Cookie Policy

Last updated: July 11, 2026

This Cookie Policy explains how TopHotelsList.com uses cookies and similar technologies when you visit the website.

TopHotelsList.com is operated by:

Instant Media Access
c/o Billo ILY 237-S
Birger Jarlsgatan 37
SE-114 45 Stockholm
Sweden

This Cookie Policy should be read together with our Privacy Policy, which explains more broadly how we collect, use, store, and protect personal data.

1. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files that websites place on your computer, smartphone, tablet, or other device when you visit them.

Cookies can store or retrieve information about your browser, device, preferences, or use of a website. They can help websites function correctly, remember choices, measure traffic, improve performance, and track whether a visitor completed an action after following a link.

Some cookies contain or generate online identifiers that may be considered personal data under applicable privacy laws.

Cookies may be:

First-party cookies

First-party cookies are placed by TopHotelsList.com or on our behalf and are associated with the TopHotelsList.com domain.

Third-party cookies

Third-party cookies are placed by an external service, such as an analytics provider, embedded-content provider, affiliate network, booking platform, security provider, or advertising partner.

Session cookies

Session cookies are temporary and are normally deleted when you close your browser.

Persistent cookies

Persistent cookies remain on your device until they expire or you delete them. Their duration may range from a few minutes to several months or longer, depending on their purpose and provider.

2. Similar Technologies

In addition to traditional cookies, TopHotelsList.com and its service providers may use similar technologies, including:

pixels;
web beacons;
tags;
scripts;
local storage;
software-development kits;
tracking links;
referral identifiers;
device or browser identifiers.

In this Cookie Policy, references to “cookies” generally include these similar technologies unless the context requires otherwise.

3. Why We Use Cookies

TopHotelsList.com may use cookies and similar technologies to:

provide and maintain the website;
protect the website against malicious activity;
remember your privacy and cookie preferences;
improve website speed and performance;
identify technical errors;
understand how visitors use the website;
measure page visits and traffic sources;
understand which articles and hotel guides are useful;
measure clicks on affiliate links;
attribute bookings or other qualifying actions to an affiliate referral;
display third-party or embedded content;
support advertising where advertising is introduced.

We do not use cookies to provide memberships or user accounts because TopHotelsList.com does not offer registration or sign-in functionality.

4. Categories of Cookies

The cookies used on TopHotelsList.com may fall within the categories described below.

The availability of a category does not necessarily mean that every type of cookie described in that category is currently active. The exact cookies detected on the website are listed in the Cookie Settings panel.

4.1 Strictly necessary cookies

Strictly necessary cookies are required for the website to operate securely or provide a service that you have specifically requested.

They may be used to:

deliver website pages;
balance website traffic;
protect the site against attacks;
detect fraudulent or malicious activity;
maintain security settings;
remember your cookie-consent choices;
prevent the cookie banner from repeatedly appearing after you have made a selection;
provide essential network and server functionality.

These cookies cannot normally be disabled through our consent interface because the website may not function correctly without them.

Strictly necessary cookies are not used for optional analytics, personalized advertising, or affiliate tracking.

Where permitted by law, strictly necessary cookies may be stored without consent because they are required to provide the website or a service requested by the visitor.

4.2 Preference and functionality cookies

Preference and functionality cookies allow the website or an external provider to remember choices and provide enhanced features.

They may remember information such as:

language preferences;
regional preferences;
display settings;
accessibility settings;
video-player preferences;
choices made when interacting with embedded content.

These cookies are not always essential for the basic operation of the website.

Where required by law, they are used only after you provide consent.

4.3 Analytics and performance cookies

Analytics cookies help us understand how visitors use TopHotelsList.com.

They may collect information such as:

which pages are visited;
how visitors arrive at the website;
the approximate country or region of a visitor;
the type of device or browser used;
how long visitors spend on a page;
which links are clicked;
whether technical errors occur;
whether visitors return to the website.

We may use this information to improve our articles, navigation, loading speed, technical performance, and overall visitor experience.

Analytics information may be aggregated, pseudonymized, or associated with an online identifier. Depending on the provider and configuration, analytics information may be processed outside Sweden or the European Economic Area.

Analytics cookies are not considered strictly necessary merely because they help us improve the website.

Where required by law, analytics cookies are activated only after you provide consent.

4.4 Affiliate and conversion cookies

TopHotelsList.com contains affiliate links to hotel-booking platforms and other travel services.

When you click an affiliate link, the relevant affiliate network, booking platform, or tracking provider may use cookies, referral parameters, pixels, or similar technologies to:

identify that you arrived from TopHotelsList.com;
record the date and time of the click;
associate a later booking or purchase with our referral;
prevent duplicate commission claims;
detect fraudulent transactions;
calculate commission payable to us;
generate aggregated performance reports.

Affiliate tracking may begin when you click an affiliate link or when a related third-party script is activated.

An affiliate cookie may remain on your device for a period determined by the relevant affiliate partner. This period is sometimes referred to as a referral window or attribution period.

TopHotelsList.com does not control the lifetime or subsequent use of cookies placed directly by an affiliate network, hotel-booking platform, or other third-party provider after you leave our website.

Where legally required, non-essential affiliate or conversion cookies are used only after you provide consent.

You can learn more about affiliate relationships in our Affiliate & Advertising Disclosure.

4.5 Advertising cookies

If advertising is displayed on TopHotelsList.com, advertising providers may use cookies and similar technologies to:

deliver advertisements;
limit how frequently an advertisement is shown;
measure advertisement performance;
detect fraudulent advertising activity;
understand whether an advertisement led to a visit or action;
select advertisements based on general context;
create or use interest-based advertising profiles, where permitted.

Some advertising technologies may track activity across different websites or services.

Where required by law, advertising cookies and technologies are activated only after you provide consent.

The presence of an advertising category in our Cookie Settings panel does not necessarily mean that personalized advertising is currently used. The live Cookie Settings panel reflects the technologies detected on the website at the relevant time.

4.6 Embedded-content and media cookies

Articles may contain content embedded from third-party services, such as:

video platforms;
map providers;
social-media services;
travel platforms;
hotel-booking services;
review or media platforms.

Embedded content can behave as though you visited the third-party provider directly.

The provider may collect:

your IP address;
browser and device information;
cookie identifiers;
information about the page you visited;
whether you played or interacted with the content;
information associated with an account you hold with that provider.

If you are signed in to the third-party service, the provider may associate your interaction with your account.

Where technically possible and legally required, non-essential embedded content will remain blocked until you provide the relevant consent. You may see a placeholder asking you to accept cookies before the content is loaded.

5. Cookies Currently Used on TopHotelsList.com

The exact cookies and similar technologies currently detected on TopHotelsList.com are available through our Cookie Settings panel.

The live list may include:

cookie or technology name;
provider or domain;
purpose;
category;
first-party or third-party status;
duration or expiration period.

You can open Cookie Settings through:

the cookie banner when you first visit the website;
the Cookie Settings link available in the website footer or privacy interface.

The live list should be treated as the most current record because cookies may change when we:

update WordPress or the website theme;
install, remove, or update plugins;
change hosting or security providers;
introduce or remove analytics;
add or replace affiliate partners;
add embedded content;
introduce or change advertising services;
update our consent-management platform.

We periodically scan and review the website to identify cookies and similar technologies. However, a third-party provider may occasionally change a cookie before our list has been updated.

Contact us at info@tophotelslist.com if you notice a cookie that is not adequately described in the Cookie Settings panel.

6. Your Cookie Choices

When you first visit TopHotelsList.com, you may be shown a cookie-consent banner.

Depending on the cookies currently used, the banner may allow you to:

accept all optional cookies;
reject all optional cookies;
select individual categories;
view more detailed information;
save your choices.

Rejecting optional cookies should not prevent you from reading the normal editorial content available on TopHotelsList.com. However, certain optional features, such as embedded videos or maps, may not work unless you consent to the relevant cookies.

Your consent is voluntary.

Refusing or withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing that occurred before the consent was withdrawn.

7. Changing or Withdrawing Consent

You may change or withdraw your consent at any time.

Use the Cookie Settings link available in the footer or privacy interface to reopen the consent panel.

From there, you can:

review your current choices;
disable optional categories;
enable categories;
withdraw consent;
save new preferences.

When you withdraw consent, we will stop activating the relevant optional cookies through TopHotelsList.com where technically possible.

Cookies already stored on your device may remain until they expire or you delete them through your browser. Third parties may also retain previously collected information in accordance with their privacy policies and applicable law.

8. Managing Cookies Through Your Browser

Most web browsers allow you to view, block, or delete cookies.

Browser controls may allow you to:

delete all cookies;
delete cookies from a particular website;
block all cookies;
block third-party cookies;
clear cookies when the browser closes;
receive a warning before a cookie is stored.

The exact procedure depends on your browser and device. Consult your browser’s help or privacy settings for current instructions.

Blocking all cookies may affect essential website functionality. Deleting the cookie that stores your consent preferences may cause the cookie banner to appear again.

Browser settings do not necessarily block all similar technologies, such as local storage, pixels, tracking links, or server-side referral information.

9. Global Privacy Control and Do Not Track

Some browsers and browser extensions transmit privacy-preference signals, including Global Privacy Control or Do Not Track signals.

There is not one universally adopted standard governing every privacy signal in every jurisdiction.

Where applicable law requires us to recognize a valid opt-out signal, we will treat the signal as an opt-out request for the relevant browser or device to the extent that it can be technically recognized and connected with the relevant processing.

TopHotelsList.com does not otherwise guarantee that every browser signal will automatically change all cookie or third-party practices.

You should use our Cookie Settings panel to communicate your preferences directly.

10. Third-Party Cookies and Websites

TopHotelsList.com does not have complete control over cookies placed by third parties.

Third parties may process information under their own terms and privacy policies. These parties may include:

hosting and security providers;
consent-management providers;
analytics services;
affiliate networks;
hotel-booking platforms;
advertising providers;
video and media platforms;
map services;
social-media providers.

When you click an external link, the destination website may place additional cookies independently of TopHotelsList.com.

You should review the cookie and privacy information provided by the relevant third party before submitting personal data or changing its settings.

11. International Data Processing

Some cookie and technology providers may process information outside Sweden or the European Economic Area, including in the United States or countries in Asia.

Where Instant Media Access is responsible for an international transfer of personal data, we use an appropriate transfer mechanism where required by applicable law. This may include:

a European Commission adequacy decision;
approved Standard Contractual Clauses;
supplementary safeguards;
another lawful transfer mechanism.

Third-party booking platforms and external websites are independently responsible for the transfers they carry out through their own services.

More information about international data transfers is available in our Privacy Policy.

12. Personal Data Collected Through Cookies

Information collected through cookies may constitute personal data when it identifies or can reasonably be connected with an individual, browser, or device.

Such information may include:

IP addresses;
cookie identifiers;
device identifiers;
referral data;
browsing events;
approximate location data;
consent records;
interaction data;
conversion identifiers.

Where cookie information constitutes personal data, it is processed in accordance with our Privacy Policy and applicable data-protection law.

Depending on the purpose, the relevant legal basis may be:

your consent;
our legitimate interest in operating and securing the website;
compliance with a legal obligation.

Consent to storing or accessing information on your device and the legal basis for subsequent processing of personal data are related but legally distinct issues. We assess both requirements where applicable.

13. Retention

Cookie retention periods vary according to their purpose and provider.

A cookie may last:

only for the current browser session;
for several minutes or hours;
for several days;
for several months;
until a specified expiration date;
until you delete it.

The expected duration of each detected cookie is shown in Cookie Settings where the information is available.

Information collected through cookies may be retained separately from the cookie itself. For example, an analytics provider or affiliate network may retain a record after the cookie has expired.

Retention of personal data is described further in our Privacy Policy and in the relevant third party’s privacy information.

14. Updates to This Cookie Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy when:

cookies or similar technologies change;
we add or remove service providers;
we introduce or remove analytics;
affiliate arrangements change;
advertising practices change;
website functionality changes;
applicable laws or regulatory guidance change;
clarification is otherwise necessary.

The latest version will be published on this page with a revised “Last updated” date.

A material change may also be communicated through the website or consent interface where appropriate.

15. Contact Us

For questions about this Cookie Policy, the cookies used on TopHotelsList.com, or your privacy choices, contact:

Instant Media Access
c/o Billo ILY 237-S
Birger Jarlsgatan 37
SE-114 45 Stockholm
Sweden

Email: info@tophotelslist.com

You may also use this email address to exercise a privacy right described in our Privacy Policy.