Hackers find hackers are drawn to the hospitality industry. Because guests provide personal data such as credit card and ID numbers to lodging providers, data breaches can occur easily in this sector.
Data breaches cost businesses both time and money, as well as cause guests to distrust your company. Use these tips to protect guest data and privacy on your website.
1. Use a Strong Password
Establishing an effective password is one of the key components to protecting guest data and privacy online. A strong password must be difficult for threat actors to guess and contain uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, symbols, as well as at least six characters long. You can use password generators to easily create secure yet memorable passwords – these tools will generate random-looking passwords such as “Wt4e-79P-B13qS.”
Passwords should be specific to every website where they’re used in order to prevent hacking by ensuring if your password does get hacked, it won’t impact other accounts with which it was shared. Furthermore, personal information like your name or birthday could potentially be leaked publicly online and used against you when creating passwords – making your account vulnerable against break-in attempts.
Avoid choosing common words or phrases as passwords as attackers will attempt to brute force these. A word such as “guest” is an example of this type of password which can easily be cracked with brute force attacks; so for optimal security choose something unique, long and complex which makes guessing or cracking more difficult for an attacker.
If your business operates within the hospitality sector, then ensuring the privacy of guests’ information should be top of mind. One effective solution would be switching away from paper sign-in sheets in favor of an automated visitor management system with guest privacy protection features. In addition, only those who need the data have access – billing departments may require access while safety managers do not.
2. Change Your Password Regularly
Data breaches can cost your hotel both financially and reputationally, so taking the necessary preventative steps is critical in safeguarding guest information and privacy.
If you haven’t done so already, make it a point to regularly change your password and avoid using the same one for multiple accounts – using identical passwords makes it easier for hackers to gain entry and steal personal data.
Be sure to instruct your employees to use two-step verification processes when accessing work email or business apps, even though this adds additional login times. Two-step authentication provides one of the best safeguards against hacking while ensuring guests’ safety.
Your staff should receive extensive training on recognizing phishing emails and what steps to take if they receive one. Furthermore, instruct them only to access personal accounts when using company devices for work purposes and avoid downloading unapproved apps from third-party sources. It would also be prudent for your IT department to set up a separate guest Wi-Fi network for customers visiting.
Employees at your hotel must have an accurate understanding of its privacy policy, how it applies to them, and why it matters to guests. This will foster trust between yourself and guests as well as increase transparency and integrity.
Your guests’ privacy is essential to customer loyalty, so take the time to assess digital vulnerabilities and implement adequate protections – remembering that prevention is always better! Eva has over 10 years of international marketing, communications, event and digital marketing experience and in her free time she enjoys surfing, dancing and exploring the world.
3. Limit Administrative Access to Only Those You Need
Hotel industries store vast amounts of sensitive data – credit card numbers, ID numbers and contact details of guests – making them a tempting target for cyberattacks and theft. Hotels must take every measure possible to protect guest data at all costs – failing which a data breach could not only harm brand image but also lead to financial losses and sanctions from government agencies.
Ethical data management practices ensure guest data is always protected, by employing secure passwords and two-factor authentication, encrypting sensitive information in transit and storage, developing robust incident response plans to minimize damage, speed recovery and limit incident costs; conducting regular privacy audits as an additional way of detecting vulnerabilities.
As your business expands, so will the number of people with access to guest information and data. As the more individuals gain access, so does your risk for data breaches increase. To mitigate your risk of this occurring, limit who has access only if necessary; admin privileges should only be given minimal permissions (if at all). For instance, only those who need access should gain it; restricting POS system access should only be granted for work purposes and use point-to-point encryption as an effective security measure against hackers gaining customer details.
Hoteliers have the opportunity to leverage guest data responsibly in order to optimize services, customize marketing efforts, optimize pricing strategies and build customer loyalty. However, it’s essential to remember that any relationship built on trust between hotelier and guest must remain intact; should any aspect of guest privacy become compromised they could become disillusioned and choose another vendor instead of returning for bookings with your company.
4. Don’t Collect Sensitive Information
Information security is one of the key tenets of hoteliering. After all, guests provide hotels with their names, addresses, phone numbers and credit card data when staying there – when breached it could result in irreparable harm for all concerned.
At hoteliers must take steps to safeguard guest data on their websites. This starts by restricting how much and for how long sensitive data is collected and stored; not selling that data to third-parties; only collecting what’s absolutely essential to conducting their business activities.
Training staff on phishing tactics and other common cybersecurity threats can go a long way toward protecting guest data. Implementing measures like two-factor authentication may reduce vulnerability while increasing data protection.
Establishing trust among guests by clearly outlining what information you gather and its intended use can only benefit your hotel. In Europe, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) mandates that hotels obtain consent from guests before sending commercial emails with commercial content, and detailing what type of data will be collected from guests. California has its own law – Consumer Privacy Act – which mandates similar disclosures.
Secure payment options on your website can also help protect guest data and dissuade guests from abandoning bookings due to concerns over exposing personal information online. That is why implementing a system such as Worldpay with its industry-standard encryption could be advantageous in safeguarding all transactions taking place on your site.
5. Don’t Store Sensitive Information on Your Website
Information stored on your website puts your guests’ security at risk. Hackers are constantly looking for ways to gain entry and use it maliciously. Therefore, strong passwords, limited administrative access and only storing data you need should be implemented as measures against possible data theft and misuse. Selling guests’ data could cause them to lose trust in you as well as lead to lawsuits should an untrustworthy party acquire their data.
Making cybersecurity a top priority among employees is also vitally important. Implementing policies and training your staff on protecting guest data and privacy are two steps you can take towards this end; additionally, using cloud databases for all hotel information systems reduces risks of data breach.
Data breaches can be disastrous for businesses of all kinds, with hotels being no exception. According to research published in 2022, hospitality data breaches costed an average of $8 million on average and could result in fines, legal fees, lost customers and brand damage – it’s essential that hotels take measures to prevent security breaches to safeguard against unnecessary expenses and potential reputational damage.
Building guest experience goes far beyond providing outstanding customer service and offering beautiful surroundings. Security should also be a top priority; by prioritizing cybersecurity you can foster integrity, transparency, and trust within your organization as well as in its guest experience.