Cookie Policy

Last updated: 30 September 2026

This Cookie Policy explains what cookies and similar technologies are, which ones HOLLASEA S.R.L. ("HollaSea", "we", "us") uses on hollasea.com (the "Platform"), why we use them, how long they last and how you can control them. It follows the EU ePrivacy rules as applied in Romania (Law no. 506/2004) and the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 ("GDPR"). Our Privacy Policy explains how we handle personal data more generally.

1. What are cookies and similar technologies?

Cookies are small text files that a website stores on your computer, phone or tablet when you visit it. They let the website recognise your device, keep you logged in and remember your choices.

Websites can also store information in your browser in other ways, for example in "local storage" or "session storage", or with a small background script called a "service worker". In this policy, "cookies" also covers these similar technologies unless we say otherwise.

  • First-party cookies are stored on the hollasea.com domain.
  • Third-party cookies are stored on another company's domain, for example Google's.
  • Session cookies are deleted when you close your browser.
  • Persistent cookies stay on your device for a set period, or until you delete them.

Without asking for your consent, we set only the cookies that make the Platform work, keep your account secure and keep you logged in (section 2, parts A and B). We ask for your consent before we use analytics cookies. Some content from other providers, such as boat photos and fonts, loads automatically, and those providers may set their own cookies. The Google Maps map on boat pages loads only if you click "Show map". Section 4 explains this.

2. Cookies we use

Analytics cookies are never set unless you click "Accept all" in our cookie banner. If you click "Necessary only", or make no choice, we set only the cookies described in parts A and B below. Content from other providers described in section 4 may still set its own cookies.

A. Strictly necessary cookies (no consent needed)

These cookies make the Platform work, keep your account secure or provide a feature you asked for. You cannot switch them off in the cookie banner.

  • PHPSESSID (HollaSea, first-party, session cookie). Keeps your session while you browse: it keeps you logged in, protects our forms against misuse and remembers the steps of what you are doing. It is deleted when you log out or close your browser.
  • skipar_unlocked (HollaSea, first-party, 30 days). Remembers access to a preview of the Platform while the site is closed to the public. It is set only if you open a private preview link that we give to our team. Ordinary visitors never receive it.

When you pay by card, our payment provider, Stripe, may also set cookies that are necessary for the payment (see section 4).

Your choice in the cookie banner is not kept in a cookie. It is kept in your browser's local storage (see section 3).

B. Stay-logged-in cookie

This cookie keeps you logged in between visits. You cannot switch it off in the cookie banner. You can remove it at any time by logging out.

  • hs_remember (HollaSea, first-party, 30 days). The "Keep me logged in" feature. We set it when you log in with the "Keep me logged in" box ticked. The box is ticked by default: untick it if you do not want to stay logged in. We also set it every time you sign in with Google and when you confirm your email address after registering. There is no box in those two cases. To remove the cookie, log out. The cookie signs you back in automatically when you return, so you do not have to type your password every time. It holds a random code, not your password. Each time it signs you back in, it is replaced by a new code that lasts another 30 days. All these codes stop working when you change your password in Settings → Security, or when your account is suspended or deleted.

C. Analytics cookies (only with your consent)

We use analytics cookies only if you click "Accept all". They come from Google Analytics 4, a service provided by Google Ireland Limited. When we use Google Analytics, it loads only after your consent. It shows us how visitors use the Platform, for example which pages are visited and where errors happen. We use these reports only as overall statistics, to improve the Platform.

  • _ga (Google Analytics). Gives your browser a random ID so that visits can be counted. Duration: up to 2 years (Google's standard setting).
  • _ga_ followed by a code (Google Analytics). Keeps track of your current visit. Duration: up to 2 years (Google's standard setting).

These cookies are stored on the hollasea.com domain, but Google's script places and reads them. The information they collect is sent to Google: the pages you visit, your device and browser type, and your approximate location. Your IP address is sent to Google with each request and is used to estimate your approximate location. Google states that Google Analytics 4 does not log or store IP addresses. To learn more, see how Google uses information from sites that use its services and Google's Privacy Policy.

Google may process this information outside the EU, including in the United States. Transfers to the United States are covered by the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and/or Standard Contractual Clauses, as explained in our Privacy Policy.

D. What we do not use

We do not use advertising or marketing cookies, social media plug-ins or tracking pixels such as the Meta (Facebook) Pixel. Share buttons and links to our social media pages are ordinary links. Nothing loads from those sites until you click one. If we ever want to use marketing cookies, we will first add them to this policy and ask for your separate consent. They will stay off unless you agree.

3. Other information stored in your browser

Some features save small pieces of information in your browser's local storage or session storage. These are not cookies. They serve only features you use or ask for, so they do not need your consent. They are used only by our own pages and are not shared with other companies. Your cookie choice is also recorded on our servers (see section 5.1), and guest favourites are copied to your account when you log in.

Local storage (stays until it is removed or you clear your browser data):

  • hs_cookie_consent: your choice in the cookie banner ("Necessary only" or "Accept all"). It does not expire on its own. It stays until you change your choice or clear your browser data. After that, the banner appears again.
  • hs_guest_favorites: favourites you save without being logged in. When you log in or register, we move them to your account and remove them from your browser.
  • hs_compare_ followed by a type, for example boats: the items you selected to compare side by side. Compare lists are kept only in your browser.
  • hs_push_uid: set only if you turn on chat notifications. It remembers which HollaSea account turned them on in this browser, so that someone else using the same browser does not receive your notifications. It is removed when you turn notifications off or log out.
  • hs_push_later_until: set if you click "Not now" on our notifications prompt. It stops us asking again for 7 days, or for 3 days if you close your browser's permission window without choosing.

Session storage (deleted when you close the browser tab):

  • hs_flash: a short message that is shown once after an action, for example a confirmation.
  • hs_push_synced: a technical marker so that your notification settings are checked only once per visit.
  • hs_gift_band_closed: set if you close the reminder about your welcome gift at the top of the page, so that it does not appear again until your next visit.
  • hs_offer_closed: set if you close the welcome-offer band at the top of the page, so that it does not appear again until you close the browser tab.

Chat notifications (service worker). Nothing is installed unless you turn notifications on, in Settings → Notifications or with the "Turn on" button in a chat. Your browser first asks for your permission. After that it installs a small HollaSea script (a service worker) that only receives and shows notifications, for example about new messages.

When you turn notifications on, we store your browser's push subscription on our servers, linked to your account: the address of the push service, the encryption keys and your browser type. We keep it until you turn notifications off, log out in that browser or delete your account. Notifications travel through the push service of your browser's maker (Google, Mozilla, Apple or Microsoft), and their content is encrypted.

You can turn notifications off at any time in Settings → Notifications or in your browser settings. The script may stay in your browser after that, but it no longer receives anything. Clearing the site data for hollasea.com in your browser removes it.

4. Content and services from other providers

  • Payments (Stripe). If you choose to pay for a boat reservation by card, the payment window loads Stripe's secure card form from js.stripe.com. It does not load if you pay by bank transfer. Your card details go directly to Stripe and never to us. When the card form loads, Stripe may set its own cookies and use similar technologies to process the payment securely and to prevent fraud. These are necessary for the payment you asked for. See Stripe's Privacy Policy.
  • Maps (Google Maps). Boat pages and boat data sheets show an embedded Google Maps map of the charter base. The map loads only when you click "Show map", whatever you chose in the cookie banner. Your browser then connects to Google, which receives your IP address and the address of the page you are viewing, and may read or set its own cookies under Google's policies. We do not control these cookies. You can limit them by blocking third-party cookies in your browser. The "View on map" links in our emails open Google Maps only if you click them.
  • Boat photos. Photos of boats are loaded directly from the servers of the third-party charter companies and their booking systems. To show them, your browser connects to those servers, which receive your IP address and basic browser information. We do not set cookies for this.
  • Fonts, icons and images. Our pages use fonts from Google Fonts. Some images, for example on the home page, come from Unsplash. Some pages use icons from cdnjs, a content delivery network run by Cloudflare. To show this content, your browser connects to these providers, which receive your IP address and basic browser information. We do not set cookies for this.
  • Sign in with Google. If you register or log in with Google, you are taken to Google's own sign-in page, and any cookies used there are Google's. Google shares your basic profile with us, for example your name, email address, profile picture and Google account ID. We keep only your name, email address and Google account ID.

Some of these providers may process your information in the United States. Transfers to the United States are covered by the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and/or Standard Contractual Clauses, as explained in our Privacy Policy.

5. How to manage your choices

5.1 The cookie banner and "Cookie preferences"

On your first visit, a banner asks you to choose "Necessary only" or "Accept all". The two buttons are shown side by side, and you can use the Platform whichever you choose. "Which cookies?" shows a short summary, and "Learn more" opens this page.

You can change your mind at any time with the "Cookie preferences" link in the site footer, which opens the banner again. Withdrawing your consent is as easy as giving it. It does not affect the analytics carried out before you withdrew.

If you switch to "Necessary only", we stop Google Analytics and delete its cookies (_ga and _ga_ followed by a code) from your browser. From then on, Google Analytics is not loaded.

Your choice is saved in your browser (see section 3), so it applies only to that browser and device. So that we can prove what you chose, we also keep a record of each choice on our servers. The record contains your choice, the date and time, your IP address, your browser type and language, a coded reference to your browsing session, the version of this policy and, if you are logged in, your account. We keep it for as long as we may need it to show what you chose or to defend legal claims.

5.2 Your browser settings

You can also block or delete cookies and site data in your browser. Menu names can differ between versions:

  • Google Chrome: Settings → Privacy and security → Third-party cookies, or Delete browsing data.
  • Mozilla Firefox: Settings → Privacy & Security → Cookies and Site Data.
  • Apple Safari (Mac): Safari → Settings → Privacy → Manage Website Data.
  • Microsoft Edge: Settings → Cookies and site permissions → Manage and delete cookies and site data.

Google also offers a browser add-on to opt out of Google Analytics on all websites.

Please note:

  • If you block PHPSESSID, you cannot log in. Features that need an account will then not work, for example sending requests, applying to voyages, reserving boats and sending messages.
  • If you block or delete hs_remember, you will need to log in again each time you open your browser.
  • Clearing your browser data also removes your cookie choice (so the banner appears again), your guest favourites and your compare list.

6. Your rights and more information

Some information collected through cookies and similar technologies is personal data, for example online identifiers and IP addresses. We rely on these legal bases:

  • Strictly necessary cookies, the stay-logged-in cookie and browser storage: our contract with you and our legitimate interest in running a secure platform (GDPR Art. 6(1)(b) and (f)).
  • Analytics cookies: your consent (GDPR Art. 6(1)(a)). You can withdraw it at any time, as described in section 5.
  • Content from other providers (maps, boat photos, fonts, icons and images): our legitimate interest in showing the Platform correctly (GDPR Art. 6(1)(f)).
  • The record of your cookie choice: our legitimate interest in being able to prove your choice and to defend legal claims (GDPR Art. 6(1)(f)), and our duty to be able to show that you gave your consent (GDPR Art. 7(1)).

Where we rely on our legitimate interest, you have the right to object at any time, for reasons relating to your particular situation.

You also have the right to access your data, to have it corrected or deleted, to restrict its use, and to data portability. Our Privacy Policy explains these rights and how to use them. You can also complain to the Romanian data protection authority, ANSPDCP (www.dataprotection.ro), or to the data protection authority of the EU country where you live.

7. Changes to this policy

We update this policy when we change the cookies or similar technologies we use. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page shows when this policy last changed. If a change affects members, we will tell them by email and on the Platform at least 15 days before it takes effect, unless it must apply sooner for legal or security reasons. We will not use a new type of optional cookie until you have given your consent for it in the cookie banner.

8. Contact us

If you have questions about cookies or privacy on HollaSea, please write to us at office@hollasea.com.

HOLLASEA S.R.L. ("HollaSea"), a limited liability company registered in Romania.

  • Registered office: Șoseaua Pipera nr. 61, Bl. 2, Sc. 1, Et. 1, Ap. 14, Sector 2, 020111 București, Romania
  • Trade Registry no.: J2026049846005 (EUID ROONRC.J2026049846005)
  • Tax ID (CUI): 55427204
  • VAT ID: RO55427204
  • Email: office@hollasea.com
  • Phone: +40 756 978 654