Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

Chalet Balthazar is operated by Villars Apartments. We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data responsibly. This policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, how it is used, and the rights you have over it.

2. Information We Collect

We collect the following categories of personal data when you use our website, make a booking, or contact us:

• Identity and contact details: name, email address, phone number, postal address
• Booking details: arrival and departure dates, number of guests, apartment preferences, special requests
• Payment information: processed securely by our payment provider Stripe; we do not store full card details ourselves
• Website usage data: IP address, browser and device type, and pages visited, collected via cookies and Google Analytics
• Correspondence: messages you send us through our contact form, email, or phone

3. Legal Basis for Processing

As we welcome guests from Switzerland and abroad, we process personal data in accordance with the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP) and, where it applies to guests based in the EU, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). We rely on the following legal grounds:

• Performance of a contract – to process your booking and provide accommodation services
• Consent – for marketing emails and non-essential cookies, which you may withdraw at any time
• Legitimate interest – to run and improve our website, prevent fraud, and understand how our site is used
• Legal obligation – to meet Swiss tax, accounting, and regulatory requirements

4. How We Use Your Information

• Confirm and manage your reservation
• Communicate with you before, during, and after your stay
• Respond to enquiries submitted through our website, email, or phone
• Send occasional newsletters or offers via ActiveCampaign, only where you have opted in
• Analyse website traffic to improve the guest experience
• Meet our legal and accounting obligations

5. Who We Share Data With

We do not sell your personal data. We work with a small number of trusted service providers who process data on our behalf, each under contractual obligations to protect it and use it only for the purposes we specify:

• Lodgify – our booking and property management platform
• Stripe – to process payments securely
• Google Analytics – to understand website traffic
• ActiveCampaign – to send marketing communications you have agreed to receive

We may also disclose data where required by Swiss or EU law, or to protect our legal rights.

6. International Data Transfers

Your data is primarily stored and processed in Switzerland. Some of our service providers (including Google Analytics, ActiveCampaign, and Stripe) may process data outside Switzerland, including in the EU/EEA or the United States. Where this occurs, we work only with providers that offer appropriate safeguards, such as Standard Contractual Clauses or an equivalent framework recognised under Swiss and EU data protection law.

7. Cookies

Our website uses cookies to function properly and to help us understand how it is used:

• Essential cookies – required for core site functionality; these cannot be switched off
• Analytics cookies (Google Analytics) – help us see how visitors use the site; active only with your consent
• Marketing cookies (ActiveCampaign) – used to personalise communications; active only with your consent

You can review or change your cookie preferences at any time via the cookie settings on our website.

8. How Long We Keep Your Data

We retain booking and contact records for as long as necessary to fulfil your reservation and to meet our legal, tax, and accounting obligations (Swiss law generally requires financial records to be kept for 10 years). Marketing data is kept until you unsubscribe or withdraw your consent.

9. Your Rights

Under the Swiss FADP and, where applicable, the GDPR, you have the right to:

• Ask what personal data we hold about you and request a copy
• Ask us to correct inaccurate data
• Ask us to delete your data, subject to our legal retention obligations
• Withdraw consent to marketing or non-essential cookies at any time
• Object to processing based on our legitimate interest
• Lodge a complaint with the Swiss Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC), or your local data protection authority if you are based in the EU

To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details in Section 1. We may need to verify your identity before responding to your request.

10. How We Protect Your Data

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your information, including secure hosting, restricted internal access, and working only with reputable service providers. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we review our practices regularly to keep your data safe.

11. Children's Privacy

Our services are intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data directly from children; any booking information involving minors is provided to us by an accompanying adult.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or in applicable law. The “Last updated” date at the top of this page will always show the most recent version, and we will communicate significant changes where appropriate.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this policy or how we handle your personal data, please contact us: