U.S. Travel Association Privacy Policy and Practices

This statement outlines the policies and practices of the U.S. Travel Association ("U.S. Travel") regarding the collection and use of your personal information from your visit to our Website. It includes our policies for U.S. Travel members and non-members. If after reviewing our privacy policy you have any questions or concerns please send an email to weboperations@USTravel.org or send a letter to the following address. We welcome your recommendations, suggestions and feedback.

U.S. Travel Association
1100 New York Avenue, NW, Suite 450
Washington, DC 20005
United States of America

Browsing

This Web site does not collect personally identifiable information about you unless you voluntarily provide it to us. This means that we will not know your name, your email address, or any other personally identifiable information just because you browse the Web site unless you have created an account and log-in when you access the Web site or access the Web site from a link in an email that we sent to you.

Information We Collect, How We Use It and How You Can Update/Delete it
When we need to collect personally identifiable information from you to provide you with a particular service, we will ask you to voluntarily supply us with the information we need.

General Information Collected

To monitor site usage and improve the quality of our website, we gather general information about the use of our site. We use web server logs and industry-standard website statistics software to count the number of users who visit our website and to count the number of views of particular pages, as well as to track other general statistics about our website. We do not track individual users' visits to our website. At times U.S. Travel may share with third parties the aggregate, anonymous information about overall usage of our website and other Internet services that we collect, in order to provide general information about our Internet services, sell advertising, or establish sponsorships or other business relationships. We do not share any information about specific users.

Information Collected from Surveys

We may conduct online surveys via pop-up windows on our website. Participation in such surveys is voluntary and you may decline to participate. In general, the data collected in such surveys will be used by U.S. Travel and not shared with any third parties. 

Information Collected to Process a Transaction

In order to conduct a transaction on the U.S. Travel website, visitors must create login. Non-members will need to create an account to generate a unique user name and password; Members of U.S. Travel will use their member login and password (more information on Members is detailed below). Information collected from non-members may include your name, address, telephone and fax numbers, email address, and credit card number or other payment information. The personal information you provide is encrypted and sent to us using a secure method, in order to assure that your personal information is securely and safely transmitted. However, please understand that no one can give an absolute assurance that information intended to be maintained as private, whether transmitted via the Internet or otherwise, cannot be accessed inappropriately or unlawfully by third parties. We have taken and will continue to take reasonable steps to ensure the secure and safe transmission of your personal information.

Information Payment Method

Payment information, such as your credit card details, is collected only to process a transaction and is stored in an encrypted format. While being used to process the transaction, your payment information is stored in an encrypted format and reasonable measures are taken to ensure your payment information is not vulnerable to theft or interception. We will not store or distribute your payment information in a manner that is not necessary for processing a transaction.

Members' Information

U.S. Travel offers members certain services through the restricted-access "Members Only" section of our website. In the Members Only section, members can access and update their Member Profiles, which include personal information we have collected from each member as part of their membership application. Member Profiles are maintained for the Main and Associate member contacts in our main membership database. This information includes information such as member ID number, name, firm/organization, address, telephone and fax numbers, and email address.

The Member Profiles are used by U.S. Travel to distribute marketing materials by mail, fax or email. If you are a member and wish to elect not to be included in any of these communications, please contact us using the methods listed below.

Information Collected to Access Members Only Section

U.S. Travel collects a password for each member who uses the online Members Section. This information is used to verify members' identities in order to prevent unauthorized access to the Members Only section and members' personal information. Only a small number of U.S. Travel employees and employees at our third-party software vendor have access to this information. It is accessed only when necessary to provide members with online account-related information, provide technical support, or diagnose or repair problems with the Members Only section. 

Emails/Newsletters
It is our intention to only send you email communications that you want to receive. When you provide us with your email address by creating a login account, we will periodically contact you via email about U.S. Travel programs and services. Every time you receive an email, you will be provided the choice to opt-out of future emails by following the instructions provided in the email. You may also opt-out by emailing feedback@ustravel.org or sending a letter to:

U.S. Travel Association
1100 New York Avenue, NW, Suite 450
Washington, DC 20005
United States of America

Please allow 10 business days for us to process your opt-out and include your email address if you opt-out via postal mail.

Please note that U.S. Travel will never send you an email requesting your password, credit card number, social security number or other similar personal or private identification information (Personal Information). If you receive an email that looks like it is from U.S. Travel, but asks you for Personal Information, it is a fraudulent email and you should not reply or provide such information.

Securing the Storage of Information
We treat the Personal Information you provide to us as confidential information. After Personal Information reaches U.S. Travel, it is stored on a secure server that resides behind firewalls designed to block unauthorized access.

Disclosure of Information to Third Parties

U.S. Travel uses the services of third parties, such as interactive marketing agencies, market researchers and email service providers to assist us with marketing and promoting the Web site. These parties are contractually prohibited from using personally identifiable information for any purpose other than for the purpose U.S. Travel specifies. We do provide non-personally identifiable information to certain service providers for their use on an aggregated basis for the purpose of performing their contractual obligations to us. We do not permit the sale of personally identifiable information.

Cookies and Pixel Tags

Our Website uses "Cookie" technology. "Cookies" are encrypted strings of text that a Web site stores on a user's computer. Our Web site requires the use of a "Session" Cookie when accessing the online traveler community. "Session" Cookies are temporary and are automatically deleted once you close your internet browser. Session Cookies allow you to log-in and then view and update your content throughout the Web site during the same session or visit to our site. Our Web site uses a "Persistent" Cookie to direct you to the correct country/language version of our site for subsequent visits to the Web site. Persistent Cookies remain on your computer until you delete them or are otherwise removed upon expiration. We do not use Cookies to ascertain any personally identifiable information about you apart from what you voluntarily provide us. Cookies do not corrupt or damage your computer, programs, or computer files.

Pixel tags are not visible to the user of the Web site and consist of a few lines of computer code. Pixel tags are not used to collect any personally identifiable information about you. Our Web site uses pixel tags to track the aggregate number of page views made on our site by all site visitors. Our email service provider uses pixel tags to determine your ability to receive HTML-based email messages. This capability helps our service provider send email in a format you can read. The sensor does not collect or use any other information. Pixel tags also allow us to know how many users open an email and allow our service provider to compile aggregated statistics about an email campaign for us.

Our Web site uses third-party advertising technology to display ads and track the aggregate number of times each ad is displayed. Our third-party advertising technology does not use pixel tags or cookies nor does it collect any personally identifiable information about you.

Promotions

We have strategic marketing relationships with select third party organizations (e.g., American Express) to offer certain travel related products and services at discounted prices. As part of the purchase process you will be required to provide personally identifiable information such as your name, address, email address, telephone number and credit card information. This information will be used by us and will be provided to the associated third party organizations (e.g., hotel, credit card processor) to execute the transaction. As part of these promotions you will also be given a choice to opt-in into periodic emails from U.S. Travel and the organizations we have selected to offer promotions so that we can keep you informed of future offers and promotions that may be of interest. Please note that there are specific terms and conditions that will be unique to each promotion. An example is the requirement to be a member of the loyalty program for a hotel brand that is included in the promotion. You should carefully review the terms and conditions associated with each promotion before making a purchase.

Other Sites

U.S. Travel is only responsible for the privacy statement and content of this Web site. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or the use of cookies on Web sites that you have accessed this Web site from and to the non-USTravel.org Web sites that you may access from this Web site.

Legal Issues

This is a United States Web site and is subject to laws of the United States and the District of Columbia. U.S. Travel will disclose personally identifiable information without your permission when required by law, or in good faith belief that such action is necessary to investigate or protect against harmful activities to USTravel.org associates, or property (including this site), or to others.

U.S. Travel Changes to Your Privacy Rights

In the future, we may need to change this privacy statement. All changes will be made here so that you will always know what information we gather, how we might use that information and whether we will disclose it to anyone. This statement was last updated on March 15, 2012.

Contacting U.S. Travel About Privacy Issues

Comments, suggestions, or questions about our privacy statement and U.S. Travel's privacy practices are welcome.
Please contact us:
By email at feedback@ustravel.org

By phone at (202) 408.8422

By fax at (202) 408-1255

By mail at:

Privacy Issues
U.S. Travel Association
1100 New York Avenue, NW, Suite 450 W
Washington, DC 20005