Privacy Policy
Your privacy is very important to Advanced Reservation Systems, Inc., ("ARES", "us" or "we"). We have created this Privacy Policy for use in connection with www.arestravel.com and www.aresdirect.com (collectively, the "Services"), to demonstrate our commitment to privacy and security. This Privacy Policy describes how ARES collects and uses information. Please read this Privacy Policy carefully, as it will be modified from time to time.
Personal Information ARES Collects and How It Is Used
aRes collects information in different ways from individuals who access the various parts of our Services and the network of affiliate websites accessible through or utilized by our Services. We use this information primarily to provide a customized experience as you use our Services and, generally, do not share this information with third parties. However, we may disclose personal information collected (i) if necessary for the provision of our Services, (ii) if we have received your permission beforehand, (iii) if specifically stated that we will, or (iv) in very special circumstances, such as when we believe that such disclosure is required by law or other special cases described below.
When necessary, aRes shares your personal information with Travelport. Travelport processes and stores such information when such processing and storage is necessary to complete the requested travel arrangements. Such personal information will be processed and stored in the United States and in accordance with the Travelport Privacy Principles, which are available for review.
Individuals may be asked to provide certain personal information when they use our Services including name, address, telephone number, billing information (such as a credit card number), and travel plans or arrangements. The personal information collected is used solely for the provision of our Services unless specifically stated otherwise. However, in instances where aRes and a partner jointly promote or offer the Services, ARES may provide the partner certain personal information to the partner for the sole purpose of allowing us and the partner to assess the results of the promotion or to offer the Services. In this instance, personal information may not be used by the partner for any other purpose. aRes may also generate non-identifying and aggregate profiles from personal information. We may use this aggregated and non-identifying information to sell advertisements that appear on the Services or to enhance the Services.
aRes Affiliates, Partners and Sponsors
Affiliates
When you access aRes' Services through one of our trusted Affiliates, we may (under the terms of the Affiliate Agreement) provide the Affiliate with your profile information only (not your credit card information). Please review the information privacy practices of any Affiliates or travel suppliers whose products you reserved on Advanced Reservation Systems, Inc network of sites
Other Partners and Sponsors
Some aRes products and services are offered in conjunction with a non-affiliated partner. To provide some of these products and services, the partner may need to collect and maintain personal information. In these instances, you will be notified before any such data is collected or transferred and may decide not to use that particular service or feature. aRes will share non-identifying and aggregate information (except as described above), but not personal information, with such partners in order to administer any such co-branded products or services offered.
At some websites, you can purchase products and services or register to receive materials, such as a brochure, a catalog or new product and service updates. In many cases, you may be asked to provide contact information, such as your name, address, email address, phone number, and credit/debit card information. aRes has no control over the third parties' use of any personal information you provide when placing such an order. We strongly suggest you review the third parties' privacy policy before providing any of your information.
Responses to Email Inquiries
When individuals send email inquiries to aRes, the return email address is used to answer the email inquiry we receive. aRes does not use the return email address for any other purpose and does not share the return email address with any third party.
Voluntary Customer Surveys
We may periodically conduct both business and individual customer surveys. We encourage our customers to participate in these surveys because they provide us with important information that helps us to improve the types of services we offer and how we provide them to you. Your personal information and responses will remain strictly confidential, even if the survey is conducted by a third party. Participation in our customer surveys is voluntary. We take the information we receive from individuals responding to our customer surveys and combine (or aggregate) it with the responses of other aRes customers to create broader, generic responses to the survey questions (such as gender, age, residence, hobbies, education, employment, industry sector, or other demographic information). We then use the aggregated information to improve the quality of our Services to you, and to develop new services and products. This aggregate, non-personally identifying information may be shared with third parties.
Special Cases
It is aRes's policy not to use or share the personal information about individuals in ways unrelated to the ones described above without also providing you an opportunity to opt out or otherwise prohibit such unrelated uses. However, aRes may disclose personal information about individuals, or information regarding your use of the Services or internet sites accessible through our Services, for any reason if, in our sole discretion, we believe that it is reasonable to do so, including: to satisfy laws, such as the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, regulations, or governmental or legal requests for such information; to disclose information that is necessary to identify, contact, or bring legal action against someone who may be violating our terms of uses or other policies; to operate the Services properly; or to protect aRes and our customers.
"Cookies" and How aRes Uses Them
A "cookie" is a small data file that can be placed on your hard drive when you visit certain Internet sites. aRes may use cookies to collect, store, and sometimes track information for statistical purposes to improve the products and services we provide and to manage our telecommunications networks. We also use cookies to save your settings and to provide customizable and personalized services. These cookies do not enable third parties to access any of your customer information. Additionally, be aware that if you visit non-aRes websites where you are prompted to login or that are customizable, you may be required to accept cookies. Advertisers and partners may also use their own cookies. We do not control use of these cookies and expressly disclaim responsibility for information collected through them.
aRes's Commitment to Data Security
Services and our affiliate websites have security measures in place to protect the loss, misuse, and alteration of the information under our control. While we make every effort to ensure the integrity and security of our network and systems, we cannot guarantee that our security measures will prevent third-party "hackers" from illegally obtaining this information.
Revisions to This Policy
aRes reserves the right to revise, amend, or modify this policy and our other policies and agreements at any time and in any manner.
Privacy Questions
If you believe that aRes has not complied with this Privacy Policy with respect to your personal information, you may send an email to the aRes Privacy Officer at the following address: legal@arestravelinc.com . Please describe in as much detail as possible the ways in which you believe that the aRes Online Privacy Policy has not been complied with. We will investigate your complaint promptly.