Cookie Policy
Last Updated: 1 January 2025
This Cookie Policy explains how , registered at ("we", "us", or "our"), uses cookies and similar tracking technologies on the website operated for Merovellangrandlodge (the "Site"). This policy should be read alongside our Privacy Policy, which provides further information about how we collect, use, and protect your personal information.
By continuing to use our Site, you consent to our use of cookies as described in this Cookie Policy. You may withdraw or manage your consent at any time using the methods described below.
1. Who We Are
The Site is operated by , a company incorporated under the laws of Australia, with its registered address at . If you have any questions about how we use cookies or wish to exercise any rights in relation to your personal data, please contact us at:
- Email: privacy@merovellangrandlodge.com
- Postal Address:
2. What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files that are placed on your device (computer, smartphone, tablet, or other internet-enabled device) when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work efficiently, to improve user experience, and to provide information to website operators.
Cookies allow a website to recognise your device and remember certain information about your visit, such as your preferred language, login status, or items you may have added to a booking basket. Some cookies are deleted when you close your browser (known as "session cookies"), while others remain on your device for a longer period (known as "persistent cookies").
In addition to cookies, we may also use similar technologies such as web beacons (also called pixel tags or clear GIFs), local storage objects, and tracking scripts. For the purposes of this policy, all such technologies are collectively referred to as "cookies".
First-Party vs. Third-Party Cookies
First-party cookies are set directly by us, , when you visit our Site. Third-party cookies are set by external parties whose services we have incorporated into our Site, such as analytics providers and advertising networks. We do not control the use of third-party cookies, and you should consult the relevant third party's own privacy and cookie policies for more information.
3. Why Do We Use Cookies?
We use cookies for the following primary purposes:
- To ensure the Site operates correctly and securely.
- To remember your preferences and settings during and between visits.
- To analyse how visitors use the Site so we can improve its performance and content.
- To display relevant advertising and promotional content tailored to your interests.
- To facilitate online reservations and booking functionality for our hotel-casino.
- To comply with legal and regulatory obligations, including responsible gambling requirements.
4. Types of Cookies We Use
We categorise the cookies used on our Site into four main types: Essential, Functional, Analytics, and Marketing cookies.
4.1 Essential (Strictly Necessary) Cookies
These cookies are strictly necessary for the Site to function and cannot be switched off. They are usually set in response to actions you take, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in, or completing a booking. Without these cookies, services you have requested — such as making a reservation — cannot be provided.
Because these cookies are strictly necessary, they do not require your prior consent under applicable privacy laws. However, you can configure your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but please note that doing so may cause parts of the Site to stop functioning correctly.
| Cookie Name | Provider | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| __cf_bm | Cloudflare | Used by Cloudflare to identify and mitigate automated bot traffic. This cookie assists in managing incoming traffic that matches criteria associated with bots and prevents malicious bot activity. | 30 minutes |
| cf_clearance | Cloudflare | Stores the result of a passed Cloudflare challenge (e.g. CAPTCHA) to ensure the visitor is a legitimate human user and to avoid repeat challenges within a session. | 1 year |
| __cfduid (deprecated) / _cfuvid | Cloudflare | Identifies individual clients behind a shared IP address and applies security settings on a per-client basis. Helps Cloudflare detect malicious visitors and reduces the likelihood of blocking legitimate users. | Session / 1 year |
| PHPSESSID / session_id | Maintains your session state across page requests, including login authentication and booking cart data. | Session | |
| csrf_token | Provides cross-site request forgery protection to ensure that form submissions originate from our Site and not from a third-party attacker. | Session | |
| cookie_consent | Stores your cookie consent preferences so that the consent banner is not displayed on every page visit. | 12 months |
4.2 Functional Cookies
Functional cookies enable the Site to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third-party providers whose services we have integrated into our pages. If you do not allow these cookies, some or all of these services may not function properly.
| Cookie Name | Provider | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| lang | Remembers the language preference selected by the user. | 1 year | |
| currency_pref | Stores the currency preference selected during a booking session. | Session | |
| recently_viewed | Records recently viewed room types and packages to provide a personalised browsing experience on return visits. | 30 days |
4.3 Analytics and Performance Cookies
Analytics cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our Site. They help us understand which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the Site. All information collected by these cookies is aggregated and, where possible, anonymised. If you do not allow these cookies, we will not know when you have visited our Site and will not be able to monitor its performance.
| Cookie Name | Provider | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| _ga | Google Analytics (Google LLC) | The main Google Analytics cookie. Used to distinguish unique users by assigning a randomly generated number as a client identifier. It is included in each page request and used to calculate visitor, session, and campaign data for Site analytics reports. | 2 years |
| _ga_[ID] | Google Analytics (Google LLC) | Used by Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to persist session state and to track unique sessions and page views on the Site. | 2 years |
| _gid | Google Analytics (Google LLC) | Used to distinguish unique users. Stores and updates a unique value for each page visited, and is used to count and track page views. | 24 hours |
| _gat / _gat_gtag_[ID] | Google Analytics (Google LLC) | Used to throttle request rates, limiting the collection of data on high-traffic sites. | 1 minute |
| _gac_[ID] | Google Analytics / Google Ads (Google LLC) | Contains campaign-related information for the user and is used to track conversions from Google Ads campaigns. | 90 days |
| _clsk | Microsoft Clarity (Microsoft Corporation) | Combines multiple page views by a user into a single session recording to provide heatmap and session replay data. | 1 day |
| _clck | Microsoft Clarity (Microsoft Corporation) | Persists the Clarity User ID and preferences, unique to that site, on the browser. Ensures that behaviour in subsequent visits to the same site will be attributed to the same user ID. | 1 year |
Google Analytics data is processed in accordance with Google's own privacy policy, which can be found at https://policies.google.com/privacy. You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
4.4 Marketing and Targeting Cookies
Marketing cookies are used to track visitors across websites. The intention is to display advertisements that are relevant and engaging to the individual user, and therefore more valuable to publishers and third-party advertisers. These cookies may be set by our advertising partners through our Site. If you do not allow these cookies, you will still see advertisements, but they will be less targeted and relevant to your interests.
| Cookie Name | Provider | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| _fbp | Meta Platforms, Inc. (Facebook Pixel) | Used by Meta (Facebook) to deliver, measure, and improve the relevance of advertisements across the Meta network. Records page visits, helps build audience profiles, and enables retargeting of users who have visited our Site. | 3 months |
| _fbc | Meta Platforms, Inc. (Facebook Pixel) | Stores the last click attribution information from a Facebook advertisement. Used together with _fbp to measure advertising conversion events. | 3 months |
| fr | Meta Platforms, Inc. | Used by Facebook to deliver, measure, and improve the relevance of advertisements. Contains a unique browser and user ID for cross-site tracking purposes. | 3 months |
| ads/ga-audiences | Google Ads (Google LLC) | Used by Google AdWords to re-engage visitors who are likely to convert based on the visitor's online behaviour across websites. | Session |
| IDE | Google DoubleClick (Google LLC) | Used by Google's DoubleClick to register and report the user's actions after viewing or clicking one of the advertiser's ads. This enables measurement of the effectiveness of advertising and presents targeted ads to the user. | 1 year |
| test_cookie | Google DoubleClick (Google LLC) | Used to check whether the user's browser supports cookies. No personal data is collected in this cookie. | 15 minutes |
| tt_webid / ttwid | TikTok (TikTok Technology Limited) | Used by TikTok Pixel to track website visitor actions and to serve targeted advertisements on the TikTok platform. | 13 months |
| _tt_enable_cookie | TikTok (TikTok Technology Limited) | Stores the user's cookie consent status for TikTok tracking on the current domain. | 13 months |
5. Cloudflare Services
Our Site uses services provided by Cloudflare, Inc. to enhance the security, performance, and availability of our website. Cloudflare operates as a content delivery network (CDN) and distributed domain name server service. In doing so, Cloudflare may automatically set cookies on your device to protect the Site from malicious traffic and to distinguish human users from automated bots.
Cloudflare's collection and use of data is governed by Cloudflare's own privacy policy, available at https://www.cloudflare.com/privacypolicy/. Please note that as Cloudflare's essential cookies are required for the secure operation of our Site, they cannot be disabled through our cookie preference centre.
6. User Consent
In accordance with applicable Australian privacy law (including the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles) and international best practices, we request your consent before placing non-essential cookies on your device. When you first visit our Site, you will be presented with a cookie consent banner that gives you the option to:
- Accept All Cookies: Allow all categories of cookies, including Functional, Analytics, and Marketing cookies.
- Reject Non-Essential Cookies: Allow only strictly necessary cookies to be placed on your device.
- Manage Preferences: Customise your cookie preferences by enabling or disabling specific categories of cookies.
Your consent preferences are recorded and stored in a cookie on your device
(the cookie_consent cookie). You may withdraw or update your consent at any
time by clicking the "Cookie Preferences" link in the footer of our Site or by contacting
us at privacy@merovellangrandlodge.com.
Please be aware that withdrawing consent for certain cookies may affect the functionality of the Site and your overall experience. We will not use your cookie data for purposes incompatible with those described in this Cookie Policy.
7. How to Manage and Control Cookies
In addition to using our cookie preference centre on the Site, you can control and manage cookies in a number of ways.
7.1 Browser Settings
Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings preferences. You can usually find these settings in the "Options", "Settings", or "Preferences" menu of your browser. The following links provide instructions for managing cookies in popular browsers:
Please note that restricting or disabling cookies through your browser may impact the functionality of many websites, including ours. Certain features — such as online booking, secure login, and personalised content — may not operate as intended if cookies are disabled.
7.2 Opting Out of Google Analytics
You can prevent Google Analytics from collecting data about your visit to our Site by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on, available at: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
7.3 Opting Out of Targeted Advertising
You can opt out of interest-based advertising from participating companies through the following industry self-regulatory initiatives:
- Your Online Choices (Europe): https://www.youronlinechoices.eu/
- Network Advertising Initiative (NAI): https://optout.networkadvertising.org/
- Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA): https://optout.aboutads.info/
- Facebook Ad Preferences: https://www.facebook.com/ads/preferences
7.4 Mobile Devices
If you access our Site via a mobile device, you can manage your advertising preferences through your device's operating system settings. On iOS devices, navigate to Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking. On Android devices, navigate to Settings > Google > Ads.
8. Cookies and Responsible Gambling
As a hotel-casino operator, takes responsible gambling obligations seriously. We may use session-based and functional cookies to support responsible gambling features on our Site, including the enforcement of self-exclusion settings, session time reminders, and deposit limit tools. These cookies are considered essential for compliance with applicable gambling regulations in Victoria, Australia, and cannot be disabled without affecting your access to such features.
If you are concerned about your gambling behaviour, we encourage you to contact the Gambling Help Online service at www.gamblinghelponline.org.au or call 1800 858 858 (free call, available 24/7).
9. International Data Transfers
Some of the third-party cookie providers listed in this policy are based outside of Australia, including in the United States of America. When we permit these third parties to set cookies on your device, data collected through those cookies (including information about your browsing activity on our Site) may be transferred to and processed in countries outside Australia that may not have equivalent privacy protections to those in force in Australia.
Where such transfers occur, we take reasonable steps to ensure that the third-party service providers are subject to binding data protection obligations, or that another lawful mechanism for the transfer exists, consistent with Australian Privacy Principle 8 of the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). By consenting to the use of Analytics and Marketing cookies, you acknowledge that your data may be transferred in this way.
For more information about international data transfers and the safeguards we have in place, please refer to our Privacy Policy or contact us at privacy@merovellangrandlodge.com.
10. Changes to This Cookie Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the cookies we use, changes in applicable law, or changes in our business operations. Any updates will be posted on this page with a revised "Last Updated" date at the top of the policy. Where changes are material, we will take reasonable steps to notify you, which may include displaying a prominent notice on our Site or re-presenting the cookie consent banner.
We encourage you to review this Cookie Policy periodically to stay informed about how we use cookies. Your continued use of our Site after any changes to this Cookie Policy constitutes your acceptance of the updated terms, subject to your ability to update your consent preferences at any time.
11. Your Privacy Rights
Depending on your location and applicable law, you may have certain rights in relation to the personal data collected through cookies, including the right to access, correct, or request deletion of your personal information. In Australia, these rights are governed primarily by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles.
To exercise any of your privacy rights, or if you have a complaint about how we handle your personal information, please contact our Privacy Officer at:
- Email: privacy@merovellangrandlodge.com
- Post: Privacy Officer, ,
If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at www.oaic.gov.au.
12. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests relating to this Cookie Policy or to the way in which we use cookies on the Merovellangrandlodge website, please do not hesitate to contact us:
- Legal Entity:
- Registered Address:
- Privacy Email: privacy@merovellangrandlodge.com
For general information about how we collect, use, and protect your personal information, please review our full Privacy Policy.