security

Wisconsin Hotel and Lodging Association Keynote

by RobertKCole on October 26, 2010

I was honored to present the closing keynote for the Wisconsin Hotel & Lodging Association 2010 Annual Conference and Tradeshow held October 25-26 in Green Bay.

While I frequently joke about Wisconsin representing the center of the travel universe, there is more to it than most would give credit. Several members of the Wisconsin Hotel & Lodging Association are definitely doing a lot of things right.

Meeting attendees included representatives of the innovative The Iron Horse Hotel, voted hotel of the year by the Boutique & Lifestyle Lodging Association, mega-indoor waterpark operator Kalahari Resorts and the uniquely diversified Marcus Hotels & Resorts. All three Wisconsin-based groups are raising the bar in very different ways for quality, guest-centric, hotel and travel experiences.

The presentation was titled “Future Lodging Trends and Emerging Technologies.”



The full versions of the three videos that were embedded in the presentation are included below: continue reading →

Tagged as: future, hotel, innovation, lodging, marketing, mobile, personas, security, technology, travel, travel search, Web 2.0, Web 3.0

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Mad as Hell About Airline Fees – How Hidden are They?

by RobertKCole on September 26, 2010

A few weeks ago, a coalition of travel and consumer groups took on the airlines, declaring “I’m Mad as Hell About Hidden Airline Fees and I’m Not Gonna Take This Anymore!”

Mad as Hell
Creative Commons License photo credit: Ferdi’s – World

Blind Rage is a bit closer to the sentiment “Mad as Hell Day” should inspire. Perhaps “Confused & Mildly Frustrated Day” would have been better.

It all culminated Thursday, September 23: “Mad as Hell Day.” Considering my Catholic upbringing and familiarity with the 1976 film Network that popularized screaming “I’m Mad as Hell,” I was naturally anticipating disruptive actions of Armageddonal proportions.

Mad as Hell Day commemorated the deadline for public comment on proposed US Department of Transportation consumer protection rules outlined in docket number DOT-OST-2010-0140.

The combination of high rhetoric and selection of a baffling video spokesperson appears to have resulted in a considerable portion of petition signers whose stories oppose the airline fees or baggage policies themselves as opposed to the petition’s request that airlines display ancillary fees on web sites and distribute them through global distribution systems.

To set the record straight, for 30 years, I have been a strong proponent of providing consumers with clear policies and total pricing, upfront in the shopping process, inclusive of all mandatory taxes and fees – not just for airlines, but hotels, car rental, cruises, tours and event tickets. I completely agree that travelers should be able to easily compare product features and pricing.

Unfortunately, coalition founders American Society of Travel Agents, the Business Travel Coalition and the Consumer Travel Alliance, don’t provide sufficient detail regarding when and how these fees should be presented.

It would have been more beneficial if the petition provided specifics like presenting baggage fees prior to payment entry, on booking confirmations, etc. continue reading →

Tagged as: airline, customer relationship management, GDS, online travel companies, security, strategy, technology, travel, travel agency

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Are Your Facebook Friends Revealing Secrets?

by RobertKCole on September 17, 2010

NOTE: This post has been updated in consideration of Matt McKeon’s desire to have only a single image posted from his infographic.

A lot has been made about Facebook’s flirting relationship with member privacy. Controls are much improved, but now the greatest challenge is users understanding of all those settings.

Social Megaphone
Creative Commons License photo credit: theparadigmshifter

“Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.” - Benjamin Franklin

This issue came to my attention while drafting an e-mail to an individual who I have never met that works on a different continent. I use Outlook 2010 for an e-mail client with the Outlook Social Connector plugin. Much to my surprise, the Outlook Social Connector status panel displayed all of this individual’s Facebook status updates, plus, as an added bonus, wall postings authored by others.

Could this person, holding a technical position with a large global travel technology company, be a complete moron when it comes to social network privacy practices?”

After a little research, I came to the stark realization that my own Facebook privacy settings were configured to provide this same degree of insecurity for my friends’ wall posts. Considering myself an enlightened, social media-aware, privacy-conscious geek, I had paid considerable attention to the security settings impacting my wall posts, but apparently paid considerably less attention to the privacy of wall posts made by others. continue reading →

Tagged as: facebook, privacy, security, social media

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Society of Government Travel Professionals Keynote

by RobertKCole on September 9, 2010

The United States Government is the world’s largest purchaser of travel, with an estimated $20 Billion annual spend.

The Society of Government Travel Professionals is comprised of a diverse group of government employees, travel management companies and travel suppliers. I was honored to have an opportunity to share some thoughts on the factors I see influencing the future of both government and civilian travel. The talk was titled “Future Trends and Leading Technologies.”



There were also edited versions of four videos embedded in the presentation – the full versions of each are included below: continue reading →

Tagged as: government, innovation, insight, mobile, personas, security, technology, travel, travel search, Web 3.0

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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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The World’s Most Infamous Hotel Stay?

August 23, 2009

Keith Moon, the notorious drummer and perhaps equally feared hotel guest, celebrated his 21st birthday on August, 23 1967 following a concert in Flint, Michigan. The site was the Flint Holiday Inn, who even posted a warm welcome message to Keith on its iconic “great sign.” The 1960′s were largely about pushing boundaries and the loss of innocence. Keith pushed the boundaries; the hospitality industry discovered a new benchmark for room destruction and property damage. Both rock ‘n roll and the hotel industry were forever changed, and the legend of the most world’s most infamous hotel stay was born.

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