) before storage.

How long we keep it

Guest registration records are retained for 13 months from check-in by default. The Immigration (Hotel Records) Order 1972 requires a minimum of 12 months; the additional month covers post-stay queries such as insurance or billing disputes.

Property administrators may extend retention up to 24 months where an insurer or legal proceeding requires it. They cannot reduce retention below the 12-month legal floor.

When the retention period expires, records are automatically flagged for deletion. Erasure is irreversible.

Full details are in our retention policy.

Who we share it with

Your hotel is the data controller. SecureStay acts as the data processor under a Data Processing Agreement.

We use the following sub-processors, all operating within the UK or EU:

ProviderPurposeLocation
VercelApplication hosting and edge networkLondon (LHR1)
NeonPostgreSQL databaseAWS eu-west-2 (London)
Cloudflare R2Encrypted document and photo storageEU / London region
ResendTransactional email deliveryEU

We do not sell, rent, or share guest data with third parties for marketing or advertising. A template DPA is available in our documentation.

Where data is stored

All guest data is stored in the United Kingdom (London region). Database infrastructure runs on AWS eu-west-2 via Neon. Document storage uses Cloudflare R2 with server-side encryption.

No guest data leaves the UK. Transactional emails (password resets, staff invitations) are processed via Resend within the EU; these emails do not contain guest registration data.

Your rights

Access

You may request a copy of the personal data held about you by submitting a Subject Access Request (SAR) to the hotel where you stayed or directly to us.

Rectification

If any of your recorded details are inaccurate, you may request correction. The hotel or SecureStay will update the record and log the change in the audit trail.

Erasure

You may request deletion of your data. However, we are legally required to retain guest records for a minimum of 12 months under the Immigration (Hotel Records) Order 1972. Erasure requests received during the legal hold period will be processed once the hold expires.

Complaint

If you believe your data rights have not been respected, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.

Contact

For privacy-related enquiries, subject access requests, or data protection concerns:

For general enquiries about SecureStay:

Data processor: SecureStay.