Privacy Policy

Effective date: 2026-05-26. Last updated: 2026-05-26.

The short version

We're a single owner-managed Gulf Shores condo. We collect the information you provide when you inquire or book (name, email, phone), let Stripe handle payment through our booking system Hospitable, and use Google Analytics and Microsoft Clarity to understand how visitors use the site. If you subscribe to the email list, MailerLite holds your address. We don't sell your data, and you can ask us to delete it at any time.

Who runs this site?

The Shore Thing (728 W. Beach Blvd, Unit 218, Gulf Shores, AL 36542) is a privately owned, owner-managed short-term rental. This privacy policy covers data collected through the website gulfshoresalcondo.com and the booking process. The "we" / "us" referenced here is the individual owner-operator.

What data do we collect?

From guests who inquire or book

  • Name, email address, and phone number (you provide these in the booking widget)
  • Booking details: dates, number of guests, special requests
  • Payment information (handled by Stripe through our booking platform Hospitable — we do not see or store full card numbers)
  • Messages you send to us through Hospitable's guest messaging

From all site visitors (whether you book or not)

  • Google Analytics 4: standard web analytics — page views, session duration, device type, approximate location (city level), referring site. Helps us understand which pages are useful and which aren't.
  • Microsoft Clarity: session recording and heatmaps. Captures anonymized scroll, click, and mouse movement behavior. We use this to find broken UI and dead-end navigation paths.
  • Cookies and similar technologies: the above tools set first-party cookies for session tracking. Your browser controls whether to accept them.
  • IP address and User-Agent: logged by the server (Caddy) for security and abuse prevention. Logs are not used for marketing.

From email list subscribers

  • Email address (you provide it when you sign up for the "letter")
  • Subscription status, open/click history (managed by MailerLite)

How do we use the data?

  • Booking-related data: to confirm your reservation, send check-in instructions, communicate during your stay, and process payment.
  • Analytics data: to improve the site, fix problems, and decide what to write about next.
  • Email list: to send occasional notes about Gulf Shores and the condo. Roughly monthly cadence. Unsubscribe link in every email.
  • Server logs: to detect abuse (scraping, brute-force attempts) and maintain site reliability.

We do not use your data for advertising. We do not buy or sell email lists. We do not share data with partners beyond the third-party services listed below.

Who do we share data with?

The third-party services that handle your data as part of normal site operation:

We may share data if compelled by valid legal process (subpoena, court order). If that ever happens we'll notify you unless prohibited by law.

How long do we keep data?

  • Booking records: retained as needed for reservations, accounting, tax, and dispute-resolution obligations.
  • Guest messages: retained according to our booking-platform account settings and operational needs.
  • Analytics data: retained according to our analytics-platform configuration.
  • Email list: retained until you unsubscribe or we remove inactive records.
  • Server logs: retained as needed for security and reliability, then rotated or deleted.

Your rights

Depending on where you live (California, EU, UK, etc.), you may have rights to:

  • Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
  • Correct inaccurate data
  • Request deletion of your data (subject to legal record-keeping obligations like tax)
  • Ask questions about analytics tracking and available opt-out choices
  • Unsubscribe from the email list at any time (link in every email)

To exercise any of these rights, email us — see the contact section below. We aim to respond within 30 days.

Cookies and tracking controls

The site uses cookies or similar technologies for analytics (GA4, Microsoft Clarity). If you want to limit them:

  • Review your browser's cookie and privacy settings
  • Install a privacy-focused browser extension (uBlock Origin, Privacy Badger)
  • Browse in incognito / private mode

Browsing the informational pages does not require a booking. Hospitable's widget may use its own cookies or similar technologies during checkout, and restrictive browser settings may affect that flow.

Children

The site and the rental itself are intended for adults 25 and older (our minimum-age policy for the primary booking adult). We do not knowingly collect data from children. If you believe a child has provided information to us, contact us and we'll delete it.

Changes to this policy

We'll update this page if the data flow changes — adding a new third-party service, changing retention periods, etc. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page reflects the most recent material change. Substantive changes that affect existing subscribers or guests will be communicated by email when feasible.

Contact

Questions about this policy, or want to exercise one of your rights? Email us through the contact options listed on the about page. We answer ourselves and aim to respond within a few business days.

This policy is a good-faith description of how we handle data — written by the owner, not by a lawyer. If you need a formal legal-compliance document (GDPR, CCPA, etc.) we recommend consulting an attorney.