security

When Will Hotels Get Serious About Protecting Guest Information?

by RobertKCole on August 26, 2010

Since the days of roman highways, the foremost requirement of the hotel industry has been preserving the safety and welfare of its guests. In modern times, this task applies equally to the guests themselves, their belongings and also, their personal information.

Hotels spend millions convincing travelers to stay with them, but are the underlying systems and processes legitimately worthy of a guest’s trust?

This Guest Post provides some answers. Gary Palgon, is vice president of product management for data protection software vendor nuBridges. An eBusiness security and solutions expert, Gary discusses why hotels and resorts are such an attractive target and most importantly, the steps the hospitality industry must take to protect guest information.

Credit Card Theft
Creative Commons License photo credit: Don Hankins

Your credit card numbers are being targeted by increasingly sophisticated hackers preying on the weak links of the hospitality industry

Ever since Trustwave released its Global Security Report in February, it has been widely understood that hackers are targeting the hospitality industry in a big way. In fact, a whopping 38 percent of all attacks in 2009 were against hotels and resorts. Of these, 98 percent involved credit card numbers.

Why? Because hackers are highly sophisticated and targeted in their attacks, but, truth be known, they’re also lazy. They find what works and repeat it over and over again with the “low hanging fruit”.

Lately that fruit has been hotels and resorts for the simple reason that it’s still a relatively easy job, since by and large the industry’s data protection schemes are weak. This is despite the fact that many of the largest hotel chains comply with the Payment Card Industry’s Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). continue reading →

Tagged as: credit card, guest post, hospitality, hotel, PCI, personal information, security, travel

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Erin Andrews Peephole Video Demands a Proactive Hotel Industry Response

by RobertKCole on October 8, 2009

There has been considerable press coverage of ESPN Sportscaster Erin Andrews’ invasion of privacy by a stalker with a cell phone camera and a modified hotel peephole – the hotel industry must respond.

Peephole
Creative Commons License photo credit: somenametoforget

Despite the media frenzy, there is a very good reason for hotel rooms to have peepholes

This problem is not actually a new issue – In the early 1980’s, I worked in a hotel where there was a similar incident. The investigation revealed that the perpetrator had actually modified dozens of peepholes across three different properties. The fundamental difference was that no celebrities or video cameras were involved. In today’s age of social media, hoteliers must realize that any incidents involving the violation of a guest’s personal privacy now run the risk of spreading rapidly through both social and traditional media.

One particularly negative outcome of the Erin Andrews incident is that some ridiculously bad recommendations are being made for women traveling alone. Women SHOULD NOT smear Vaseline on the inside of a peephole to make it opaque. While this may make it impossible for someone on the outside to use a modified peephole, it will also make the peephole unusable from the inside as well. Women staying in hotels alone should always use the peephole before opening the door, even when expecting visitors or room service. Being filmed through a modified peephole is a terrible thing, but not nearly as bad as opening a door and providing an opportunity for an unwanted visitor to enter the room.

It is important to remember that hotel guest rooms with unaltered peepholes are secure from external viewing. So here are the steps the hotel industry can take to eliminate this issue.

Peephole security, like most hotel security issues, is reliant on quality staff training. Technology can assist, but most problems are ultimately linked to a human failure. In the vast majority of altered peephole cases, the perpetrator requires some form of assistance from a hotel employee. continue reading →

Tagged as: hotel, security, travel

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