Hospitality Industry Struggles with Risks to Customer Data

It’s difficult to say which industry has been most affected by the coronavirus pandemic, but it’s certainly safe to assume that the hospitality industry ranks among the top. The widespread restrictions on global travel and public gatherings caused a monumental drop in hotel customer numbers, and will likely continue until vaccines become more available to the public.

As if this wasn’t bad enough for the industry, there are new concerns about customer data being jeopardized due to remote working conditions. Lack of true oversight and technological limitations may have caused, and could continue to cause, personal and private information to be left vulnerable to hackers and malware.

When the pandemic officially started, hotels quickly adapted to new restrictions by providing employees with the necessary equipment to work from home. This rush to keep things moving caused many managers to overlook the consequences of continuing business outside of a controlled environment. The lack of secure networking tools and minimal employee oversight may have left customer’s personal data out in the open, and industry professionals are becoming concerned.

Most industry leaders are not concerned about employees directly stealing personal data from customers. Employees don’t always deal with personally identifiable information, so the likelihood of agents deliberately taking information is very low. The real concern comes from simple carelessness, as many employees may not understand the risks of working from home. Agents may unintentionally save data to personal devices, and could be exploited during off hours without ever knowing they had it. Lack of technical supervision may also prevent employees from updating software, which could open new doors to attackers if left unprotected.

The hospitality industry has been financially devastated over the last year, so preventing private data breaches has never been more important. Agents should become informed of the risks of working from home, and managers should provide agents with the proper security features to continue normal operations. The return to normalcy is approaching, but the hospitality industry must strive for more secure business practices in the meantime.

Edited by Maurice Nagle