Sometimes, the biggest threats are the ones we can’t see. Surely, this sentiment rang true over the last year, as the COVID-19 virus swept across the nation, ushering in widespread fear and regulatory change in its wake. But now, as hospitality prepares for a long-awaited period of recovery, we must direct our attention to another unseen threat – data breaches. As our industry continues to adopt self-service technology to digitize the guest experience, guest data protection must be top of mind for every hotelier.

As the hotel industry is navigating through the remaining months of the pandemic and enduring truly agonizing decisions regarding the fate of some properties, if a property suddenly closes or changes ownership, what becomes of the data? Who protects the customers and employees from the disclosure of data? Ethically, you do.

By now, everyone is aware that hotel giant Marriott International announced on Friday a massive data breach that goes back more than four years and may have affected up to 500 million customers worldwide. 

A recent study finds that 89 percent of sites leave their users' accounts potentially exposed to hackers due to unsafe password practices. Do yours fall within the majority? Geneva Rinehart discusses which websites might need a password update. 

May 25 is quickly approaching, and the streets are abuzz with GDPR. Hoteliers are struggling for guidance and everyone has a thought or opinion as to what getting to GDPR compliance means. The worst part is so many hotels receiving incomplete or faulty information and will be in for a rude awakening soon. David Durko gives a checklist for hoteliers to focus on compliancy as the deadline quickly approaches.