About Cookies
The information presented below aims to inform users about the placement, use, and management of cookies used by the hotelbrilliantplaza.ro website or other websites managed by Brilliant Plaza. Additionally, some useful links related to this topic are included.
If you need additional details not found below, you can contact us at office@hotelbrilliantplaza.ro.
Please read the following information carefully.
This website uses cookies to provide visitors with a much better browsing experience and services tailored to their needs and interests. In what we call “web 2.0,” cookies play an important role in facilitating access and delivering multiple services that users benefit from on the internet, such as:
Customizing certain settings – the language in which a website is viewed, the currency in which certain prices or rates are expressed, retaining options for various products (sizes, other details, etc.) in the shopping cart (and memorizing these options) – thus generating flexibility for the “shopping cart” (accessing old preferences by using the “back” and “forward” buttons);
Cookies provide website owners with valuable feedback on how their sites are used by users, enabling them to make them more efficient and accessible for them;
Allowing multimedia applications or different types of applications from other websites to be included in a specific site to create a more valuable, useful, and pleasant browsing experience;
Enhancing the efficiency of online advertising.
What is a “cookie”?
An “Internet Cookie” (also known as a “browser cookie” or “HTTP cookie” or simply “cookie”) is a small file, consisting of letters and numbers, that will be stored on the computer, mobile terminal, or other devices of a user accessing the internet. The cookie is installed through a request issued by a web server to a browser (for example, Internet Explorer, Chrome) and is completely “passive” (it does not contain software programs, viruses, or spyware and cannot access information from the user’s hard drive).
A cookie consists of two parts: the name and the content (value) of the cookie. Furthermore, the lifespan of a cookie is determined; technically, only the web server that sent the cookie can access it again when a user returns to the website associated with that web server.
Cookies themselves do not request personal information to be used and, in most cases, do not personally identify internet users.
Session cookies – these are temporarily stored in the web browser’s cookie folder so that it can remember them until the user exits the respective website or closes the browser window (for example, when logging in/logging out of a webmail account or social networking sites);
Permanent cookies – these are stored on the hard drive of a computer or on a device (and generally depend on the predetermined lifespan of the cookie).
What are the advantages of cookies?
A cookie contains information that links a web browser (the user) to a specific web server (the website). If a browser accesses that web server again, it can read the information already stored and react accordingly. Cookies provide users with a pleasant browsing experience and support the efforts of many websites to offer comfortable services to users (such as online privacy preferences, language options, shopping carts, or relevant advertising).
What is the lifespan of a cookie?
Cookies are managed by web servers. The lifespan of a cookie can vary significantly depending on the purpose for which it is placed. Some cookies are used exclusively for a single session (session cookies) and are not retained after the user has left the website, while other cookies are retained and reused each time the user returns to that website (permanent cookies). However, cookies can be deleted by the user at any time through the browser settings.
How are cookies used by this site?
Hotel Brilliant Plaza:
- authToken – cookie for user authentication (only for those who log in)
- refreshToken – cookie for user authentication (only for those who log in)
- refreshing – cookie to validate the existence of a token
- cookies cookies to validate the cookies policy
Google:
- _ga – google analytics cookie
Performance cookies
This type of cookie remembers the user’s preferences on this site, so there is no need to set them each time the site is visited.
Examples:
- volume settings for video player
- video streaming speed compatible with the browser
Visitor analysis cookies
Every time a user visits this site, analytics software provided by a third party generates a user analysis cookie. This cookie tells us whether you have visited this site before. The browser checks if you have this cookie, and if not, we generate one, allowing us to monitor unique users who visit us and how often they do so. As long as you are not registered on this site, the cookie cannot be used to identify individuals but is used only for statistical purposes. If you are registered, we can also know the details you provided us – email address and username – which are subject to confidentiality and provisions from the Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy, and applicable data protection laws.
Geotargeting cookies
These cookies are used by software to determine which country you come from. It is completely anonymous and is used only to target content – when you are on our site in Romanian or in another language, you receive the same ad.
If amicable settlement is not possible, the provisions of Romanian law in this area will apply, and conflict resolution will be the responsibility of the Romanian courts.
Registration cookies
When you register on this site, we generate a cookie that tells us if you are registered or not. Our servers use these cookies to show us which account you are registered with and whether you have permission for a specific service. It also allows us to associate any comment you post on our site with your username. If you have not selected “keep me logged in,” this cookie will be automatically deleted when you close the browser or computer.
Advertising cookies
These cookies allow us to find out if you have seen an online ad, what type it is, and how long it has been since you saw the ad. We use these cookies to target online advertising. We can also use cookies from a third party for better advertising targeting:. These cookies are anonymous and store information about the content viewed, not about users. We also set anonymous cookies on other sites where we have ads. By receiving them, we can use them to recognize you as a visitor to that site, and if you later visit our site, we can deliver advertising based on this information.
Why are cookies important for the Internet?
Cookies are central to the efficient operation of the Internet, helping to generate a user-friendly browsing experience tailored to each user’s preferences and interests. Refusing or disabling cookies can make some websites impractical to use.
Refusing or disabling cookies does not mean that you will no longer receive online advertising, but only that it will not take into account your preferences and interests highlighted by browsing behavior.
Examples of important uses of cookies (which do not require user authentication through an account):
- content and services tailored to user preferences
- offers tailored to user interests – retaining passwords, language preferences (e.g., displaying search results in Romanian)
- retaining child protection filters regarding internet content (family mode options, safe search functions)
- measurement, optimization, and analytics features – such as confirming a certain level of traffic on a website, what type of content is viewed, and how a user reaches a website (through search engines, direct, from other websites, etc.). Websites carry out these usage analyses to improve the sites for the benefit of users
Security and privacy issues
Cookies are NOT viruses! They use plain text formats. They are not made up of code snippets, so they cannot be executed or self-run. Consequently, they cannot duplicate or replicate on other networks to run or replicate again. Since they cannot perform these functions, they cannot be considered viruses. However, cookies can be used for negative purposes. Since they store information about users’ preferences and browsing history on both a specific site and other sites, cookies can be used as a form of spyware. Many anti-spyware products are aware of this and consistently mark cookies for deletion/scanning anti-virus/anti-spyware.
In general, browsers have built-in privacy settings that provide different levels of cookie acceptance, expiration period, and automatic deletion after the user has visited a particular site.
Other security aspects related to cookies
Since identity protection is highly valuable and represents the right of every internet user, it is advisable to know what potential problems cookies can create. Because they transmit information between the browser and website constantly and in both directions, if an attacker or unauthorized person intervenes in the data transmission process, the information contained in cookies can be intercepted. Although this rarely happens in practice, it can occur if the browser connects to the server using an unencrypted network (an unsecured WiFi network).
Other cookie-based attacks involve incorrect settings of cookies on servers. If a website does not request the browser to use only encrypted channels, attackers can use this vulnerability to deceive browsers into sending information through unsecured channels. Attackers then use the information to access certain websites unauthorized. It is crucial to be careful in choosing the most appropriate method of protecting personal information.
Tips for safe and responsible browsing based on cookies
Due to their flexibility and the fact that most of the most visited and largest sites use cookies, they are almost inevitable. Disabling cookies will not allow user access to the most widespread and used sites: YouTube, Gmail, Yahoo, and others. Here are some tips that, if applied, can ensure worry-free browsing, but with the help of cookies:
- customize your browser settings regarding cookies according to your comfort level regarding their use security
- if cookies do not bother you and you are the only person using the computer, you can set long expiration periods for storing browsing history and personal access data. However, if you share computer access, you may consider setting the browser to delete individual browsing data every time you close the browser. This is a way to access sites that place cookies and delete any visitation information when closing the browsing session
- install and constantly update antispyware applications
Many spyware detection and prevention applications include site attack detection. They prevent the browser from accessing websites that could exploit browser vulnerabilities or download dangerous software. Make sure your browser is always up-to-date. Many cookie-based attacks are carried out by exploiting weaknesses in older browser versions.
Cookies are everywhere and cannot be avoided if you want to access the best and largest sites on the Internet – local or international. With a clear understanding of how they operate and the benefits they bring, you can take the necessary security measures to confidently navigate the internet.
How can cookies be stopped?
Disabling and refusing to receive cookies can make certain sites impractical or difficult to visit and use.
It is possible to set the browser so that these cookies are no longer accepted, or you can set the browser to accept cookies from a specific site. But, for example, if you are not registered using cookies, you will not be able to leave comments.
All modern browsers offer the possibility to change cookie settings. These settings are usually found in the “options” or “preferences” menu of your browser. To understand these settings, the following links can be useful. You can use the browser’s “help” option for more details.
Cookie settings in Internet Explorer
Cookie settings in Firefox
Cookie settings in Chrome
Cookie settings in Safari
Useful links
If you want to learn more about cookies and what they are used for, we recommend the following links:
Microsoft Cookies guide
All About Cookies
