Terms and conditions – Introduction
The following terms and conditions – and subsequent changes – apply to all our services made available online, directly or indirectly (through distributors), through any mobile device, by email or by phone. By accessing our website (including from mobile devices), visiting it, using it and/or using any of the applications available through any platform, and/or making a reservation, you acknowledge that you have read, understood and accepted the terms and conditions set out below (including the Privacy Policy).
These pages, their content, structure and the online booking service provided by us on them and through this website are owned, operated and offered by Hoaexp.com and are provided for your personal, non-commercial use only, subject to the terms and conditions described below. The relationships we have with Travel Providers are governed by different terms and conditions, which govern the business relationship we have with each of these Travel Providers. Each Travel Provider acts in a professional manner towards Hoaexp.com in making its product and/or service available on or through Hoaexp.com (both for the company-to-company and / or company-to-customer relationship). Travel Providers may have, declare applicable and/or require (the consent of), in addition to the conditions and clauses indicated on the website, their own terms and conditions and rules (delivery / shipping / transport / use) for the use, access and implementation of the Trip, which may include specific disclaimers and limitations of liability.
- Purpose and nature of our Service
Through the Platform, we provide an online platform that allows Travel Providers, in their professional rules of conduct, to advertise, market, sell, promote and/or offer their products and services for ordering, purchasing, booking and rental, and visitors to the Platform to discover, search, compare and place an order, reservation, purchase or payment. By using or using the Service, you will establish a direct contractual relationship (legally binding) with the Travel Provider with whom you have booked the product or service. From the time of the aforementioned Trip Reservation, we will act exclusively as an intermediary between you and the Travel Provider, transmitting to the relevant Travel Provider(s) the details of the Trip Reservation and sending you an e-mail confirmation for and on behalf of the Travel Provider.
In providing our Travel Service, we disclose the information that has been provided to us by the Travel Providers. All Travel Providers who market and promote their Trip on the Platform are therefore given access to our systems and the extranet network, for which they are fully responsible for updating fares/costs/prices, availability, rules and conditions, and other information displayed on our Platform. Although we provide our Travel Service with diligence and care, we cannot verify and guarantee the accuracy, completeness and correctness of the information, nor can we be held responsible for any errors (including manifest and typing errors), service interruptions (whether due to temporary and/or partial failure, repair, upgrade or maintenance of the Platform or otherwise), inaccurate, misleading or false information or failure to deliver it. Each Travel Provider is responsible at all times for the accuracy, completeness and correctness of the information (including descriptive information), including fares/costs/prices, rules and conditions, and availability, displayed on our Platform. Our Platform is not intended, and should not be viewed in this light, to recommend or support any Travel Provider marketed on the Platform in terms of quality, level of service, rating and assignment of the category through stars or in relation to its locations, facilities, vehicles or services and products made available.
Our Travel Service is available for your personal, non-commercial use only. Therefore, you may not resell, deep-link, use, copy, monitor (e.g. using spiders, scrapes), view, download or reproduce any content or information, software, reservations, tickets, products or services available on our Platform for any type of business with a commercial or competitive purpose.
- Rates
The rates offered by the Travel Providers indicated on our Platform are highly competitive. All fares for your trip include VAT and all other taxes (subject to currency exchange of these taxes) and penalties, unless otherwise indicated on our Platform or on the confirmation email or ticket. The cost of the ticket is per person or group and subject to validity or expiration as stated on the ticket, if applicable. The Travel Provider may decide to charge taxes and penalties (including tourist/tourist tax) in the event of no-show or cancellation.
Sometimes you may find cheaper rates for a particular stay, service or product on our Platform. However, these fares, proposed by the Travel Providers, may involve special restrictions and conditions, for example, regarding cancellation or refund. Before you make your reservation, please check carefully whether these conditions are present in the product, service or booking details.
Obvious errors are not binding, including printing errors.
All special offers and promotions are indicated as such. If they are not mentioned as such, no rights can be claimed in the event of obvious errors or errors.
- Privacy and cookies
What kind of personal data does Hoaexp.com collect?
We can’t help you book the perfect Trip if you don’t provide us with information. Therefore, when you use our services, there is precise information that we need to ask you for, such as your name, contact details, any names of those travelling with you, and payment details. You can decide for yourself whether to send us special requests for your next Trip (e.g. certain preferences). In addition, we also collect data from your computer, phone, tablet or other device you use to access our services. This includes your IP address, the browser you use and your language settings. We may also receive information about you from third parties or automatically collect other information about you.
Why does Hoaexp.com collect and use your personal information?
We do this for a good reason: to help you manage your online Travel Reservations and to ensure the best possible service. We also use your personal information to contact you and to inform you about discounts and special offers and other products and services that we think may be of interest to you.
How does Hoaexp.com share your information with third parties?
Hoaexp.com services are linked to different parties, in different ways and for different reasons. The main purpose is to share relevant data about your Trip with the Travel Provider to complete the Trip Reservation. Other parties may also receive some data as they are involved in the provision of services provided by Hoaexp.com. These include, for example, banks, advertising agencies, subsidiaries of the group to which Hoaexp.com belongs or, in some cases, if required by applicable law, public bodies or other authorities. We do not sell or give away your personal information.
How does Hoaexp.com handle any communications sent to Hoaexp.com by you and the Travel Provider you have booked?
Hoaexp.com can help you and the Travel Provider to exchange information and requests about their services or Travel Reservations made. These exchanges can be made directly through Hoaexp.com.
What kind of use does Hoaexp.com make of social media?
Social media use can be integrated into Hoaexp.com’s services in various ways, implying either the collection of personal data by us or the receipt of some personal data by the specific social media.
What are the security and retention procedures Hoaexp.com uses to safeguard your personal information?
We rely on all appropriate and appropriate procedures to prevent unauthorized access to data, as well as any improper use of the data we process.
How does Hoaexp.com handle children’s personal data?
Unless otherwise stated, Hoaexp.com offers a service that can only be used by adults. We only handle information about children with the consent of the parents or legal guardian or when the information is provided to us by the parents or legal guardian.
How do you control the personal information you have shared with Hoaexp.com?
You always have the right to review your personal data that we have collected. You can request an overview of your personal data by e-mail, by writing to the e-mail address provided.
Who is responsible for managing the personal data collected through the Hoaexp.com website and apps?
Heart of Africa Expedition S.r.l., based in Milan, Italy, controls the management of personal data collected through its website.
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What kind of personal data does Hoaexp.com collect?
Personal data that you provide to us.
Hoaexp.com collects and uses the information you have provided to us. When you make your Travel Reservation, we ask you for your name and email address as basic data. Depending on your Travel Reservation, we may also ask you for your home address, telephone number, payment details, date of birth, the name of any other persons travelling with you and your Travel preferences.
If you would like to get in touch with our customer support team, or contact us by other means (e.g. on social media or by communicating through us with the booked Travel Provider), we will also collect information through these channels. Guests may also be asked to write a review to help other travelers find the accommodation they are looking for. We will collect information from you in your reviews, including the name you see.
There may also be other cases where you need to provide us with information. For example, if you are browsing on your mobile device, you can decide whether to authorize Hoaexp.com to view your current location or access your contacts in order to receive the best possible experience and service (for example, to view our city guides, restaurants or attractions closest to your location or other recommendations). You can also create a user account, which will allow you to save your custom settings, upload photos, review past bookings or organize and manage future bookings or benefit from other features only available to account holders (e.g. incentives or other benefits we could offer).
You may choose to participate in prize games, and even then you may have to provide personal information. In addition, you have the opportunity to give us your opinion or ask for our help regarding the use of the travel services offered by Hoaexp.com.
Personal data that you provide about other people.
It may happen that you do not simply make a Trip Reservation just for you, but also for other people who make a Trip with you, or that you make a Trip Reservation on behalf of another person. In such cases, you will also need to provide information about them during the booking process. At this point, we would like to specify that it is our responsibility to ensure that the persons you have provided information about are aware of this, and that they have understood and accepted the way in which Hoaexp.com uses their information (i.e. as described in this Privacy Policy).
Personal data that we collect automatically.
Whether or not you complete a Trip Reservation, when you visit our site we automatically collect certain information. For example, your IP address, the date and time you access our service, the hardware, software or browser you use and information about your computer’s operating system, application version and language settings. We also collect information about your clicks and the pages you have been shown.
If you use a mobile device, we collect data that identifies your device, phone settings and features, and system activity. When you make your Trip Reservation, our system records the vehicle and site through which you made the reservation or logged into the Hoaexp.com site.
Personal data that we receive from other sources.
In addition to the information you provide directly to us, we may receive other data from various sources, such as business partners such as affiliates and independent third parties, and any information we receive from these sources may be combined with information we receive directly from you. For example, Hoaexp.com booking services are available not only on Hoaexp.com, but are also integrated with affiliate partner services that you can find online. When you use these services, you provide your booking details to our business partners, who then send them to us. In addition, we use external providers to manage payments between you and the Travel Provider: these service providers share payment information, to help us manage and handle your Travel Reservation, so that you have the best possible experience.
Another example is the communication services integrated into our platforms that allow you to get in touch with the Travel Provider you have booked for travel-related issues. When you use these features, in some cases we receive data on communication-related activities (e.g. where you called, who you are and the date and duration of the call). We may also receive other information to show you more relevant advertising content, such as additional data on cookies made available to Hoaexp.com by social media partners. When you link your Hoaexp.com account to a social media account, your personal information is shared with Hoaexp.com by the social media service owner, but only if you have given your consent. You can always choose not to share this data.
The Travel Provider shares information about you with Hoaexp.com, for example when you have questions about an ongoing Travel Reservation, or in the event of a dispute about a reservation.
Why does Hoaexp.com collect and use your personal information?
The information we collect about you is used for various purposes. That’s what your data is for:
- Trip Booking: First of all, we use your personal information to complete and manage your Trip Booking online. This includes sending communications that relate to your Trip Reservation, such as confirmations, changes and reminders.
- Customer Support: Through our local offices we provide customer support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Sharing your relevant data, such as booking data or user account information, with our customer support team allows us to be at your disposal when you need us, for example by helping you find the right Travel Provider or answering questions you may have about your Travel Reservation or other topics.
- Account: Hoaexp.com users can create a user account on our site. We use the information you provide to manage your account, allowing you to have many useful features. You can manage your Travel Reservations, take advantage of special offers, make Travel Reservations easily and manage your personal settings. Choosing your personal settings can allow you to manage and share lists, view previously searched Travel Services, share photos, check other travel information and see the reviews you submitted.
- Online Groups or Forums: We may allow users with an account to join online groups or forums and interact with other users.
- Marketing Activities: We also use your information for marketing activities, including for example:
- Use your information to send you periodic news about products and services related to the world of travel. You can unsubscribe from marketing communications at any time quickly and easily.
- Based on the information you share about yourself, we may show you personalized offers on Hoaexp.com, on third party apps or sites/apps (including social media sites) and the content of the site you view may be customized. They may be offered to book directly on the Hoaexp.com website, co-branded sites, or other third party offers or products that we think may interest you.
- When you participate in promotional activities, your information about them will be used to manage your participation in these promotions.
- Communications with you: You may be contacted by e-mail, post, telephone or SMS, depending on the method of contact you have chosen. In addition, we will have to manage the communications you send to us, for example in the following cases:
- Respond to and manage requests from you or the Travel Provider you have booked. Hoaexp.com offers guests and Travel Providers different ways, directly through Hoaexp.com itself, to exchange information, requests and comments about their offers and Travel Reservations made.
- When you use our services, we may send you a questionnaire or invite you to provide a review of your experience with Hoaexp.com or the Travel Provider.
- In addition, we will send you other material related to your Travel Reservations, such as information on how to contact Hoaexp.com in case of need while you are traveling, or useful information that may help you to organize and better enjoy your trip. We also send you material on Active Travel Reservations or a reminder of previous bookings made on Hoaexp.com.
- Even if you do not have active Trip Reservations, we may need to send you other administrative messages, such as security alerts.
- Market Research: Sometimes we ask our customers to take part in a market research. Please review the information you provide when you are invited to participate in order to understand what personal data is collected and how it is further used.
- Improve Our Services: We also use personal data for analysis purposes in order to improve our services and enrich the user experience. We may also use the data for testing purposes, troubleshooting and to improve the functionality and quality of our online travel services. The main objective is to optimize and customize our online platform according to your needs, making it easier and more enjoyable to use.
- Guest reviews and other destination information: During and after your booked Trip with us you may be invited to leave a review. We may also give you the opportunity to leave a review to those who were travelling with you or to the people you booked for. This invitation requires information about the Travel Provider or destination. Account holders can choose to show a review with a username (of your choice and set up in the account area) instead of the real name. In addition, account holders can also choose to show the review as anonymous. By completing a review, you agree to make it viewable (as described in detail in our Terms and Conditions), for example, on the relevant Travel Provider page on our website or apps, our social media profiles, the online platform of the Travel Provider or business partner. The purpose is to inform other travellers about the quality of the Travel Service used, the destination you have chosen or the other experiences you have decided to share.
- Telephone monitoring: When you call our customer support team, they may still ask you to identify yourself, to ensure that your booking details remain confidential. During calls with the customer support team, a system of listening to or recording the call may be activated for quality control and operator training purposes, including the use of recordings to handle complaints and detect fraud. Not all calls are recorded and records are kept for a limited period of time and then automatically deleted later, unless Hoaexp.com has a legitimate reason to keep them longer, for example in the case of fraud investigations or under the law.
- Promoting a safe and reliable service: In order to create a reliable environment for you, your travel companions, Hoaexp.com’s business partners and Travel Providers, we use personal data to reveal and prevent fraud and other illegal or unwanted activities. Similarly, we use personal data for risk and security analysis, including to make reservations and authenticate users. For these purposes, we may be required to block or hold reservations until our analysis is complete.
- Legal purposes: Finally, in some cases, we may need to use your information to manage and resolve legal disputes, government investigations and compliance checks, to enforce the terms of use of Hoaexp.com’s online booking service or to comply with legitimate requests from public authorities.
Disclosure of personal information to Hoaexp.com is on a voluntary basis. However, depending on the type of service you wish to use, we may only be able to offer it to you if certain personal data is collected. For example, we cannot process your Travel Reservation if we do not collect your name and contact details.
If we use automated means to process personal data that produce legal effects or significantly affect you, we will take appropriate measures to safeguard your rights and freedoms, including the right to obtain human intervention.
To handle your personal data as described above, we rely on the following principles:
With regard to the purposes A and B Hoaexp.com uses as a legal basis the need to process personal data for the execution of the contract, specifically to finalize and administer your Travel Reservation. If you do not provide the necessary personal data, Hoaexp.com cannot complete your Travel Reservation, and cannot provide customer service. With regard to the purposes from C to K, Hoaexp.com relies on its legitimate commercial interest to provide its services, prevent fraud and improve services. When personal data is used for the legitimate interest of Hoaexp.com or a third party, Hoaexp.com will in any case balance your rights and interests in protecting your personal data against the rights and interests of Hoaexp.com or the third party. With regard to the purpose L, Hoaexp.com relies, where applicable, on compliance with its legal obligations (e.g. legitimate requests from public bodies). Where required by applicable law, Hoaexp.com will require your consent before processing your personal data for direct marketing purposes.
If you wish to object to the processing described in points C to K and there are no direct opt-out mechanisms available to you (e.g. in your account settings), please contact us at our e-mail address.
How does Hoaexp.com share your data with third parties?
In some cases we will share your personal information with third parties.
- Your Travel Provider: To complete your Travel Reservation, we must transfer your details to the Travel Provider you have booked. Depending on the Trip Reservation and the Travel Provider, this may include your name, contact and payment details, the name of the guests travelling with you and any preferences or other information that may be indicated when you made the Trip Reservation. If you have any questions about your Trip, we may need to contact the Travel Provider and ask them to handle your request. Unless payment is made during the booking process through the Hoaexp.com website, we will need to forward your credit card details to the Travel Provider you have booked to process your payment (provided you provided the details during the booking process). In the event of a dispute regarding your booking, we may need to provide the Travel Provider with the necessary information about the booking process to handle the dispute, for example a copy of your booking confirmation as proof of the actual existence of your Travel Reservation.
- Third Party Services: We use service companies to support us in providing Hoaexp.com services. These service companies provide services such as:
o customer service
or market research
o detection of fraud and prevention services, including anti-fraud controls
or payment services. We use third parties to process payments, manage cancellations or provide invoice collection services. When you or the holder of the credit card used for the Trip Reservation request a cancellation for your reservation, we need to share certain information about the reservation itself with the payment service provider and the specific financial institution in order to handle the cancellation. For example, we may share a copy of your booking confirmation or the IP address used to make your booking. We may share information with the specific financial institution if we believe it is absolutely necessary for fraud detection and prevention purposes.
or marketing services. We share personal information with marketing partners, including email addresses, as part of Hoaexp.com’s marketing services through third parties. We do our best to share email addresses in encrypted form with an existing customer database so that email addresses cannot be used for other purposes.
All service providers are required to carefully safeguard your personal information.
- Competent Authorities: We share personal data with law enforcement agencies when required to do so by law or when absolutely necessary for the detection, prevention or prosecution of fraud or crime, or if we are otherwise required by law. We may have to share personal information with the relevant authorities to protect and defend our rights or property, or the rights and property of our business partners.
- Business Partners: We work with many business partners around the world. These business partners distribute or market Hoaexp.com’s services, including the services and products of our Travel Providers.
When you book on one of our business partner’s websites or apps, certain information you provide, such as your name, email address, address, payment details and other relevant information, will also be shared with us to complete and administer your Travel Reservation. If customer support is provided by the partner, Hoaexp.com will share your booking details with the partner (if and when necessary) in order to provide you with appropriate and efficient support. When you book through the website of one of our business partners, the latter may receive some of your personal data related to your specific booking, such as your name and email address. This is for their own internal purposes (e.g. for analysis purposes) and, if requested by you, also for the management of loyalty programmes or for marketing purposes.
When you book on a business partner’s website, we encourage you to read their privacy policy in case you want to better understand how your personal data will be handled. For fraud detection and prevention purposes, and when absolutely necessary, we may also exchange information about our users with our business partners.
The transmission of personal data as described in this Privacy Policy may include overseas transfers to countries that do not have comprehensive and complete data protection laws such as those of European Union countries. Where required by Community law, we will only transfer personal data to recipients who provide an adequate level of personal data protection. In such circumstances it may be necessary to establish contractual measures to ensure that data protection is in line with European standards. You may request to see a copy of these contractual agreements by contacting us in the manner described.
How does Hoaexp.com handle any communications sent via Hoaexp.com by you and the Travel Provider you have booked?
Hoaexp.com may offer you and your Travel Provider different channels of communication (available on Hoaexp.com itself) regarding your existing Travel Reservation and Travel Service. Through the area of your profile, and through other channels that we may make available, you and your Travel Provider can contact Hoaexp.com for questions about your Travel Reservation.
Hoaexp.com accesses communications and uses automated systems to review, scan and analyze communications for the purposes of security, fraud prevention, compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, investigation of potential crimes, product development and improvement, research, customer engagement, for example by providing you with information and offers that we think may be of interest to you, and customer or technical support. We reserve the right to block the delivery of communications, or to conduct audits, if we deem it necessary in our discretion, for example if we think it may contain harmful content, spam or any kind of risk to you, your partner facilities, Hoaexp.com or others. Please note that all communications sent or received through Hoaexp.com will be received and retained by Hoaexp.com. The business partners you have booked with and the Travel Provider may decide to communicate directly with you via email or other channels outside of the control of Hoaexp.com.
What kind of use does Hoaexp.com make of mobile devices?
We offer versions of our site optimized for navigation via smartphones or tablets. These mobile sites manage the personal information you provide in the same way as the website, and also allow you to use location services to search for the nearest Travel Service if you wish. With your consent, we may also send you push notifications with information about your Travel Reservation. You can also authorize our access to your position or contacts in order to offer you the services you requested. Read your mobile device’s instructions to change settings and enable sharing of this data or receiving push notifications.
We may use a so-called cross-device tracking mode to optimize our services and marketing activities, whether or not through the use of cookies.
To optimize the content of the Hoaexp.com newsletter, Hoaexp.com combines the searches and reservations you make from different computers and devices. You can unsubscribe from the Hoaexp.com newsletter at any time.
On other sites and apps you may see personalized advertisements, also offered based on your activities on computers and connected devices.
What kind of use does Hoaexp.com make of social media?
At Hoaexp.com, we use social media in a variety of ways, such as to facilitate the use of the online booking service, to promote our Travel Providers’ travel-related products, and to advertise, improve and facilitate the use of our services.
- Integration of social media plugins. We have integrated social media plugins into Hoaexp.com’s website and apps. This means that when you click on one of the buttons (for example, the Facebook “Like” button), some information is shared with social media service providers.
- Other social media services and features. We may integrate other social media services (such as a message exchange system) to interact with Hoaexp.com or with your contacts about our services. We may also be there managing social media accounts and offering apps on different social platforms. If you choose to connect to Hoaexp.com via social media, your social service provider may allow you to share information with Hoaexp.com. If you choose to share, your provider will usually tell you what information will be shared.
When you connect to a messaging system without having a Hoaexp.com account, the information you decide to share can include the basic information available on your social media profile (including your email address, status updates and contact list). We will use this information, for example, to provide you with the service you requested, to forward a message you want to send to your contacts or to create a personalized user experience on our site. We can, therefore, if you ask us to customize our services according to your needs, offer you and your friends the best travel destinations and analyze and improve our services related to the world of travel. Your social media service provider may provide you with more details about how they use and manage your information when you connect to Hoaexp.com through social media, for example by combining the personal information they collect when you use Hoaexp.com through them with the information they collect when you use other online platforms connected to your social media provider.
What security and data retention procedures does Hoaexp.com have in place to safeguard your personal information?
We rely on appropriate procedures to prevent unauthorized access to, and misuse of, your data.
We use industry systems and procedures to safeguard the personal information you provide to us. We also rely on security procedures and physical technical limitations to prevent access to and use of personal data contained on our servers. Only authorized personnel may access personal data during the course of their work.
We will retain your personal information for as long as we deem necessary to enable you to use our services, to provide you with our services (including for the maintenance of your online user account, if created), to comply with applicable law, to resolve disputes with any party and if otherwise necessary to enable us to conduct our business, including to prevent and disclose fraud or other illegal activities. All personal information we hold about you is governed by this Privacy Policy. If you have any questions about a specific data retention period for certain types of personal data we process, please contact us using the contact details provided.
How does Hoaexp.com handle children’s personal data?
The services offered by Hoaexp.com are intended for adults only. For persons under the age of 18, the use of our services is only permitted with the consent of their parents or legal guardian. Hoaexp.com may collect and use information from minors only with the consent of parents or legal guardians and in limited cases such as for a reservation or purchase of other travel-related services, or in other exceptional cases. If we become aware of the processing of data of underage persons without the valid consent of a relative or legal guardian, we reserve the right to delete such data.
How do you control the personal data you have shared with Hoaexp.com?
We want you to have control over how your personal data is processed. You can do this in the following ways:
- you can request a copy of your personal data in our possession;
- you can inform us of any changes to your personal data, or you can ask us to correct any of your personal data in our possession; however, you may be able to make the changes yourself;
- under certain circumstances, you may request us to delete, block or restrict the processing of your personal data in our possession, or to object to particular methods of processing your personal data; and
- in certain situations, you may also request us to pass on your personal data to third parties.
When we use your personal data on the basis of your consent, you have the right to revoke your consent at any time under applicable law. In addition, when we process your personal data on the basis of a legitimate interest or public interest, you have the right to object at any time to the use of your personal data under applicable law.
We rely on you to ensure that your personal information is complete, accurate and current. Please inform us immediately if there are any changes or inaccuracies in your personal data.
If you have an online user account, you can access a large amount of personal information about yourself through our website. Our site generally provides you with the ability to add, update or remove information about yourself.
If any personal information about you is not accessible via the app/site, you can send us a request at no cost. If you have any questions regarding this Privacy Policy and wish to exercise your rights, or if you have a complaint, please contact our e-mail address. You can also contact your national data protection authority.
If you wish to object to the processing of your personal data on the basis of a legitimate interest and if direct opt-out mechanisms are not made available to you, please contact us at our e-mail address.
Who is responsible for processing personal data on the Hoaexp.com website and apps and how to contact us?
Hoaexp.com controls the management of personal data as described in this Privacy Policy. Hoaexp.com is a private limited liability company subject to the laws of the European Community and has its registered office at Piazza del Duomo, no. 16 -20122- Milan (Mi).
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or the processing of your personal data, please send an email to our email address.
Cookies Policy
Whenever you use our online services, including our applications, cookies and other tracking technologies are used for a variety of reasons, such as to operate the Hoaexp.com website, to analyze traffic or for advertising purposes. These technologies may be used directly by us or through our business partners, including external service and advertising providers with whom we work.
What is a cookie?
A cookie is a small piece of data that is stored in the browser of your computer or mobile device. So-called “proprietary cookies” are those that can be traced back to the operator who is currently managing the site that issued the cookie. Hoaexp.com cookies, therefore, are “proprietary cookies”. In the event that we also authorize other parties to issue cookies through Hoaexp.com’s sites and apps, those cookies are called “third-party” cookies.
There is also a further difference between session cookies and persistent cookies. Session cookies are limited in duration and are deleted when you close your browser, while persistent cookies are longer in duration and are not deleted automatically when you close your browser. We do our best to use or give permission for cookies of up to 5 years. Only in exceptional cases, for example for security reasons and when strictly necessary, a cookie can last longer.
In addition to using cookies, we also use (or may use) similar technologies. These include “web beacons” (also known as pixel tags, web bugs or gifs), tracking URLs or SDKs (application development packages). A web beacon is a small, one-pixel graphic object that arrives on your computer as part of a web page, app, advertisement or email in HTML format. Pixels can be used to collect information about your device, such as type, operating system, IP address and time of visit. They are also used to place and read cookies in your browser. Tracking URLs are used to determine from which site your visit to the Hoaexp.com site or apps originated. SDKs are small portions of the code included in the apps, which function like cookies and web beacons.
In this Cookie Policy, all of these technologies are called “cookies”.
How are cookies used?
Cookies are used for a variety of purposes. Cookies allow you to be recognised as a unique user when you visit different pages of a site, different sites or when you use apps. The types of information we collect through cookies include your IP address; device ID; pages you visit; browser type; navigation data; operating system; internet service provider; time stamp; whether you responded to an ad; referring URL; functions used and activities performed within the website.
Our site uses cookies for the following purposes:
Technical Cookies: We want to offer our visitors a state-of-the-art, easy-to-use site that automatically adapts to their needs and desires. To make this happen, we use technical cookies to enable you to view our website, make it work properly, create your account, login and manage your bookings. Technical cookies are essential for the proper functioning of our website.
Functional cookies: We use functional cookies to remember your preferences and to help you use our website and apps effectively and efficiently. If you use the Hoaexp.com website to search for a Trip, these cookies can, for example, store the currency and language you prefer, your searches and the Travel Providers you have previously viewed. We may also use cookies to remember your registration information, so you don’t have to enter your login information every time you visit the site. Passwords are always encrypted. Functional cookies are not essential to the operation of our site, but they add functionality and enhance your overall experience on Hoaexp.com.
Analytical cookies: We use analytical cookies to better understand how our visitors use the Hoaexp.com site, to understand what works and what doesn’t, to optimize and improve the site and apps, to measure the effectiveness of marketing and communications and to ensure that the platform is always interesting and relevant. The data we generate includes the web pages visited, the exit and entry pages, the type of platform, which emails you have opened and information about the date and time.
This type of cookie also allows us to know how you interact with the site, for example through the number of clicks you make on a particular page, mouse movements, scrolling, words searched and texts entered in various fields. We also use analytical cookies as part of our online advertising campaigns to understand how users interact with our site following the display of an online advertisement, including advertisements on third-party sites. Our business partners may also use analytic cookies to find out if their users are using the offers integrated into their sites.
Business Cookies: We use our own and third party cookies to place personalized advertisements on our and other websites. This practice is called “retargeting” and is based on your browsing activities, such as the destinations you have searched for, the facilities you have viewed and the prices you have been shown.
What are your options?
To learn more about cookies and how to manage or delete them, visit the help section of your browser. From the settings of browsers such as Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox or Chrome you can choose which cookies to accept and which to reject. To find out where you can find these settings, which may vary depending on your browser, use the “Help” function of your browser.
If you decide not to accept certain technical and/or functional cookies, you may not be able to use certain features of our site correctly.
If you have any questions about this Cookies Policy, please send an email to our email address. This Policy may be changed in the future, so please visit this page regularly for all updates.
- Free customer service
Unless otherwise stated, our service is free of charge to customers as, unlike many other sites, we will not charge any fees for the Travel Service offered, nor will we charge any additional fees (including booking fees) to the rate. You will pay the Travel Provider the amount due as stated in the Travel Reservation (plus, where not included in the price, applicable taxes, duties and additional costs (if any)).
Travel Providers pay a periodic fee and can improve their ranking by increasing the fee.
Only Travel Providers who have a business relationship with Hoaexp.com (through a contract) will be available on the Platform. Hoaexp.com is not an open platform where the end user can make his product available; Hoaexp.com does not allow non-professional parties to offer or sell their product on or through Hoaexp.com.
- Methods of payment
Some Travel Providers may provide and make available the possibility to offer Trip Reservations to be paid in full or in part (as provided by the Travel Provider’s payment terms and conditions) to the Travel Provider during the Trip Reservation process, through a secure online payment method (to the extent that such a function is offered and supported by your bank). For some products and services, Hoaexp.com manages (through third parties) the payment of the specific product or service for and on behalf of the Travel Provider. The payment is securely debited from your credit/debit card or bank account, and credited to the Travel Provider’s bank account, through the management of a third party. Any payment processed for and on behalf of the Travel Provider and subsequently transferred to the Travel Provider will in any event constitute a payment by you of the (part of) cost of the reservation, relating to a particular product or service, with final payment value of the price due (in whole or in part) and may not be claimed by you in any way.
For certain rates or special offers, advance payment may be required by bank transfer (if provided as a method of payment by the Travel Provider) or credit card. If you use your credit card, it may be pre-authorised or charged (sometimes without the possibility of a refund) at the time of your Travel Reservation. Before you make your Travel Reservation, please carefully check the presence of these conditions in the details of the product or service you have chosen. Hoaexp.com is not responsible for any charges (authorized, unauthorized or alleged or incorrect) by the Travel Provider and you will not be able to request the refund of the amount correctly charged to your credit card by the Travel Provider (including: pre-paid rates, no-show or cancellations with penalty).
- Advance payment, cancellation, no-show and useful information
By making a reservation with a Travel Provider, you accept and agree to the respective cancellation and no-show policies of that Travel Provider and any other additional Travel Provider rules or conditions applicable to your reservation or during your stay, including the services and/or products offered by the Travel Provider (rules and conditions of delivery/purchase/use/transport of a Travel Provider are obtained directly from the Travel Provider itself). The general cancellation and no-show policies of each Travel Provider are mentioned on the Platform in the Travel Provider’s information pages during the booking process. Cancellations, refunds or changes are not permitted for certain fares, costs or special offers. In the event of no-show or cancellation, the Travel Provider may still charge the tourist tax (if applicable). Before making your reservation, please carefully check the presence of these conditions in the details regarding the product or service you have chosen. If the Trip Reservation requires an advance payment or full or partial advance payment, this may be cancelled (without prior notification of default or notice) if the remaining amount cannot be withdrawn in full on the due date, as set out in the Travel Provider’s payment terms and conditions and in the booking specifications. Cancellation and prepayment conditions may change depending on the industry, product or service for each Trip. Please read the important information in your booking confirmation carefully, as particular additional conditions may apply by the Travel Provider (e.g. age requirements, security deposit, extra supplements or cancellation conditions for groups, extra beds, rates without free breakfast included, pets and credit cards accepted). Late payment, incorrect bank account or credit/debit card information, invalid credit/debit card information or insufficient funds may jeopardize your booking and may result in a refund of any advance payment being refused unless the Travel Provider agrees to make a refund or allows other solutions in its prepayment and cancellation policy.
If you wish to check, change or cancel your Travel Reservation, the Travel Provider may charge a cancellation fee in accordance with the cancellation, prepayment and no-show policy, and you may not be entitled to compensation for any sums already paid. Before making your reservation, we recommend that you carefully read the cancellation, prepayment and no-show policies of the property, and remember to make subsequent payments on time, as required by the specific reservation.
If you arrive late or late on the day of check-in or expect to arrive the next day, be sure to inform the Travel Provider in good time, so that they know when to welcome you, so as to avoid cancellation of your Trip or charges for no-show. If necessary, our customer service department can help you inform your Travel Provider. Hoaexp.com does not accept any obligation or liability for the consequences of your late arrival or for cancellations or charges for failure to show by the Travel Provider.
- Correspondence and additional communications
By making a Trip Reservation you agree to receive (i) an email shortly before your arrival date containing information about your destination and various suggestions and offers (including from third parties, if you have expressly given your consent) relating to your Trip (Reservation) and your destination, (ii) an email after your arrival to evaluate your experience with the Travel Provider and the Travel Service and (iii) an email after your stay, inviting you to express your opinion on the property. Please read our privacy and cookie policy for more information on other ways in which we may contact you.
Hoaexp.com is not responsible for communications by or with the Travel Provider that take place on or through its Platform. You may not make any claims in connection with requests or communications to the Travel Provider, or in connection with any form of notification of receipt of requests or communications. Hoaexp.com cannot guarantee that any request or communication will be received, read, handled, executed or accepted by the Travel Provider in a precise and timely manner.
In order to complete and complete your Travel Reservation successfully you must provide a valid email address. We are not responsible for non-existent or incorrect e-mail addresses, telephone numbers (landline or mobile) or credit card numbers, nor are we obliged to verify their existence or correctness.
Any claims or demands for compensation against Hoaexp.com or relating to the Travel Service should be made as soon as possible, and in any case within 30 days after the date on which you would complete the use of the product or service (for example the date of check-out of a stay). Complaints and requests received after this 30-day period may be rejected, and the applicant must waive all rights to compensation.
Due to the continuous updating of rates and availability, we strongly recommend that you take screenshots during the booking process, which can be used as supporting documentation if necessary.
If you have any complaints, we recommend that you contact our Customer Service team first. If the matter is not resolved, you can submit your complaint via the European Commission’s online dispute resolution platform, which you can find at this address: http://ec.europa.eu/odr.
- Ranking and guest reviews
Clients who have actually stayed at the accommodation facility will be invited to leave on Hoaexp.com a review of their stay at the facility and leave an assessment of their stay. The guest’s rating, once completed, could be (a) uploaded to the Travel Provider’s page on our Platform in order to provide (future) customers with your point of view about the (level of) service and quality of the Travel Provider, and (b) fully or partially used and placed by Hoaexp.com, in its sole discretion (e.g. for marketing purposes, promotional purposes or to improve service), on the Platform or social networking platforms, newsletters, special promotions, applications or other channels owned and hosted, used or controlled by Hoaexp.com. In order to offer and maintain recent (and therefore relevant) reviews, reviews may be submitted within a limited period (28 days) after your stay. Hoaexp.com allows the Travel Provider to respond to reviews. We reserve the right to modify, refuse or remove reviews at our sole discretion if they violate our review conditions. The guest’s opinion shall be considered as a survey and shall not include any offer, invitation or incentive of any kind, even commercial. Hoaexp.com undertakes to check and remove as far as possible any judgments that include obscenities and any references to names of persons or lost property.
Hoaexp.com will not accept judgments that include:
– Vulgarities, sexually explicit expressions, incitements to hatred and violence, discriminatory content, threats
– References to concrete people, personal attacks on staff
– Promotion of illegal activities (e.g. drugs and prostitution)
– Sites, e-mails and addresses, telephone numbers, credit card information
– Politically motivated comments
Hoaexp.com and the Travel Provider both have the right to terminate the relationship for any reason (including in cases of breach of contract or declaration of bankruptcy) upon notice period, as agreed between the parties.
- Disclaimer of liability
Subject to the limitations and clarifications indicated in the cases provided for by these terms and conditions and to the extent permitted by law, we will be liable only for direct and immediate damage actually suffered, paid for or incurred, due to a failure to comply with our obligations in respect of the services that we should have performed. Compensation may be up to the total amount of the cost of your booking (either for a single circumstance or for a series of related circumstances).
However, to the extent permitted by law, neither we nor any of our operators, officers, employees, representatives, subsidiaries, affiliates, affiliated (distribution) partners, licensees, agents or persons involved in the production, sponsorship, promotion or dissemination of the site and its contents shall be liable for any punitive, special, indirect or consequential loss or damage, loss of production or profit, (ii) inadequacy of the Travel Provider’s information (including descriptive information) (regarding fares, availability and classification) made available on our Platform, (iii) services or products offered by the Travel Provider or other business partners, (iv) damages (direct, indirect, consequential or punitive), losses or costs incurred, paid or incurred as a result of the inability to use or delay of our Platform, but resulting from or in connection with the use of, or (v) bodily injury, death, property damage or other types of damage (direct, indirect, special, consequential or punitive), loss or cost suffered, paid or incurred, (legal) actions, errors, violations, (gross) negligence, intentional mismanagement, omissions, negligence, misrepresentation, liability or strict liability for any tort attributable in whole or in part to the Travel Provider or any of our other business partners or their employees, directors, officers, agents, representatives, contractors or affiliated companies whose products or services are directly or indirectly made available, offered or advertised on or through the Platform, including any cancellation (including partial cancellation), overbooking, strike, force majeure or any other event beyond our control.
Hoaexp.com is not responsible (and disclaims all liability) for the use, validity, quality, compatibility, suitability and disclosure of the Trip, nor for any representations, warranties and conditions of any kind in this regard (whether implied, statutory or otherwise), including no implied warranties, for specific purposes, on merchantability, title, non-infringement and suitability. You represent and agree that the relevant Travel Provider is solely responsible for and assumes all responsibility for the Travel (including all warranties and representations made by the Travel Provider). Hoaexp.com is not a (re)seller of the Trip. Claims or demands regarding the Trip (including the price offered (special/promotional), conditions or specific requests from Customers) must be handled by the Travel Provider. Hoaexp.com is not responsible (and denies any liability) for such claims, demands and obligations (including on the product).
Whether the Travel Provider charges (or has already charged) the cost of the Trip, or whether payment of the amount or any additional costs (Travel) is handled by us, in both cases you accept and acknowledge that it is always the Travel Provider’s responsibility to collect, retain, remit and pay to the competent authorities the applicable taxes, calculated on the basis of the total price of the Trip or any additional costs. Hoaexp.com cannot be held responsible (nor can it be held liable) for the collection, withholding, sending or payment to the competent authorities of any taxes applicable to the cost of the Trip or any additional costs. Hoaexp.com does not act or operate under any circumstances as an official seller of any product or service made available on the Platform.
By uploading photos/images to our system (for example, as an attachment to a review) you certify, warrant and represent that you own the copyright to the photos/images, and you agree that Hoaexp.com may use the photos/images on its website (including mobile), in promotional materials and publications both online and offline, as Hoaexp.com deems appropriate. Grant Hoaexp.com, in a non-exclusive, global, irrevocable, unconditional and perpetual manner, the right and license to use, reproduce, display, cause to be reproduced, distribute, sublicense, communicate and make available the photos/images in the manner Hoaexp.com deems appropriate. The person uploading the photos/images assumes full legal and moral responsibility for any claims made by third parties (including, but not limited to, the owners of accommodation) following the publication and use of the photos/images by Hoaexp.com. Hoaexp.com does not own or endorse the uploaded photos/images. The truthfulness, validity and right to use all photos/images are guaranteed by the person who uploads the photos/images, and are not the responsibility of Hoaexp.com. Hoaexp.com disclaims any liability arising from the photos/images published. The person uploading the photos/images guarantees that they do not contain viruses, trojans or infected files, or pornographic, illegal, obscene, offensive, tasteless or inappropriate material, and that the photos/images do not infringe any intellectual property, copyright or privacy rights of third parties. Photos/images that do not meet the above criteria will not be used and/or may be removed/cancelled by Hoaexp.com at any time and without notice.
- Intellectual property rights
Unless otherwise specified, the software required for our services or available on or used by our Platform and the intellectual property rights (including copyrights) of the content, information and material on our Platform are owned by Hoaexp.com, its Travel Providers or suppliers.
Hoaexp.com exclusively owns all rights, title and interest in and against all intellectual property rights relating to the design and general interface (including infrastructure) of the Platform through which the service is made available (including guest reviews and translated content). No one is permitted to copy, derive, link, publish, promote, supplement, use, combine, or in any other way use the content (including guest reviews and translations) or our brand without our express written consent. In the event that any person uses or combines (in whole or in part) our content (including guest reviews and translations) or otherwise takes possession of any intellectual property rights in the Platform or any content (or translation), that person shall assign, transfer and assign all such intellectual property rights to Hoaexp.com. Any misuse or misuse of any of the above actions or conduct constitutes a violation of our intellectual property rights (including copyright and database protection rights).
- Miscellaneous
To the extent permitted by law, these terms and conditions, as well as the provision of our services, shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the law of the European Community and any dispute arising from these terms and conditions, general conditions and our services shall be submitted exclusively to the courts of competent jurisdiction in Milan (Italy).
The original English text of these Terms and Conditions may have been translated into other languages. The translated version is unofficial and for illustrative purposes only, and therefore has no legal value. In the event of any dispute or inconsistency or discrepancy between the Italian text and the translations into other languages of these Terms and Conditions, the Italian text shall prevail and shall be the final version. The Italian text is available on our platform (by selecting the Italian language) or will be sent upon written request.
In the event that any of the clauses of these Terms and Conditions are invalid, lose their validity or become non-binding, you will continue to comply with all the other clauses established herein. In this case, we will replace the aforementioned clause with a clause that is valid and binding, that has an effect as similar as possible to that replaced and that you agree to accept in compliance with the content and purpose of these Terms and Conditions.
- About Hoaexp.com and its support companies
The Travel Service is provided by Hoaexp.com, a private limited liability company subject to the laws of the European Community and with its registered office in Piazza del Duomo, n. 16 -20122- Milano (Mi), and with VAT number 10515310968.
Hoaexp.com is headquartered in Milan, Italy, and is supported by various groups of companies that perform an internal support function for the benefit of Hoaexp.com. Some designated companies provide limited customer support services (by telephone only). Such support companies are not authorized and have no legal power to provide the Travel Service, to represent Hoaexp.com or to enter into any contract on behalf of, for or on behalf of Hoaexp.com. Under no circumstances will a relationship (legal or contractual) be created with the support companies. Support companies do not operate, nor are they authorized to operate, as official representatives or service providers of Hoaexp.com. Hoaexp.com does not recognize or consider domicile in any place, location or office in the world (including the offices of its support companies) other than the registered office in Milan.