Privacy Policy

Belena Maldives is a guesthouse on Thoddoo in Alif Alif Atoll, Republic of Maldives, and is responsible for the personal information described in this policy. If you have any questions about how we handle your information, or you wish to exercise your privacy rights, you can reach us using the contact details at the end of this policy.

Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect the following kinds of personal information:

• Booking and contact details: your name, email address, telephone number, billing or postal address, nationality, dates of travel, the number and ages of guests, and any preferences or special requests.
• Identity and travel documents: passport or government-issued identification details, which we are required to record for guest registration under Maldivian law.
• Payment information: the card or bank details needed to take payment for your reservation and any charges during your stay. Card payments are handled by our secure payment provider, and we do not store full card numbers ourselves.
• Account and loyalty information: where you create a guest account or join our loyalty program, your login details, membership status, points or rewards, and the booking history linked to your account.
• Dining and activity details: restaurant reservations, dietary requirements, and any excursions, transfers, or services you ask us to arrange.
• Special requirements: information you choose to share about accessibility, health, or dietary needs so that we can assist you. Some of this may be sensitive, and we use it only to provide the service you have requested.
• Communications: the content of messages you send us by email, telephone, WhatsApp, or our website forms, along with our replies.
• Feedback and reviews: comments, ratings, and reviews you share with us or on connected platforms.
• Website and device data: technical information such as your device type, browser, and IP address, and the pages you view, collected through cookies and similar technologies.

We collect information directly from you when you contact us, make a booking, check in, create an account, dine, or take part in activities. We collect some information automatically through our website and cookies. We may also receive information from third parties, such as online travel platforms, travel agents, or channel-management partners through whom you book, and from our payment provider.

We use your personal information for the following purposes:

• to process, confirm, and manage your reservation and your stay;
• to communicate with you about your booking, requests, and pre-arrival and on-property arrangements;
• to take payment and settle balances, deposits, and any additional charges;
• to provide guest services, including dining, transfers, and the activities you request;
• to operate guest accounts and our loyalty program, where you use them;
• to keep our property, our guests, and our team safe and secure;
• to improve our website, services, and the overall guest experience;
• to send service messages and, where you have agreed, occasional offers and news;
• to meet our legal, tax, accounting, and tourism-authority obligations in the Maldives; and
• to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims where this becomes necessary.

Where data protection law requires a legal basis, we rely on the following: the performance of our contract with you, to manage your booking and stay; compliance with our legal obligations, such as guest registration and financial record keeping; our legitimate interests in running, improving, and securing our business, balanced against your rights and interests; and your consent, for example for certain marketing or for the use of non-essential cookies. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

We will only send you marketing messages where you have asked us to, or where we are otherwise permitted to do so, for example to past guests about similar services. Every marketing message includes a simple way to opt out, and you can ask us to stop at any time by contacting us. Service messages that relate to a live booking are not marketing and will still be sent.

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to keep the site working, remember your preferences, and understand how it is used so that we can improve it. You can control or block cookies through your browser settings, although some features may not work properly if you do. Where required, we ask for your consent before setting non-essential cookies.

We share personal information only where it is needed to deliver our service, and we require those who handle it to protect it and to use it only for the agreed purpose. We may share information with:

• Service providers who help us operate, such as our payment processor, booking and channel-management partners, website hosting and IT providers, and email or messaging providers.
• Activity and transfer operators, where you ask us to arrange an excursion, tour, or transfer on your behalf, limited to what they need to provide it.
• Professional advisers, such as accountants, auditors, or lawyers, where this is reasonably required.
• Authorities and regulators, where we are required to share information by law, regulation, or a lawful request.
• A successor organization, if our business is reorganized, transferred, or acquired, in which case your information would continue to be protected under this policy.

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it for unrelated third-party marketing.

Belena Maldives is based in the Republic of Maldives, and your information is primarily processed here. Some of our service providers may process information in other countries. Where information is transferred outside the Maldives, we take reasonable steps to ensure that it remains protected to a standard consistent with this policy.

We keep your personal information only for as long as we need it for the purposes set out in this policy. Booking, payment, and accounting records are kept for the periods required by Maldivian tax and accounting law. Identity and travel documents collected for guest registration are kept only for as long as the law requires and are then securely deleted, and access to them is limited to authorized members of our team for registration and legal compliance. Information that we no longer need is securely deleted or anonymized. Where you hold an account or loyalty membership, we keep the related information for as long as the account is active and for a reasonable period afterwards.

We use reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your information against loss, misuse, and unauthorized access, and payment details are handled over secure, encrypted connections. Access to personal information within our team is limited to those who need it to do their work. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security, but we take any incident seriously and will respond and notify as required by law.

Subject to applicable law, you may have the right to:

• ask for access to the personal information we hold about you;
• ask us to correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete;
• ask us to delete information where there is no continuing reason to keep it;
• object to, or ask us to restrict, certain processing of your information;
• ask us to provide certain information in a portable, machine-readable form; and
• withdraw your consent at any time where our processing is based on it.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details below. We may need to verify your identity before we act, and we will respond within the time allowed by law. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection authority.

Our website and bookings are intended for adults. Guests under 18 must be included in a booking made by a parent or legal guardian, and we do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children. If you believe that a child has provided us with information without appropriate consent, please contact us and we will take suitable steps.

Our website and our messages may contain links to third-party websites, such as activity operators, maps, or social media. We are not responsible for the content or the privacy practices of those websites, and we encourage you to read their privacy policies before sharing information with them.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or in the law. The date shown at the top of this page reflects the latest version, and any material change will be posted here. Please review this page from time to time to stay informed.

Questions or requests about your privacy can be sent to: