Passports, payment cards, guest preferences: a hotel handles a lot of sensitive data. The right reflexes to reduce the risk.
A hotel holds large amounts of personal data: identities, contact details, payment data, stay histories. It also depends on connected systems – bookings, property management, tills, guest Wi-Fi – whose outage, even a brief one, brings operations to a halt.
Key points of vigilance
- Regular backups, including an offline copy that has been tested.
- Two-factor authentication on email, the PMS and remote access.
- Guest Wi-Fi kept separate from the internal network.
- Security updates applied promptly.
- Staff awareness of phishing, the main entry point for attacks.
Plan the crisis before it happens
Who do you call, in which order, and what do you do if systems are unavailable? A simple response plan, printed and known to the team, saves precious time. The revised Swiss Data Protection Act (nFADP), in force since September 2023, also requires certain data breaches to be reported.
The role of cyber insurance
Well-structured cyber cover can include IT experts, crisis and communication management, costs of notifying the people concerned, business interruption and third-party liability. The exact scope varies widely from one contract to another: exclusions, sub-limits and security requirements deserve a careful reading.
In short: technology reduces the likelihood, insurance limits the consequences. The two complement each other.
The information on this page is general in nature and does not replace personalised advice.