Privacy Policy

01 Who We Are

Hookoom Private Limited ("Hookoom", "we", "our", "us") is a company incorporated under the Companies Act, 2013, with its registered office at A1508, Tower-2, NX One, Gaur Chowk, Greater Noida West, Uttar Pradesh – 201306, India.

We operate the website www.hookoom.com and any associated mobile applications (collectively, the "Platform"), which is a hotel discovery and booking platform where guests can share verified travel content and earn a share of booking commissions.

For questions regarding this Privacy Policy, contact us at: contact@hookoom.com

02 Scope of This Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect information about you when you use our Platform — whether as a traveller, a guest reviewer, or a hotel partner. It applies to all users of hookoom.com and our apps.

By using our Platform, you consent to the practices described in this policy.

03 Information We Collect

3.1 Information You Provide Directly

• Account information: Full name, email address, mobile number, and password when you register.
• Profile information: Profile photo, city, travel preferences, and bio (optional).
• Booking information: Guest name, check-in/check-out dates, number of guests, special requests.
• Payment information: UPI ID, bank account details, or card details for payouts. We do not store full card numbers — payments are processed via our payment gateway partner (ICICI Bank).
• Review and content: Photos, videos, star ratings, written reviews, and captions you submit about hotels.
• Communication: Messages you send to our support team.

3.2 Information We Collect Automatically

• Device information: Device type, operating system, browser type, and unique device identifiers.
• Usage data: Pages visited, features used, search queries, time spent on pages, and click patterns.
• Location data: Approximate location derived from IP address. Precise location only if you grant permission.
• Cookies and similar technologies: See Section 9 below.

3.3 Information from Third Parties

• Hotels and property partners: Property details, availability, and pricing data provided by partner hotels.
• Social login providers: If you sign in via Google or another provider, we receive your name, email, and profile photo as permitted by that provider.

04 How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

• Create and manage your account
• Process hotel bookings and issue booking confirmations
• Calculate and disburse your reviewer earnings (50% of Hookoom's commission on qualifying bookings)
• Verify the authenticity and recency of review content
• Display your reviews and photos to other users on the Platform
• Send booking confirmations, payment receipts, and service updates via email or SMS
• Respond to your support queries
• Improve our Platform, features, and search functionality
• Detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and unauthorised access
• Comply with applicable laws and legal obligations
• Send promotional communications (only with your consent; you may opt out at any time)

We do not use your data for automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects without human review.

05 Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data under the following grounds:

• Contractual necessity: To fulfil our obligations to you as a registered user or booking guest.
• Legitimate interests: To improve our Platform, prevent fraud, and ensure platform security.
• Legal obligation: To comply with applicable Indian laws including the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules, 2011 ("SPDI Rules").
• Consent: For marketing communications and non-essential cookies.

06 Sharing Your Information

We do not sell your personal data. We share your information only in the following circumstances:

All third-party service providers are contractually bound to handle your data securely and only for the specified purpose.

07 Your Review Content

When you submit a photo, video, or written review on Hookoom:

• You grant Hookoom a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to display, reproduce, and distribute that content on the Platform and in our marketing materials.
• Your display name and approximate stay date will be shown alongside your review.
• Reviews are verified for authenticity — metadata including timestamp and device information may be retained to support this verification.
• You may request removal of your content by writing to contact@hookoom.com. Removal of content that has already influenced a booking does not affect earnings already credited.

08 Data Retention

We retain your data for as long as your account is active or as required to provide our services. Specifically:

• Account data: Retained for the duration of your account plus 3 years after closure.
• Booking records: Retained for 7 years for financial and legal compliance.
• Review content: Retained indefinitely unless you request removal.
• Payment records: Retained as required under applicable Indian tax and financial regulations.

09 Cookies

We use the following types of cookies:

You can manage cookie preferences in your browser settings. Disabling essential cookies will affect Platform functionality.

10 Data Security

We implement the following security measures in accordance with the SPDI Rules:

• Encryption of data in transit (TLS/SSL via Cloudflare)
• Encrypted storage of sensitive personal data
• Access controls limiting employee access to personal data
• Regular security reviews and vulnerability assessments

No method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure. In the event of a data breach that poses risk to your rights, we will notify you and the relevant authority as required by law.

11 Your Rights

Under applicable Indian law, you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Correct inaccurate or incomplete data
• Delete your account and associated personal data (subject to legal retention requirements)
• Withdraw consent for marketing communications at any time
• Raise a grievance with our Grievance Officer (see Section 13)

To exercise any of these rights, write to us at contact@hookoom.com with the subject line "Data Request". We will respond within 30 days.

12 Children's Privacy

Our Platform is not directed at children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from minors. If you believe a minor has provided us with personal data, contact us immediately at contact@hookoom.com and we will delete it.

13 Grievance Officer

In accordance with the Information Technology Act, 2000 and SPDI Rules, the details of our Grievance Officer are:

Grievances will be acknowledged within 24 hours and resolved within 30 days of receipt.

14 Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date at the top. For material changes, we will notify registered users via email or an in-app notice at least 7 days before the change takes effect. Continued use of the Platform after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

15 Contact Us