Travelodge security breach obtains customer e-mails

The group said it is investigating the breach, after customers received spam e-mails that claimed to offer job opportunities.

Ttravelodge CEO Guy Parsons warned customers not to respond to the e-mails, and confirmed that no personal or financial information had been accessed.

In a statement he said that “a small number” of Travelodge customers had been impacted, and confirmed that the company had informed the Information Commissioner’s Office of the breach and was conducting a “comprehensive review”.

No financial data​

“We can confirm that it would appear that a third party has managed to obtain customer names and email addresses. No financial data has been accessed or compromised,” said Parsons.

“All financial data held by us (including credit card information) is held on a stand alone, off site separate server. The data itself is encrypted and complies with current best practice standards and is annually audited to PCI (Payment Card Industry) requirements.”

Travelodge confirmed it is still safe for customers to continue making bookings, and said it was working “around the clock” to find out how the security breach occurred.

Marriott and Hilton data breach​

Earlier this year, Marriott International and Hilton Worldwide suffered a similar situation​, when customer e-mail addresses were leaked following a security breach at the marketing firm they were using.

The two hotel chains were amongst numerous companies whose customer data was stolen In April after a hacker gained access to the firm’s accounts.

Both Hilton and Marriott had to write to customers informing them of the breach at the marketing group Epsilon, and assuring them that “sensitive” customer information had not been accessed.