Employing an ID solution and using a secure payment gateway are two ways to protect your hotel guests data outside of your security system
As hoteliers, providing a superior guest experience is of the utmost importance. But part of providing a positive experience for guests is also keeping them safe — and not just with the use of your hotel security system. Guest safety goes above and beyond CCTVs to also include protecting personal hotel guests data against potential cybersecurity breaches.
According to a report by PricewaterhouseCoopers, the hospitality industry has the second highest number of cybersecurity breaches with nearly all of the major hotel brands having fallen victim at one time or another to an online security breach. Hyatt, IHG, and Hilton have all seen security breaches in recent years, and despite being smaller in size, boutique hotels are not immune from having their systems hacked and customer data stolen. So, what are some steps you can take to protect your guests and their data? Here are a few actions to consider.
Control Access & Authentication with an ID Solution
An ID solution for hoteliers allows properties that offer guests mobile check-in, mobile check-out, and mobile key functionality to provide a biometric verification — usually in the form of facial recognition — to match the guest to their official identity documents. This allows the guest to bypass the front desk and head straight to their room upon arrival while knowing that their data, and the access to their guestroom, is safe and secured.
Ensure Data Is Tokenized
When searching for a secure platform service provider, considering one that offers data tokenization is crucial. Many platform service providers don’t store any PCI information, but instead, tokenize a guest’s sensitive information and send it directly to the property’s payment gateway. This makes sure that anything that’s compliant is stored in the hotel’s PMS system.
Always Hit ‘Update’
It might sound simple but performing regular security updates to ensure all software is up-to-date as possible is key to combating against a security breach. Make sure to also operate a continuous training program in cybersecurity to maintain a well-trained workforce.
Conduct Assessments & Vulnerability Testing
By conducting tests against your own hotel’s cybersecurity defenses, you’ll be able to see where there may be holes in your system. During the test, employ a staffer to mirror the behavior of an actual hacker to ensure your systems are secure.
Remember to Log Out
Remind employees to always log out of a system any time they walk away from a computer. Posting a note next to computers can act as a friendly reminder. In addition, remember to change passwords often and ensure they’re changed any time a staff member leaves the company to avoid any future breaches.
Guest safety goes beyond CCTVs and hotel security systems. For more information on how to keep your hotel guests data safe and how to select a secure platform service provider, request a demo today.
