Privacy Policy

Gateway To Nepal Pvt. Ltd. (“Gateway To Nepal”, “we”, “our”, or “us”) values your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, disclose, and protect your information when you use the Gateway To Nepal platform, website, and related services.

By accessing or using Gateway To Nepal, you agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

1. Who We Are

Gateway To Nepal is an online travel and hospitality marketplace operated by Gateway To Nepal Pvt. Ltd., registered in Nepal.

We help customers discover and connect with:

• Stays & Accommodation Providers
• Restaurants & Cafés
• Travel Agencies & Things To Do Providers

For any privacy-related enquiries, contact us at info@gatewaytonepal.com.

2. Information We Collect

We collect information to provide and improve our services.

2.1 Information You Provide to Us

Customer Account Information

• Full name
• Email address
• Phone number
• Password (stored in encrypted form — we never store it in plain text)
• Profile photo (optional)
• Country of residence (optional)

Booking Information

When making a booking request, we may collect:

• Travel dates and duration
• Number of guests or participants
• Special requests or requirements
• Contact phone number for the booking

Reviews & Feedback

• Star ratings and written reviews you submit
• Your display name as associated with reviews

Business Account Information

For businesses listing on Gateway To Nepal:

• Business name and contact details
• Business owner identity information
• Licences and verification documents
• Business photos and listing content
• Invoicing and plan information

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you use our platform, we or our service providers may automatically collect:

• IP address
• Device type and operating system
• Browser type and version
• Pages visited and features used
• Time and duration of visits
• Referring URL

This information helps us maintain platform security, diagnose technical issues, and understand how users navigate the site.

3. How We Use Your Information

Provide Services

• Create and manage your account
• Process and manage booking requests
• Connect customers with businesses
• Send booking confirmations, updates, and reminders
• Enable customer reviews and ratings

Improve the Platform

• Analyse usage trends and platform performance
• Improve search results and recommendations
• Diagnose technical issues
• Enhance the overall user experience

Communications

We may contact you regarding:

• Booking confirmations and updates
• Account verification and password resets
• Business approval status
• Important service announcements

If you opt in to promotional content, we may also send travel inspiration, seasonal offers, and platform updates. You may unsubscribe at any time via your account settings or by clicking “Unsubscribe” in any marketing email.

Legal Compliance

We may use your information where required to comply with applicable laws, regulations, legal processes, or enforceable government requests, and to protect the rights and safety of Gateway To Nepal, our users, and the public.

4. How Booking Information Is Shared

Gateway To Nepal acts as a platform connecting customers with independent businesses. When you submit a booking request, relevant information is shared with the respective business solely to facilitate your booking, including:

• Your name
• Email address
• Phone number
• Booking details (dates, guests, rooms)
• Special requests

This information is shared only to the extent necessary to fulfil the booking or enquiry you initiated. We do not share your information with businesses for marketing or any other purpose.

5. Reviews & Public Content

If you submit reviews or ratings:

• Your display name may appear alongside your review.
• Content you publish may be visible to all users of the platform.
• Businesses may respond publicly to your reviews.

Please avoid including sensitive personal information (such as your full address, financial details, or contact information) in public reviews.

6. Cookies & Website Analytics

Gateway To Nepal may use cookies and similar technologies to:

• Keep you logged in to your account
• Remember your preferences and search settings
• Understand how visitors navigate and use the platform
• Improve website performance and reliability

Cookies may collect information such as device type, browser type, IP address, pages visited, and time spent on the site.

You may disable cookies through your browser settings. Please note that disabling cookies may affect certain features, including staying logged in to your account.

7. Data Security

We take reasonable steps to protect your information, including:

• Encrypted password storage (passwords are never stored in plain text)
• Authenticated access controls for all account data
• JWT-based session authentication
• HTTPS encryption for all data transmitted between your browser and our servers
• Monitoring for suspicious activity

However, no system can guarantee absolute security. We encourage users to use strong, unique passwords and to contact us immediately if they suspect unauthorised account access.

8. Your Account Security Responsibilities

You are responsible for:

• Keeping your password confidential
• Not sharing your login credentials with others
• Logging out when using shared or public devices
• Notifying us promptly of any suspected unauthorised access

Gateway To Nepal is not responsible for unauthorised account access resulting from weak, reused, or compromised passwords.

9. Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to:

• Provide our services and maintain your account
• Maintain booking and transaction records
• Resolve disputes and enforce our Terms
• Meet applicable legal and regulatory obligations

We may retain limited information after account closure where required by law or for legitimate operational purposes such as fraud prevention.

10. Third-Party Service Providers

To operate and improve our platform, we work with trusted third-party service providers. These providers process limited data on our behalf and are not permitted to use it for their own marketing purposes.

Our current service providers include:

We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party websites that may be linked from our platform.

11. Children's Privacy

Gateway To Nepal is not intended for individuals under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors.

If we become aware that personal data has been collected from a minor, we will take prompt steps to remove that information and close the associated account.

12. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on applicable law, you may have the right to:

• Access — request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Correction — update inaccurate or incomplete information
• Deletion — request deletion of your personal data, subject to legal retention obligations
• Portability — request your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Withdraw consent — opt out of marketing communications at any time
• Close your account — through your account settings or by contacting us

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at info@gatewaytonepal.com. We will respond to valid requests within 30 days.

13. International Users & Data Storage

Gateway To Nepal is operated from Nepal. Our platform infrastructure is hosted on servers operated by Vercel and Render, which may be located in the United States or other countries.

If you access our platform from outside Nepal, your information may be transferred to and processed in countries with different data protection laws than your own. By using the platform, you consent to this transfer.

14. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, data practices, or legal requirements.

For material changes, we will make reasonable efforts to notify registered users by email before the updated policy takes effect. The effective date at the top of this page will always reflect the most recent revision.

Continued use of the platform after the effective date of a revised policy constitutes your acceptance of the updated terms.

15. Contact Us

For questions, concerns, or requests relating to this Privacy Policy or your personal information, please contact us: