Cookie Policy
Last Updated: June 1, 2025
This Cookie Policy explains how Velmorithotelspa Inc., located at 721 Main Street, Canmore, AB T1W 2B2, Canada, operating the website for Velmorithotelspa hotel, spa, and casino in Canmore, uses cookies and similar tracking technologies when you visit our website. This policy describes what these technologies are, why we use them, and your rights to control our use of them.
For any questions or concerns about this Cookie Policy or our privacy practices in general, please contact us at: privacy@velmorithotelspa.com.
This Cookie Policy should be read together with our Privacy Policy, which provides broader information about how we collect, use, and protect your personal data.
1. What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer, tablet, smartphone, or other device when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work efficiently, to improve user experience, and to provide information to the owners of the site. Cookies are stored in your browser's storage and are sent back to the originating website on each subsequent visit, or to any other website that recognises that cookie.
In addition to traditional cookies, we may also use similar tracking technologies such as:
- Web beacons (pixel tags): Tiny graphic images embedded in web pages or emails that allow us to track whether a page has been viewed or an email has been opened.
- Local storage objects: Data stored locally within your browser to improve site performance and remember your preferences.
- Session storage: Temporary data that is erased when your browser session ends.
- Fingerprinting technologies: Methods of identifying a device based on its unique configuration, used in limited contexts for security and fraud prevention.
Cookies can be classified by their duration:
- Session cookies: These are temporary cookies that expire when you close your browser. They allow our website to link your actions during a single browsing session.
- Persistent cookies: These cookies remain on your device for a set period specified in the cookie. They are activated each time you visit the website that created that particular cookie.
Cookies can also be classified by their origin:
- First-party cookies: Cookies set directly by Velmorithotelspa Inc. when you visit our website.
- Third-party cookies: Cookies set by a domain other than our website, typically by our trusted service partners, advertisers, or analytics providers.
2. Why Do We Use Cookies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for a variety of reasons, including to:
- Ensure the technical operation and security of our website.
- Remember your preferences and settings so you do not have to re-enter them on future visits.
- Understand how visitors use our website so we can improve the content and structure.
- Measure the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns and promotional activities.
- Deliver personalised advertising and content relevant to your interests.
- Support our casino and gaming functionalities, where applicable, including responsible gambling tools.
- Prevent fraudulent activity and protect the security of our platform and our guests.
- Comply with applicable legal and regulatory obligations.
3. Types of Cookies We Use
The cookies we use on our website fall into the following categories:
3.1 Strictly Necessary (Essential) Cookies
These cookies are essential for the proper functioning of our website and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in to your guest account, making a room or dining reservation, or filling in forms. Without these cookies, services you have requested cannot be provided. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information beyond what is strictly necessary to deliver the service.
Legal basis: Legitimate interest and, where applicable, compliance with legal obligations. Consent is not required for these cookies.
| Cookie Name | Provider | Purpose | Duration | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| __cf_bm | Cloudflare | This cookie is used by Cloudflare's Bot Management solution to identify and manage automated traffic. It distinguishes between bots and human users to protect the website from malicious bot activity. | 30 minutes | First-party / Third-party |
| cf_clearance | Cloudflare | Stores the proof that a visitor has passed Cloudflare's security challenge (CAPTCHA or similar). This prevents repeated security challenges during a browsing session and is essential for uninterrupted access to the website. | 1 year | First-party |
| __cflb | Cloudflare | Used for load balancing to ensure that requests are properly distributed across Cloudflare's server network, maintaining optimal website performance and availability. | Session | First-party |
| PHPSESSID | Velmorithotelspa Inc. | Maintains your session state across page requests. Required for the reservation system, guest login, and other interactive website features. | Session | First-party |
| velm_consent | Velmorithotelspa Inc. | Stores your cookie consent preferences so we do not present the consent banner on every page visit. | 12 months | First-party |
| velm_auth_token | Velmorithotelspa Inc. | Authenticates a logged-in guest user and maintains a secure session throughout the website's account area. | Session | First-party |
| velm_csrf | Velmorithotelspa Inc. | A Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) protection token that validates form submissions and protects users from certain types of online attacks. | Session | First-party |
3.2 Functional (Preference) Cookies
Functional cookies allow our website to remember choices you make and provide enhanced, more personalised features. For example, these cookies can remember your language preference, your preferred currency for displaying room rates, or whether you have previously visited our site. If you do not allow these cookies, some or all of these services may not function properly.
Legal basis: Your consent, which you may withdraw at any time.
| Cookie Name | Provider | Purpose | Duration | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| velm_lang | Velmorithotelspa Inc. | Stores your selected language preference to ensure the website displays content in your chosen language on subsequent visits. | 12 months | First-party |
| velm_currency | Velmorithotelspa Inc. | Remembers your preferred currency selection for displaying hotel room rates and casino package prices. | 12 months | First-party |
| velm_room_pref | Velmorithotelspa Inc. | Saves your most recent room search criteria (check-in date, check-out date, number of guests) to pre-populate fields during your next reservation attempt. | 30 days | First-party |
3.3 Performance and Analytics Cookies
These cookies collect information about how visitors use our website, such as which pages are most frequently visited and whether visitors receive error messages from web pages. The information collected by these cookies is aggregated and therefore anonymous. We use this data to improve how our website works, to understand visitor behaviour, and to measure the effectiveness of our content. These cookies do not collect information that identifies you personally.
Legal basis: Your consent, which you may withdraw at any time.
| Cookie Name | Provider | Purpose | Duration | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| _ga | Google Analytics (Google LLC) | This is the primary Google Analytics cookie. It registers a unique ID that is used to generate statistical data on how visitors use the website, including number of visits, pages viewed, and traffic sources. The ID is used to distinguish between users. | 2 years | Third-party |
| _ga_[ID] | Google Analytics (Google LLC) | Used by Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to persist session state and to group page views into a single session. The [ID] suffix corresponds to our specific GA4 property. | 2 years | Third-party |
| _gid | Google Analytics (Google LLC) | Registers a unique ID used to generate statistical data on how visitors use the website. Unlike _ga, this cookie expires after 24 hours and is used to distinguish users within a single day. | 24 hours | Third-party |
| _gat | Google Analytics (Google LLC) | Used by Google Analytics to throttle request rates, limiting the collection of data on high-traffic websites to prevent performance issues. | 1 minute | Third-party |
| _gac_[ID] | Google Analytics / Google Ads (Google LLC) | Contains campaign-related information for the user. If you have linked your Google Analytics and Google Ads accounts, Google Ads website conversion tags will read this cookie unless you opt out. | 90 days | Third-party |
| _hjSessionUser_[ID] | Hotjar Ltd. | Set when a user first lands on a page. Persists the Hotjar User ID, which is unique to that user on that site. This ensures that behaviour in subsequent visits to the same site will be attributed to the same user ID. | 1 year | Third-party |
| _hjSession_[ID] | Hotjar Ltd. | Holds current session data. Its use ensures that subsequent requests within the session window are attributed to the same Hotjar session. | 30 minutes | Third-party |
Please note that Google Analytics data may be transferred to and stored on servers located outside Canada, including in the United States. Google LLC is certified under applicable data transfer frameworks and has implemented Standard Contractual Clauses. For more information, please visit Google's Privacy Policy .
3.4 Marketing and Advertising Cookies (Targeting Cookies)
Marketing cookies are used to track visitors across websites. The intention is to display advertisements that are relevant and engaging for the individual user and, therefore, more valuable to us and our advertising partners. These cookies help us measure the return on investment of our advertising activities, limit the number of times you see an advertisement, and understand the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns. They may also be used to build a profile of your interests. These cookies are set by our trusted third-party advertising and social media partners.
Legal basis: Your explicit consent, which you may withdraw at any time.
| Cookie Name | Provider | Purpose | Duration | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| _fbp | Meta Platforms, Inc. (Facebook Pixel) | Used by Meta to deliver, measure, and improve the relevance of our advertisements on Facebook and Instagram. The Facebook Pixel tracks conversions from Facebook ads, optimises ads, and builds targeted audiences for future ad campaigns. This cookie identifies browsers for the purpose of providing advertising and website analytics services. | 3 months | Third-party |
| _fbc | Meta Platforms, Inc. (Facebook Pixel) | Stores the last click attribution information when a user arrives at the website via a Facebook advertisement. Used in conjunction with _fbp to measure ad conversion effectiveness. | 3 months | Third-party |
| fr | Meta Platforms, Inc. | Used by Meta (Facebook) to deliver, measure, and improve the relevance of advertisements. Enables ad targeting based on user behaviour across websites that use Meta's services. | 3 months | Third-party |
| _gcl_au | Google LLC (Google Ads / AdSense) | Used by Google Ads to track conversions from our paid advertising campaigns. It stores and updates a unique value each time you visit a page, enabling Google to measure the effectiveness of ad clicks. | 3 months | Third-party |
| IDE | Google LLC (Google DoubleClick) | Used by Google's DoubleClick advertising platform to register and report actions taken on the website after viewing or clicking one of our Google Ads, for the purpose of measuring the efficacy of an ad and showing targeted ads to the user. | 1 year | Third-party |
| NID | Google LLC | Used by Google to customise advertising in Google searches and to remember your preferences and other information, such as your preferred language and settings. | 6 months | Third-party |
| _tt_enable_cookie | TikTok Inc. (TikTok Pixel) | Part of TikTok's advertising pixel. Used to track visitor behaviour and measure the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns on TikTok, and to show targeted ads to visitors based on their interests and browsing behaviour. | 13 months | Third-party |
| _ttp | TikTok Inc. (TikTok Pixel) | Used by TikTok to measure and improve the performance of advertising campaigns delivered on TikTok. Stores and tracks interactions with our website for conversion measurement purposes. | 13 months | Third-party |
| li_fat_id | LinkedIn Corporation (LinkedIn Insight Tag) | Part of LinkedIn's advertising and analytics tool. Used to enable conversion tracking, retargeting, and audience analytics when we run campaigns on LinkedIn. | 30 days | Third-party |
| bcookie | LinkedIn Corporation | Browser identification cookie. Used by LinkedIn to identify browsers when sharing content and for advertising purposes related to LinkedIn campaigns. | 2 years | Third-party |
| velm_retarget | Velmorithotelspa Inc. | An internal cookie used to support our retargeting efforts, enabling us to show you relevant hotel, spa, and casino offers based on your previous interactions with our website. | 90 days | First-party |
3.5 Security and Fraud Prevention Cookies
In addition to the essential Cloudflare cookies described above, we use certain cookies specifically to protect the security of our website and the integrity of our online gaming and booking platforms.
| Cookie Name | Provider | Purpose | Duration | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| __cf_chl_rc_m | Cloudflare | A Cloudflare challenge cookie used to mark users who have passed an interstitial challenge page, preventing repeated challenges within a session. | Session | First-party |
| __utmz | Google (Legacy) | Legacy Google Analytics cookie used to identify the source of traffic to the site. May appear on older page caches and is being phased out in favour of GA4. | 6 months | Third-party |
4. User Consent
In accordance with applicable Canadian privacy law, including the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and the provincial legislation of Alberta (PIPA), as well as internationally recognised privacy standards, we obtain your freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous consent before placing non-essential cookies on your device.
4.1 How We Obtain Your Consent
When you first visit our website, a Cookie Consent Banner will appear at the bottom (or top) of your screen. The banner provides you with clear information about the types of cookies we use and asks for your consent before any non-essential cookies are activated. You will be presented with the following options:
- Accept All Cookies: You consent to all categories of cookies, including analytics, functional, and marketing cookies.
- Reject Non-Essential Cookies: Only strictly necessary and security cookies will be placed on your device. All other cookies will be blocked.
- Manage Preferences: You can review each category of cookies and individually choose which types you wish to allow or deny.
Your consent preferences are recorded and stored via our velm_consent cookie
for a period of 12 months. After this period, we will ask for your consent again. You may
change your consent preferences at any time (see Section 5 below).
4.2 Consent for Marketing and Casino-Related Cookies
We draw your particular attention to the use of marketing and advertising cookies in connection with our casino and gaming operations. Given the sensitive nature of gaming services, we apply a strict opt-in consent model for all cookies related to the promotion of casino services. We will not activate casino-related marketing pixels unless you have explicitly selected to accept marketing cookies.
4.3 Withdrawal of Consent
You have the right to withdraw your consent to non-essential cookies at any time. Doing so will not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before your withdrawal. Please be aware that withdrawing consent may affect the functionality of certain features of our website. To withdraw your consent, please see Section 5 of this policy.
4.4 Consent Records
We maintain records of the consent you have provided in connection with our use of cookies. These records include the date and time consent was given or withdrawn, the version of this Cookie Policy in effect at that time, and the specific categories of cookies you consented to. You may request access to your consent record by contacting us at privacy@velmorithotelspa.com.
5. Managing and Controlling Cookies
You have several options for managing and controlling the cookies that are placed on your device. Please note that disabling or blocking certain cookies may impact the functionality of our website and may prevent you from accessing certain features.
5.1 Our Cookie Preference Centre
You can update or change your cookie consent preferences at any time by clicking the "Cookie Settings" link available in the footer of every page on our website. This will reopen our Cookie Preference Centre, allowing you to opt in or out of specific cookie categories without affecting your current browsing session for essential cookies.
5.2 Browser Controls
Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can usually find these settings in the "Options," "Settings," or "Preferences" menu of your browser. You can configure your browser to:
- Block all cookies from being set on your device.
- Block third-party cookies while allowing first-party cookies.
- Delete all cookies that are already stored on your device.
- Receive a notification each time a new cookie is about to be placed.
For more information about cookie controls in popular browsers, please refer to the relevant support pages:
5.3 Opting Out of Google Analytics
You can prevent Google Analytics from collecting your data by installing the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-on , which is available for major browsers. This add-on prevents the Google Analytics JavaScript from sharing information with Google about your visit activity.
5.4 Opting Out of Interest-Based Advertising
To opt out of interest-based advertising delivered by advertising networks and third-party marketing partners, you may use the following industry opt-out tools:
- Digital Advertising Alliance of Canada (DAAC): youradchoices.ca
- Network Advertising Initiative (NAI): optout.networkadvertising.org
- Google Ads Personalisation: adssettings.google.com
- Meta (Facebook) Ad Preferences: facebook.com/settings?tab=ads
- TikTok Ad Settings: TikTok Privacy Policy and Settings
5.5 Cloudflare Cookies
Cloudflare cookies are classified as essential and security cookies and are necessary to protect our website from malicious traffic and to deliver website content reliably. These cookies cannot be disabled via our Cookie Preference Centre. If you block Cloudflare cookies at the browser level, you may experience disruptions in accessing our website. For more information about Cloudflare's data practices, please visit Cloudflare's Privacy Policy .
5.6 Do Not Track (DNT)
Some browsers include a "Do Not Track" (DNT) feature that signals to websites that you do not want your browsing activity tracked. At present, there is no universally accepted standard for how websites should respond to DNT signals. Our website does not currently alter its data collection practices in response to DNT signals, but you can use the controls described in this section to manage your cookie preferences.
6. Third-Party Cookies and External Links
Our website contains links to third-party websites and integrations with external services (for example, booking engines, maps, and social media features). These third parties may set their own cookies on your device when you interact with their content. We do not control the cookies placed by these third parties and are not responsible for their privacy practices. We encourage you to review the privacy and cookie policies of any third-party website you visit. Key third parties whose services we use include:
- Cloudflare, Inc. — Security, performance, and content delivery. Privacy Policy
- Google LLC — Analytics, advertising, and maps. Privacy Policy
- Meta Platforms, Inc. — Social media and advertising pixels. Privacy Policy
- TikTok Inc. — Social media and advertising pixels. Privacy Policy
- LinkedIn Corporation — Professional networking and advertising. Privacy Policy
- Hotjar Ltd. — User experience analytics and heat mapping. Privacy Policy
7. Cookies and Children
Our website is not directed to individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly use cookies to collect personal information from minors. Furthermore, as an operator of a casino and gaming facility, we take additional care to ensure that marketing cookies associated with our casino services are not used to target individuals under the legal gambling age in Alberta (18 years of age). If you believe we have inadvertently collected information about a minor, please contact us immediately at privacy@velmorithotelspa.com.
8. International Data Transfers
Some of the third-party service providers we use, including Google LLC, Meta Platforms, Inc., and others, are based outside of Canada and may process data collected through cookies in countries that may not have the same level of data protection as Canada. Where this occurs, we take reasonable steps to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, including contractual protections, to ensure that your data is handled securely and in accordance with this Cookie Policy and applicable law. For more details on international transfers of your personal information, please refer to our Privacy Policy.
9. Your Privacy Rights
In addition to your rights in relation to cookies specifically, you may have broader rights under applicable privacy legislation with respect to your personal information. These may include the right to:
- Access the personal information we hold about you.
- Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal information.
- Request deletion of your personal information, subject to certain legal exceptions.
- Withdraw your consent to the collection and use of your personal information.
- Lodge a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada or the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact our Privacy Office at:
- Email: privacy@velmorithotelspa.com
- Postal Address: Privacy Officer, Velmorithotelspa Inc., 721 Main Street, Canmore, AB T1W 2B2, Canada
We will respond to your request within 30 days of receipt, or as otherwise required by applicable law.
10. Changes to This Cookie Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the cookies we use, updates to applicable law, or changes in our business practices. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last Updated" date at the top of this document. We encourage you to review this Cookie Policy periodically to stay informed about our use of cookies. Where changes are significant, we may notify you via a prominent notice on our website or, where we have your email address, by email.
Your continued use of our website after the effective date of any changes constitutes your acknowledgement of the updated Cookie Policy. If you do not agree with the updated policy, you should adjust your cookie settings or discontinue use of our website.
11. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests relating to this Cookie Policy or our use of cookies and similar tracking technologies, please do not hesitate to contact us:
- Legal Entity: Velmorithotelspa Inc.
- Legal Address: 721 Main Street, Canmore, AB T1W 2B2, Canada
- Email: privacy@velmorithotelspa.com
For more information about our broader data handling practices, please review our full Privacy Policy.