Privacy Policy

Who we are

The Thyolo House is a boutique hotel and restaurant located in the Thyolo Highlands, Malawi, operated as a property of Cosmic Phoenix LLC (Cheyenne, Wyoming, USA). This policy explains what personal information we collect through thyolohouse.com and during your stay, how we use it, and your choices.

Information we collect

We collect the following categories of personal information:

• Booking and enquiry information — name, email address, phone/WhatsApp number, arrival and departure dates, number of guests, room preferences, dietary requirements, and any notes you send us.
• Identification at check-in — passport or national ID details required by Malawian regulations for guest registration. These are recorded in our guest register and not transmitted elsewhere.
• Payment information — where deposits or payments are made electronically, transaction details are processed by our payment provider. We do not store full card numbers on our systems.
• Correspondence — emails, WhatsApp messages, and contact-form submissions you send to us.
• Website analytics — basic aggregate information about visits to thyolohouse.com (pages viewed, referrer, approximate location by country, device type) collected via privacy-respecting analytics.

How we use your information

• To respond to your enquiry, confirm your booking, and provide the stay you have booked.
• To meet our legal obligations under Malawian hospitality and immigration regulations (guest register).
• To process payments and issue receipts or invoices.
• To communicate with you about your booking, arrival logistics, and on-property services.
• To improve the website, our services, and understand which content is useful.
• To send you occasional updates about the property — only if you have opted in.

Legal basis

We process your information because it is necessary to provide the accommodation and services you have requested (performance of a contract), to meet our legal obligations, or on the basis of your consent (for marketing communications, which you can withdraw at any time).

Who we share it with

We do not sell your personal information. We share it only with:

• Service providers we use to run the business — email hosting, website hosting (Vercel), payment processors, and communication tools (e.g. WhatsApp) — strictly for the purposes described above.
• Government and regulatory bodies where we are legally required to disclose (e.g. guest register, tax authorities).
• Professional advisers (accountants, lawyers) under confidentiality where necessary.

We do not transfer your personal information to third parties for their own marketing purposes.

International transfers

Some of our service providers (website hosting, email) are located outside Malawi. Where information is transferred internationally, we rely on the standard protections offered by those providers under their own data-protection frameworks.

How long we keep it

• Booking and guest-register records: retained as long as required by Malawian law (typically several years for tax and regulatory purposes).
• Correspondence: retained while the enquiry or relationship is active, then archived or deleted.
• Marketing contact details: retained until you unsubscribe.
• Website analytics: retained in aggregated form only.

Cookies and tracking

Our website uses only essential cookies and privacy-respecting analytics to understand how visitors use the site. We do not use advertising trackers or third-party marketing pixels. You can control cookies through your browser settings.

Your rights

You can ask us to:

• Provide a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Correct any information that is inaccurate or incomplete.
• Delete your information, subject to any legal retention obligations.
• Stop sending you marketing communications at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, email thethyolohouse@gmail.com.

Children

The website is not directed at children under 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. Where children stay at the property, their information is provided by the responsible adult on the booking.

Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against loss, misuse, and unauthorised access. No online transmission can be guaranteed 100% secure — but we handle your information as carefully as we handle the guests who share it with us.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The current version is always at this page, with a "last updated" date at the top.

Contact

Questions about privacy or your information? Email thethyolohouse@gmail.com or use the contact page.