Privacy Policy

Last updated: 13 October 2026

This English text is a translation provided for convenience. In case of doubt, the German version prevails.

1. Who is responsible

bbKarlsruhe GbR
represented by its partners Maria Lang and Dorian Bosch
Karlstraße 132a, 76137 Karlsruhe, Germany
E-mail: zimmer@bkarlsruhe.de · Phone/WhatsApp: +49 157 85073050

We run the guesthouse/hostel “bKarlsruhe” at Karlstraße 132a. We are not required to appoint a data protection officer; the partners are your contact for all privacy questions at the details above.

2. The short version

3. Visiting this website (hosting, log files, error reports)

The website is hosted by IONOS SE, Elgendorfer Str. 57, 56410 Montabaur, Germany. When you open a page, the server automatically records access data (IP address, date and time, page requested, browser type, referrer) in log files. This is technically necessary to deliver the site and keep it secure (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR; our legitimate interest is the secure operation of the website). IONOS processes this data on our behalf (Art. 28 GDPR) in Germany. Log files are deleted after a short time.

If a technical error occurs while a page is displayed (for example an image does not load, or an outdated version of the page is shown), the site reports it to our own server: type of error, page affected, browser type and screen width. The IP address is not stored, no cookies are set and nothing is passed to third parties (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). So that an outdated page is reloaded only once, the site stores a short-lived entry in your browser’s session storage; it contains no personal data, is deleted when you close the tab and is strictly necessary for this function (Section 25(2) no. 2 of the German TDDDG).

When you click “Check availability”, you are taken to our booking page at RoomRaccoon (section 4); the dates and number of guests you selected are passed along in the web address.

4. Booking directly on our booking page (RoomRaccoon)

You book rooms and beds on our booking page booking.roomraccoon.de/bbkarlsruhe. It is operated on our behalf by our property management system RoomRaccoon (RoomRaccoon B.V., Breda, Netherlands) (Art. 28 GDPR). All booking and guest data are stored in this system.

What data: name, address, e-mail address, phone number, arrival and departure dates, number of guests, room category booked, price, language, special requests and the booking channel.

Why and on what legal basis:

Is the information mandatory? We need your name, contact details and travel dates to process the booking; without them no contract can be concluded. The details for the registration form are required by law (Sections 29 and 30 of the Federal Registration Act, see section 7).

Payment: Payments on the booking page are handled by payment providers to which you submit your payment details directly: Adyen N.V., Amsterdam, Netherlands (cards, Google Pay) and PayPal (Europe) S.à r.l. et Cie, S.C.A., Luxembourg. We do not store full card details ourselves. If you pay by bank transfer, we see the details of your transfer. The legal basis is performance of the contract (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR); the payment providers’ own privacy notices also apply.

Cookies and services on the booking page: The booking page sets strictly necessary cookies, for example for the session and for security (Section 25(2) no. 2 TDDDG). We do not use Google Analytics there. RoomRaccoon embeds a Google Ads tag by Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland, on the booking page (without personalised advertising); RoomRaccoon is responsible for it, and data may be transferred to Google LLC in the USA (Google is certified under the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework). RoomRaccoon’s own privacy notice also applies to the booking page.

5. Booking through booking platforms (Airbnb, Hostelworld, Google)

If you book through a platform, we receive your data from the platform rather than from you (Art. 14 GDPR):

Platform bookings are transferred into our property management system RoomRaccoon through the channel manager WuBook (Fano, Italy) so that all bookings are kept in one place. WuBook and RoomRaccoon act on our behalf (Art. 28 GDPR).

We process this data to perform the accommodation contract and to meet our legal obligations (Art. 6(1)(b) and (c) GDPR), exactly as with a direct booking. The platform itself is responsible for the processing on the platform; its privacy notice applies there. We usually reply to Airbnb guests in the Airbnb inbox.

6. Contact: e-mail, phone, WhatsApp, contact form

If you write to us by e-mail, phone, WhatsApp or through our contact form, we process your details (name, contact details, content of the enquiry) to answer it: to prepare or perform a booking (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR) or, for general enquiries, on the basis of our legitimate interest in replying (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR).

E-mail: Our mailboxes are hosted by Google (Gmail), Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland. Data may also be processed on servers in the USA; Google LLC is certified under the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework. The contact form on this website sends your details to us as an e-mail; no cookies are set.

WhatsApp: If you message us on WhatsApp, data (your number, messages, metadata) are transmitted to WhatsApp Ireland Limited, 4 Grand Canal Square, Dublin 2, Ireland, and Meta Platforms, Inc. (USA); their privacy policy applies. If you prefer not to use WhatsApp, you can reach us by e-mail or phone.

7. Registration form and accommodation tax (legal obligations)

Accommodation providers in Germany must keep a registration form for guests without a German residence (Sections 29 and 30 of the Federal Registration Act, BMG): dates of arrival and departure, name, date of birth, nationality, address, number of accompanying guests and the number of the identity document. We ask for these details at booking or on arrival. We keep registration forms for one year from departure and destroy them within three months after that (Section 30(4) BMG). They are handed over only on request to the registration office, the police or other authorised bodies.

For the City of Karlsruhe’s accommodation tax we report overnight-stay numbers to the city; we pass on names only where this is necessary for an exemption (e.g. business travel) (Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR).

8. Video surveillance in the house

The entrance area, the hallways and the staircase of the house are monitored by video cameras to prevent and investigate break-ins and theft (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR; our legitimate interest is the protection of the house and of our guests’ property). A sign at the entrance points this out. Bedrooms, bathrooms and toilets are not filmed. Recording is motion-triggered; recordings are overwritten automatically, after 14 days at the latest, and are viewed or handed to the police only in case of a specific incident.

9. Guest group on WhatsApp

During your stay you may voluntarily join our WhatsApp group for guests (house information and exchange with other guests). Other members of the group can see your phone number and your WhatsApp name. The legal basis is your consent given by joining (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR); you can leave the group at any time. On request we remove you from the group after your departure – a short message is enough.

10. Who else receives your data

Where providers process data outside the EU/EEA, the transfer is based on the adequacy decision for the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework or on the EU Commission’s standard contractual clauses (Art. 45, 46 GDPR).

11. External links

Links to Google Maps, OpenStreetMap and the booking platforms open the respective site only after you click; no maps are embedded on our site and no data are sent to these providers.

12. How long we keep data

13. Your right to object (Art. 21 GDPR)

Where we process your data on the basis of a legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR – this applies to server log files, error reports, general enquiries and video surveillance), you may object at any time on grounds relating to your particular situation. We will then stop processing the data unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds that override your interests, or the processing serves to establish, exercise or defend legal claims. An e-mail to zimmer@bkarlsruhe.de is enough.

14. Your other rights

You have the right to access (Art. 15 GDPR), rectification (Art. 16), erasure (Art. 17), restriction of processing (Art. 18) and data portability (Art. 20). You may withdraw any consent you have given at any time with effect for the future (Art. 7(3)). Contact zimmer@bkarlsruhe.de or write to the address in section 1.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority (Art. 77 GDPR). The authority responsible for us is: Der Landesbeauftragte für den Datenschutz und die Informationsfreiheit Baden-Württemberg (State Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information of Baden-Württemberg), Heilbronner Straße 35, 70191 Stuttgart, Germany, www.baden-wuerttemberg.datenschutz.de.

15. Changes

We update this policy when our procedures or the law change. The version published here applies; the date is shown at the top.