Summary
Tia D llori with Hospitality Upgrade magazine talks about the convenience of wireless for guests at hotels but also talks how wireless can be a "double edged sword" if high security measures are not looked at seriously by the hotel that offers wireless to it's guest. Guests seek out hotels with free wireless access which gives the guest the freedom to order room service, speed through their check in and check out process and other amenities that wireless has to offer. This could present problems for hotels who need to protect their brand and not compromise their guest security. At the risk of offering these types of services the hotel must also stay within the laws of what they can keep on file and what they cannot. Keep a cvvs2 on record is illegal but yet in order to offer some of the wireless conveniences credit card companies sometimes call for the cvvs2. Tia talks about internet thieves and how the thieves are also posting instructions on the internet on how to accomplish internet theft. Some common wireless thefts are eavesdropping, rogue access, denial of service and man-in-the-middle. Many hotels are now implementing wireless strategy and how to secure it.
Reflection
I am a big supporter of offering wireless to the guest. When I travel I will only stay at hotels that offer free wireless service in my room. I usually travel on business which means when I am finished with business outside of the hotel, when I return I will also be working on business at the hotel. Without my computer to access my office files and emails I am dead in the water, almost feel out of touch with reality. The business travelers main source of communication with the office is their laptop. When a business traveler is on a road trip, they do not want to stand in line at the front desk to check in. They want to obtain their key and head to the room. The same with car rental, many business travelers use the express check in. Instead of standing in line at the airport for a rental car they go straight to the kiosk where the cars are parked and pick up their keys and head to their car. Everything about you is stored in their information data bases including payment. With today's technology everything is about "how fast" can we get the customer thru a check in/check out. As a business traveler we expect the companies to make sure that while they offer the ease and speed of service they need to make sure that our personal information is also safe and secure. We do not hope it is, we expect it to be.
llori, T. D. (2010, 10 1). Wireless Networks - A Customer Loyalty Dream Can Become a Security Nightmare. Retrieved 1 30, 2011, from Hospitality Upgrade Magazine: http://www.hospitalityupgrade.com/_magazine/magazine_Detail-ID-549-Wireless-Networks---A-Customer-Loyalty-Dream-Can-Become-a-Security-Nightmare.asp
I definitely agree with Teri, from a business traveler standpoint and even a leisure traveler, wireless internet is a priority. Most hotels now have wireless internet, it has become a necessity for them to be competitive in the hotel market. From checking for directions to emails, internet has become a part of life. If a hotel doesn’t offer this service then they are less likely to have as many guests as those that offer it. As far as a security standpoint, it can’t be that difficult for a hotel to have secure wireless internet, considering The University of South Florida with over 45,000 students has secure wireless internet.
ReplyDeleteI am finding that many of the hospitality articles I read bring up issues that I have never thought about. Of course wireless Internet access is a huge factor when deciding what hotel to stay at but I have never really taken the time to think about the security of my information when using wireless in a hotel. I agree with your reflection of this article that wireless Internet access has become a necessity when traveling, even just for leisure. I know I it makes all of my traveling so much simpler. However, certain measures do need to be taken by these providers to ensure that our information is safe.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you. In this day and age it is important to offer wireless Internet to your guests. I realize that the hotels that offer the free wireless Internet are quite a luxury. I realize that offering wireless Internet definitely opens up chance for your information to be viewed by unauthorized individuals. I think that your information is just as easily obtained from other platforms too like in airports that offer wifi. I know security is a big issue in the hospitality industry but what industry is it not big in. The Internet is such an important feature for hotels to offer that if they don’t they could be losing significant amount of business that could potentially wipe them out.
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