Privacy Statement

Last updated: September 2026

Who We Are

Rowan Tree Retreat is operated by Audrey Brien.

Rowan Tree Retreat
c/o Peacehaven
Hillersland
Coleford
GL16 7NY

Email: stay@wyevalleyretreat.co.uk

For data protection purposes, Audrey Brien trading as Rowan Tree Retreat is the controller of the personal information described in this statement.

Rowan Tree Retreat is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office under registration reference ZC205222.

Information We Collect

We may collect and use the following personal information:

• Your name, postal address, email address and telephone number.
• Booking details, including your dates of stay, the number and names of guests and information about dogs accompanying you.
• Information supplied through our contact form, by email, telephone, social media or another communication method.
• Information supplied through the FreeToBook booking and digital guest-registration systems.
• Vehicle registration details and, where required, passport or visa information relating to overseas guests.
• Information about an exempted dog where this is reasonably required for insurance or safety purposes.
• Payment and transaction information. Card payments are processed by Stripe and we do not store complete card details.
• Your marketing preferences and records of consent or unsubscribe requests.
• Guest reviews and photographs voluntarily provided to us.
• Technical information such as your IP address, browser, device and pages visited.

Please avoid including health, accessibility or other particularly sensitive information unless it is relevant to your stay and you are comfortable providing it.

How We Collect Information

We collect personal information when you:

• Make or enquire about a booking.
• Complete a booking or digital registration form through FreeToBook.
• Contact us using the website form, email, telephone or social media.
• Join our mailing list.
• Make a payment through Stripe.
• Submit a review or provide a photograph.
• Visit and use our website.

Where a guest cannot complete the online booking process, we may take the necessary information manually and enter it into FreeToBook on their behalf.

How We Use Your Information

We use personal information to:

• Respond to enquiries and provide information about Rowan Tree Retreat.
• Check availability and administer bookings.
• Take and record payments.
• Prepare for your arrival and manage your stay.
• Meet legal, tax, accounting, insurance and guest-registration obligations.
• Communicate important information about a booking.
• Protect guests, the property and our business.
• Deal with complaints, legal claims or disputes.
• Send occasional news, availability information and offers where permitted.
• Display genuine guest reviews and photographs.
• Maintain, secure and improve our website.
• Understand how visitors use the website and measure our marketing where the visitor has provided the necessary consent.

Further information about the technologies used on our website is provided in our separate Cookie Policy.

Our Lawful Bases

We process personal information under one or more of the following lawful bases:

• Contract: where information is required to respond to a booking request, provide accommodation or manage your stay.
• Legal obligation: where records must be kept for tax, accounting, guest-registration or other legal purposes.
• Legitimate interests: where it is reasonably necessary to operate and protect the business, answer enquiries, maintain appropriate records or deal with complaints and claims.
• Consent: for certain marketing communications and the publication of guest photographs. Consent can be withdrawn at any time.

Where we need information to fulfil a booking or comply with a legal requirement, we may be unable to provide the accommodation if the necessary information is not supplied.

Bookings and Guest Registration

Direct bookings are managed using FreeToBook. Guests may also be asked to complete a FreeToBook digital registration form shortly before arrival.

This may request guest names, contact details, the number of dogs, vehicle registration, how you heard about Rowan Tree Retreat and, where required, passport or visa information for overseas guests.

FreeToBook processes information according to its own privacy information and its contractual arrangements with Rowan Tree Retreat.

Payments

Online card payments are processed securely by Stripe. Stripe receives the payment information needed to authorise and administer the transaction.

Rowan Tree Retreat does not store complete card details. Stripe processes information in accordance with its own privacy policy.

Marketing

We use Mailchimp to send occasional emails about availability, news and offers.

We send marketing emails only where you have specifically requested them or where the law permits us to contact an existing customer about similar services and the required opportunity to opt out was provided.

Every marketing email contains an unsubscribe option. You may also ask us to stop using your information for marketing by emailing stay@wyevalleyretreat.co.uk.

Withdrawing from marketing will not affect essential communications concerning an existing booking.

Reviews, Photographs and Social Media

Reviews submitted through FreeToBook may be displayed on our website using FreeToBook or Repuso.

We may publish a guest photograph, including a photograph of a guest’s dog, where it has been voluntarily provided for that purpose or we have obtained permission.

You may ask us to remove a photograph or attributed review by contacting us.

Guests may independently post photographs, reviews or comments on social-media and review platforms. Those platforms are responsible for their own processing.

Who Receives Your Information

Where necessary, personal information may be processed by or shared with:

• FreeToBook, for bookings and digital guest registration.
• Stripe, for payment processing.
• Mailchimp, for mailing-list management.
• Our website, email and hosting providers.
• CookieYes, Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager.
• Meta, where the necessary marketing consent has been provided.
• Google reCAPTCHA, for contact-form security.
• Repuso, for displaying review content.
• Professional advisers, insurers, IT support providers or regulatory authorities where reasonably necessary.
• Law-enforcement agencies, courts or public authorities where disclosure is required by law.

We do not sell personal information.

Some providers may process information outside the United Kingdom. Where this happens, we expect the provider to use an approved transfer mechanism or another legally recognised safeguard.

How Long We Keep Information

We keep information only for as long as it is reasonably needed. Our intended retention periods are:

• Enquiries that do not lead to a booking: normally up to 12 months.
• Booking, payment and accounting records: normally up to six years where required for tax, contractual or legal purposes.
• Routine booking correspondence: normally up to 12 months after the stay, unless it forms part of a record that must be retained for longer.
• Digital guest-registration information, vehicle details and overseas guest information: normally up to 12 months after departure, unless a longer period is legally required or the information is needed in connection with a dispute.
• Marketing information: until you unsubscribe, withdraw consent or a review shows that the information is no longer required.
• Reviews and photographs: while they remain relevant or until permission is withdrawn, where consent is the applicable basis.
• Website analytics information: according to the periods described in our Cookie Policy.

Information may be kept for longer where this is necessary to establish, exercise or defend a legal claim.

Guest Wi-Fi

The accommodation has its own guest Wi-Fi connection. Rowan Tree Retreat does not routinely monitor guests’ internet activity.

The internet or equipment provider may process technical connection information in accordance with its own terms and privacy information.

Security

We take reasonable organisational and technical measures to protect personal information. These include limiting access, using reputable service providers and maintaining appropriate website and account security.

No internet transmission or storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

Your Data Protection Rights

Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to:

• Ask for a copy of your personal information.
• Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Ask us to delete information.
• Ask us to restrict how information is used.
• Object to certain uses, including direct marketing.
• Receive certain information in a portable format.
• Withdraw consent where processing relies on consent.
• Complain about how your information has been handled.

These rights are not absolute and legal exceptions may apply. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request. We will respond within the period required by data protection law.

Data Protection Complaints

Please send a privacy enquiry, rights request or data protection complaint to:

Audrey Brien
Email: stay@wyevalleyretreat.co.uk

We will acknowledge the complaint, investigate it fairly and respond without undue delay. We will explain our findings and any action we intend to take.

If you are dissatisfied with our response, you may complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office:

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Website: ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint

Changes to This Statement

We may update this statement when our services, suppliers or legal responsibilities change. The latest version will be published on this website with its revision date.