Privacy

Who is responsible

Rick Tew Co., Ltd., 125/13 Moo 1, Bophut, Ko Samui, Surat Thani 84320, Thailand, runs NerdHostel and is responsible for your details. We follow Thailand's Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA).

What we collect

When you book

• ▸Your full name and email. These are required.
• ▸Your phone or WhatsApp number, nationality and special requests, if you fill them in.
• ▸Your dates, your bed, how many people, any Power-Ups, and the amount.
• ▸When you ticked the boxes to say you are 18 or older and agree to our Terms.
• ▸A referral code, if you came through a friend's referral link.
• ▸Where you came from, if you arrived from one of our ads or from a link with a source tag. We use it to see which ads bring bookings.

If you pay by bank transfer: the receipt you email us. We use it to match your payment to your booking.

For a guest aged 16 or 17: the signed consent note their parent or guardian emails us, with the parent's name, phone number and a photo of their ID.

When you make an account

Your name, email and password, when you confirmed you are 16 or older, your XP, the rewards you redeem, and your referral code. If you claim XP for a social media post, we keep the link you send.

When you order Level-Ups

Your name, email, booking reference and any notes.

When you ask us something

• ▸The ask box: your name, email, topic and question. They go to Rick by email, so he can write back.
• ▸The families box: your name, email, how many people, your dates, your kids' ages and your message. They go to Rick by email. We also count each ask, with only the number of people and the ad you came from, so we can see which ads work.
• ▸The Ask Rick box in the Arcade and the question box on the GNS page go to RickTew.com, Rick's own site: your name, email and message go there. It may send you an automatic first answer before Rick writes.
• ▸To stop spam in the ask box and the families box, one visitor can send at most 5 messages an hour. To count them, we keep a scrambled form of your internet address, not the address itself, for 1 day.
• ▸If our spam check stops a message, we keep it for 90 days, so a real message can still reach Rick. Then it is deleted.

What we use it for

To hold your bed, take payment, send your booking emails, answer your questions and get ready for your arrival. With an account, we also use it to run XP and your Quest Log. We only email you about your bookings, your orders, your account and your questions. We send no newsletters.

Who handles it

• ▸Our hosting and database company stores bookings and accounts, runs log-ins and hosts this website. It keeps your details in Singapore.
• ▸Our card payment company takes card payments. Your card number goes straight to them. We never see it or store it. Their payment form runs on our booking page and checks for fraud.
• ▸Our email delivery company sends our emails.
• ▸NinjaGym, across the street, is part of the Rick Tew family. For each paid stay we send NinjaGym your name, email, phone, dates, room and how many people, so its desk can check you in and get the kids' Half Days ready on All 6 Bunks. If a paid stay is cancelled, we tell NinjaGym.
• ▸The map on our home page comes from a map service. To show it, your browser connects to that service.

We do not sell your details.

Cookies and what stays on your device

• ▸When you log in, the site sets a login cookie so you stay logged in.
• ▸If you arrived from one of our ads or from a link with a source tag, your browser keeps that tag, so a booking you make later can carry it.
• ▸If you close the "Install App" box, your browser remembers that until you close the tab.
• ▸Your browser keeps a copy of each page you open on this site, so the site still works without internet. These copies stay on your device. They can include your booking confirmation and your Quest Log. Clearing this site's data in your browser removes them.
• ▸The site has no analytics or advertising trackers of its own.

Children

NerdHostel is not for children under 13 on their own, and we do not knowingly collect their details. Kids stay with their family, and the booking only counts how many people stay. If you think a child under 13 has sent us their details, tell us through the ask box and we delete them.

How long we keep it

• ▸Bookings, payments, receipts and anything you email us about a booking: 5 years.
• ▸Your account: until you ask us to delete it.
• ▸Messages from the ask box and the families box: as long as the email conversation with Rick.
• ▸Messages our spam check stopped: 90 days. The scrambled internet address: 1 day.

Asking about your details

You can ask to see, correct or delete your details. Send your request through the ask box, with "A privacy request" chosen. We answer within 30 days. Some booking and payment records must be kept for our company accounts until their 5 years are up.

The rules for booking and paying are on the Terms page.