Are you a frequent guest at Marriott hotels?
If so, be advised that the company has recently reported a massive data breach that could impact up to 5.2 million guests who have stayed at the hotel.
According to the official statement the company released regarding the matter:
"At the end of February 2020, we noticed that an unexpected amount of guest information may have been accessed using the login credentials of two employees at a franchise property.
We believe this activity started in mid-January 2020. Upon discovery, we immediately ensured the login credentials were disabled, began an investigation, implemented heightened monitoring and arranged resources to inform and assist guests."
Based on the evidence gathered over the course of the company's investigation so far, they believe that the information exposed includes details like:
- Contact information, including phone numbers, email addresses, customer names and mailing addresses
- Loyalty account information, including account numbers and point balances but not passwords
- Other personal details including company affiliation, gender and date of birth
- Partnerships and affiliations, including linked airline loyalty programs and numbers
- Room and language preferences
As part of their response to the incident, Marriott is offering guests whose information was compromised the option to enroll in the IdentityWorks personal information monitoring service for 1 year, free of charge.
Sadly, this is not the first time in the company's recent history when something like this has happened. In November 2018, the company announced a massive breach in its Starwood Hotels guest reservation database that resulted in more than 339 million guest records being compromised.
By comparison, this is a much smaller incident, but is still large enough to be troubling. If you've stayed at a Marriott hotel at any point over the last few years, be aware that your information may have been compromised. Head to the company's self help portal on their website to verify whether or not you are at risk.
