Marriott’s Data Breach and 7 Other Hospitality Trends This Week

>>Starwood Preferred Guest elite members thought that not getting full stay credits would be the absolute worst of this mega-merger: What Marriott’s Data Breach Means for the Hotel Giant and Guests

>>Loyalty members don’t seem to be too bothered by Marriott’s recent breach of more than 500 million users’ personal data. Part of that could be low expectations for Marriott, or because this isn’t the first data breach rodeo for many: Marriott Data Breach Does Little to Rattle Already Weary Loyalty Members

>>Several years ago, the hotel industry fought U.S. federal watchdog efforts to fine chains for negligent data protection practices, arguing that hotels had things under control. Hmm. A rash of hotel security incidents since then undercuts the claims of hotels, which need to take a more bank-like approach to data protection: Marriott’s Starwood Data Breach Joins a Decade-Long List of Hotel Data Exposures

>>The Amazonification of Airbnb continues, as talk of an initial public offering heats up: Airbnb Hires Amazon Veteran as New Chief Financial Officer

>>Why go asset light when you can be asset right, or get into “active asset management” as AccorHotels likes to call it? AccorHotels Wants to Buy Out Its Largest Eastern European Franchisee

>>Hotels and dating apps: a match made for the digital age that shows how far hospitality is going to market experiences: Hotels Play a Bigger Role as Matchmakers With the Help of Technology

>>Bottom line for hotels? They haven’t hit the top in terms of growth just yet, and probably won’t for at least another year or two: U.S. Hotel Occupancy Projected to Hit New Record in 2019 Despite Recent Softness

>>Arriving soon: 5G mobile internet. But it will likely be years before it is deployed around the world in any significant ways. Travel companies, along with event professionals, should start planning now for a future defined by ubiquitous access to high-speed data: What 5G Will Mean for Hotels and Events