What is a Crowne Plaza licensee prohibited from doing with IHG Personal Data?
Crowne_Plaza Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
Subject to the provisions of any applicable Data Privacy Laws, as between Licensee and IHG, all IHG Personal Data is the property of IHG, and IHG shall have the right to use and transfer such data on a worldwide basis during and after the License Term.
During and after the License Term, Licensee shall have a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use any Guest Data stored in the Hotel's property management system only for purposes of operating the Hotel; provided, that: (i) Licensee shall have no right to use the IHG Marketing Data except for the purpose of operating the Loyalty Program during the License Term, and Licensee must remove, or IHG and its Affiliates shall have the right, at Licensee's cost, to remove all IHG Marketing Data from the Hotel's property management system and other Hotel records upon expiration or termination of this License; (ii) Licensee shall retain, use and transmit (and procure that any agent or representative of Licensee that manages the Hotel after the termination of this License retain, use and transmit) such Guest Data only (a) in accordance with all Data Privacy Laws, and (b) to the extent permitted pursuant to any consents obtained from the relevant guests, employees or other individuals (the parties acknowledging that IHG provides no warranty or guaranty regarding any such consents); (iii) Licensee shall not sell or transfer the IHG Personal Data including, but not limited, to any Affiliate or other hotel of Licensee and will not combine IHG Personal Data with the Personal Data of any other hotel brand, company or operator; and (iv) Licensee may not use IHG Personal Data for any marketing purpose.
Source: Item 23 — Receipts (FDD pages 100–424)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to the 2025 Crowne Plaza Franchise Disclosure Document, a licensee faces specific restrictions regarding the use of IHG Personal Data. IHG Personal Data encompasses IHG Marketing Data and any Personal Data collected by IHG or transmitted to IHG from the licensee, including data from IHG's reservation channels and data transferred to IHG's guest reservation system.
Specifically, Crowne Plaza licensees are prohibited from selling or transferring IHG Personal Data, including to any affiliate or other hotel of the licensee. They also cannot combine IHG Personal Data with the Personal Data of any other hotel brand, company, or operator. Furthermore, licensees are not allowed to use IHG Personal Data for any marketing purpose, except for operating the Loyalty Program during the license term.
These restrictions are in place to protect the privacy of guests and maintain the integrity of IHG's data. Upon termination or expiration of the license, the licensee must remove all IHG Marketing Data from the Hotel's property management system and other Hotel records, or IHG and its Affiliates have the right to remove the data at the licensee's cost. Licensees must also ensure that any Guest Data is retained, used, and transmitted in accordance with all Data Privacy Laws and any consents obtained from the relevant individuals.