Wyndham accused of lax security over customers’ personal details
An official complaint has been filed in the US against Wyndham Hotels after hundreds of thousands of its customers’ credit card details were posted on a Russian website.
The US Federal Trade Commission alleges that this is the third time in less than two years that the group’s "lax" security policies have allowed hackers to access sensitive customer data, including credit card numbers and personal information.
In court documents filed in the US District Court of Arizona, it is claimed that Russian hackers were able to access more than 500,000 customer accounts on three separate occasions between 2008 and 2010.
The information was then used to rack up around £6.8 million in fraudulent credit card transactions.
According to the FTC, the hotel chain and three of its subsidiaries had failed to put the security measures in place, such as firewalls and complex user IDs and passwords.
In a statement, Wyndham’s worldwide director of communications Michael Valentino said the chain would vigorously defend itself against the accusations.
"At the time of these incidents, we made prompt efforts to notify the hotel customers whose information may have been compromised, and offered them credit monitoring services," he said.
"To date, we have not received any indication that any hotel customer experienced a financial loss as a result of these attacks. Since these events, we have made significant enhancements to our information security, and have assisted franchised and managed Wyndham Hotels and Resorts-brand hotels in enhancing their information security."
Wyndham Hotel Group has 7,000 hotels worldwide under the brands Ramada, Super 8, Days Inn and Howard Johnson and others.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Airbnb eyes a loyalty program but details remain under wraps
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Air Mauritius reduces frequencies to Europe and Asia for the holiday season
Major rail disruptions around and in Berlin until early 2026