“Most of the chronic security breaches in the hotel industry are the result of a failure to equip, or to properly store or transmit, this kind of data, and that starts with the point-of-sale credit card 
swiping systems.â€
A study released this year by SpiderLabs, a part of the data-security consulting company Trustwave, found that 38 percent of the credit card hacking cases last year involved the hotel industry. The sector was well ahead of the financial services industry (19 percent), retailing (14.2 percent), and restaurants and bars (13 percent).
Why hotels? Well, to paraphrase the bank robber Willie Sutton, hackers hit hotels because that is where the richest vein of personal credit card data is. At hotels with inadequate data security, “the greatest amount of credit card information can be obtained using the most simplified methods,†said Anthony C. Roman, a private security investigator with extensive experience in the hotel industry.
“It doesn’t require brilliance on the part of the hacker,†Mr. Roman said. “Most of the chronic security breaches in the hotel industry are the result of a failure to equip, or to properly store or transmit, this kind of data, and that starts with the point-of-sale credit card swiping systems.â€
For more:Â Â http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Credit-Card-Hackers-Visit-nytimes-3300094848.html?x=0
I am a Security professional with over 34 years in the industry, 10 of which are in hotel security. I have been a Director of Security at a 5 star hotel in Philadelphia and take it very seriously. My first day on the job at this 33 floor hotel/condo was 9/11. Remember how scared and nervous we all were at that time? God could this happen to us?
I am also a member of the American Society of Industrial Security (ASIS) and we all witnessed a spike in companies buying new surveillance equipment, hiring more Security Officers, gates, turnstiles, you name it companies were spending to protect their properties and employees. It is now 2011 and most companies don’t care anymore or have forgotten what could happen when we let our guard down. They would much rather wait until something tragic happens before they spend any money or add resources.
A nice upscale hotel in downtown Philadelphia near City Hall is such a case. They have a very limited amount of poorly trained security officers with no leadership or direction. This is how bad it is when the HR Director says, “I think we have 10 Officers”, and the Director of Operations says, “I think we have 5 Officers but we might be adding 1 soon”.
The reason I tell you this is that they are a worldwide chain of hotels who will not safeguard their property correctly leaving their guests to fend for themselves in an emergency. These Officers, either 5 or 10 have never been trained in Emergency Procedures such as Evacuation Plans and other life safety issues. This place is wide open like Dodge City where there is not even security coverage in the lobby. This hotel will not hire a Security Director due to the cost. Good luck with upcoming law suits for not performing your due diligence.
So when you are booking a hotel in downtown Philadelphia ask about their Security Department.
I am a Security professional with over 34 years in the industry, 10 of which are in hotel security. I have been a Director of Security at a 5 star hotel in Philadelphia and take it very seriously. My first day on the job at this 33 floor hotel/condo was 9/11. Remember how scared and nervous we all were at that time? God could this happen to us?
I am also a member of the American Society of Industrial Security (ASIS) and we all witnessed a spike in companies buying new surveillance equipment, hiring more Security Officers, gates, turnstiles, you name it companies were spending to protect their properties and employees. It is now 2011 and most companies don’t care anymore or have forgotten what could happen when we let our guard down. They would much rather wait until something tragic happens before they spend any money or add resources.
A nice upscale hotel in downtown Philadelphia near City Hall is such a case. They have a very limited amount of poorly trained security officers with no leadership or direction. This is how bad it is when the HR Director says, “I think we have 10 Officers”, and the Director of Operations says, “I think we have 5 Officers but we might be adding 1 soon”.
The reason I tell you this is that they are a worldwide chain of hotels who will not safeguard their property correctly leaving their guests to fend for themselves in an emergency. These Officers, either 5 or 10 have never been trained in Emergency Procedures such as Evacuation Plans and other life safety issues. This place is wide open like Dodge City where there is not even security coverage in the lobby. This hotel will not hire a Security Director due to the cost. Good luck with upcoming law suits for not performing your due diligence.
So when you are booking a hotel in downtown Philadelphia ask about their Security Department.