What digital tools should be adopted to optimise hotel security?

Since the beginning of 2021, around 4 million pieces of identifying information have been stolen from the tourism and hotel sector, according to a study carried out by Recorded Future.

The information leaked is generally financial information such as bank or credit card details, personal information such as email addresses and home addresses, or even hotel trade secrets.

The consequences of such a data leak are numerous and disastrous for a hotel's image. As well as considerably damaging its reputation, and therefore losing current and future customers, the property can also incur heavy fines.

Hackers use a number of methods to steal data from a hotel and its guests. These include malicious software such as Trojans and computer viruses, as well as spam and phishing, which are among the most common techniques.

A recent rise in phishing emails has prompted Booking to call on its hotel partners to exercise caution. The platform is urging them to implement two-factor authentication and to take cyber security training courses to protect themselves against such attacks.

There are also denial-of-service attacks, where hackers disable a specific network or machine, and eavesdropping attacks, where they intercept data by hacking into communication channels.

PMS, a key ally

With so much at stake in terms of security, hoteliers need to take action to protect their guests' data and their properties. Hotels handle a great deal of highly sensitive data, such as credit card details, passport numbers, addresses and full names.

In the digital age, hotels now hold this data digitally rather than on paper. While this means that this information cannot be lost, it must be properly protected. The PMS used by hotels plays a key role in securing confidential data, as it brings together all the activities of a hotel.

A cloud-based PMS such as Mews...