Overview
Anonymizing Guest Data on a Reservation
How to anonymize guest data
What gets removed
Anonymizing Booker Data on a Booking
How to anonymize booker data
What gets removed
Frequently Asked Questions
Related articles
Learn how to remove personal data from checked-out, cancelled, and no-show reservations.
Overview
Apaleo lets you permanently remove personal data from reservations and bookings to help your property stay compliant with GDPR and similar data protection regulations.
This is available in two places:
- Anonymize guest data — on individual reservations with a Checked-out, Cancelled, or No-show status
- Anonymize booker data — on the booking level, regardless of reservation status
Once triggered, some data is masked and some data is permanently deleted. This action cannot be undone.
Replaces the old manual workaround
Previously, removing guest data required manually overwriting names with asterisks in both the reservation and booking, then submitting a support ticket to Apaleo to clean up backend fields. This is no longer necessary. The anonymization feature handles everything, including backend fields, in one step. No support ticket is needed.
Also new: editing guest details on closed reservations
Apaleo now also allows you to edit guest details on Checked-out, Cancelled, and No-show reservations. Go to the Guests tab on the reservation and click Edit guest details.
Anonymizing Guest Data on a Reservation
Guest data anonymization is performed at the individual reservation level. It is available when a reservation has one of the following statuses:
- Checked-out
- Cancelled
- No-show
How to anonymize guest data
- Open the reservation from the Reservations list or by navigating directly to it.
- Go to the Guests tab.
- In the Main guest section, click Anonymize guest data.
- Review what will be masked and what will be permanently deleted in the confirmation dialog.
- Type Confirm in the text field and click Anonymize guest data to complete the action.
What gets removed
When you anonymize a guest, the following changes are made:
| Masked (kept in modified form) | Permanently deleted |
|---|---|
| First name — replaced with first letter + asterisks (for example, M*******) | Email address |
| Last name — replaced with first letter + asterisks (for example, K*******) | Phone number |
| Home address | |
| Date and place of birth | |
| Nationality | |
| Identification number and type | |
| Company details | |
| Guest comment | |
| All other personal information |
Important
This action is permanent and cannot be undone. Anonymized data cannot be recovered. Make sure you no longer need the guest's personal details before you continue.
Folio billing details are not covered
Anonymizing guest data does not remove billing details from reservation folios. Any personal data stored in folio line items, billing addresses, or payment records must be deleted manually. Go to the Folios tab on the reservation to review and remove this information.
Anonymizing Booker Data on a Booking
Booker data anonymization is performed at the booking level. A booking may contain one or more reservations. Anonymizing the booker removes their personal details from the booking record across all associated reservations.
How to anonymize booker data
- Open the booking, for example from the Reservations list by clicking the booking reference in the breadcrumb.
- Go to the Booker tab.
- In the Booker details section, click Anonymize booker data.
- Review the confirmation dialog. It lists exactly what will be masked and what will be permanently deleted.
- Type Confirm in the text field and click Anonymize booker data to complete the action.
What gets removed
When you anonymize a booker, the following changes are made:
| Masked (kept in modified form) | Permanently deleted |
|---|---|
| First name — replaced with first letter + asterisks (for example, M*******) | Email address |
| Last name — replaced with first letter + asterisks (for example, K*******) | Phone number |
| Home address | |
| Date and place of birth | |
| Nationality | |
| Identification number and type | |
| Company details | |
| Booker comment | |
| All other personal information |
Important
This action is permanent and cannot be undone. It applies to the booker record across the entire booking. If the same person is also a guest on one of the reservations, their guest data must be anonymized separately from the reservation's Guests tab.
Folio billing details are not covered
Anonymizing booker data does not remove billing details from booking folios. Any personal data stored in folio line items, billing addresses, or payment records must be deleted manually. Go to the Booking folio tab on the booking to review and remove this information.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does anonymization remove billing details from folios?
No. Anonymizing guest or booker data does not affect folio content. Billing details in reservation folios and booking folios, including folio line items, billing addresses, and payment records, must be deleted manually. To do this, open the relevant folio from the Folios tab on the reservation or the Booking folio tab on the booking, and remove the personal data there.
Do I still need to submit a support ticket after anonymizing?
No. The old process required submitting a ticket to Apaleo support so backend fields could be cleaned up manually. The new anonymization feature takes care of everything automatically, including all backend personal data fields. There is nothing further to do after clicking Anonymize.
Can I anonymize data on an in-house or upcoming reservation?
No. Guest data anonymization is only available on reservations with a Checked-out, Cancelled, or No-show status. Booker data can be anonymized at any time from the Booker tab on the booking.
Can I edit guest details on a checked-out or cancelled reservation?
Yes. Apaleo now allows you to edit guest details on Checked-out, Cancelled, and No-show reservations. Go to the Guests tab on the reservation and click Edit guest details.
Does anonymizing the booker also anonymize the guests?
No. Booker and guest records are separate. Anonymizing the booker removes their personal data from the booking record. If the booker is also listed as a guest on a reservation, you need to anonymize their guest data separately from the reservation's Guests tab.
Can the anonymization be reversed?
No. Once you confirm, the deleted data is gone permanently. The masked name, with initials and asterisks, remains visible in Apaleo, but the underlying personal information cannot be recovered.
Who can perform anonymization?
Anonymization can be performed by users with the Account Admin, Property Admin, or Reservation Manager role. If you do not see the option, check with your Account Admin about your user role and permissions.