Cybersecurity in the Hospitality Industry: Key Findings
- 31% of hospitality businesses have experienced a data breach — and 89% of them were hit more than once in a single year.
- 32% of cyberattacks in 2025 are caused by unpatched software and outdated systems.
- 70% of hotel staff have access to sensitive systems without regular cybersecurity training, increasing internal risk.
- The average cost of a hospitality breach is now $3.82 million, with major incidents exceeding $5 million.
As hotels adopt more digital tools like online check-ins and smart room controls, their exposure to cyber threats is growing. This article explores the latest trends, statistics and strategies shaping hospitality cybersecurity in 2025.
Hotel Cybersecurity Risks in 2025
Digital transformation has empowered hospitality — from hotels and resorts to restaurants and cruise ships — but it has also widened the attack surface.
According to a report, 31% of hospitality organizations globally have experienced a data breach, with 89% of those suffering repeat breaches within a single year.
The average cost per breach surged to $3.36 million in 2023, up from $2.94 million in 2022.
Additionally, Trustwave flags over 14,000 publicly exposed vulnerabilities in hospitality systems, with 61.5% of breaches traced to these openings.
These statistics underscore that cyber security in hospitality industry operations isn’t optional — it’s mission-critical and financial and reputational risks are growing.
Breaking Down 2025 Trends in Hospitality Cyber Security
Cyber threats in hospitality are shifting fast. Here’s what’s shaping hotel cybersecurity in 2025.
Black-Hat Automation: AI-Powered Attacks
- Generative AI empowers new phishing techniques, voice scams and malware creation — 50% of security execs believe AI will escalate adversary capabilities.
- The MGM Resorts hack (Sept 2023), which reportedly cost over $100 million, leveraged social engineering and phishing facilitated by AI.
As AI empowers attackers, hospitality cyber security must include real-time defense (voice-auth filters, deepfake detection) and consistent staff training to resist social engineering.
Identity at Risk: Human & Machine Blurring
With employee churn and interconnected systems, the risk of credential misuse continues to rise.
By 2025, an estimated 70% of hotel staff will have access to sensitive systems without receiving consistent cybersecurity training.
Meanwhile, the expanding "identity surface" — including IoT devices, PMS integration and machine accounts — requires hotels to adopt zero-trust models and implement stronger identity governance protocols.
This means investing in continuous training for employees, along with deploying tools like machine-identity detection and privileged-access management to secure every layer of access.
Outdated Software: Persistent Threat Magnifier in Hotel Cybersecurity
Unpatched software remains one of the biggest entry points for attackers — 32% of cyberattacks in 2025 are linked to these known vulnerabilities.
Outdated PMS systems, third-party dependencies and widespread smart devices like door locks and in-room IoT amplify the risk.
Many hotels struggle to keep up with security patches due to vendor reliance or compatibility issues.
Addressing this requires adopting automated patch management tools, running regular vulnerability scans and maintaining an accurate inventory of all systems to identify and close gaps before they can be exploited.
Real-World Case Studies: Cybersecurity Lessons from the Field
Recent hospitality cyber incidents underline systemic weaknesses:
- Marriott International (2020): 5.2 million guest records were exposed due to stolen credentials. The breach revealed poor privilege access management.
- Booking.com (2022): Targeted with phishing schemes using fake reservation links to trick hotels into revealing portal credentials.
- Red Roof Inn (2023): Cyberattack exposed franchisee POS systems, forcing system-wide audits and protocol upgrades.
These case studies highlight the urgent need for hospitality cybersecurity strategies that prioritize endpoint protection, staff training and third-party risk mitigation.
Costs of Data Breach
The financial stakes continue to escalate:
- Hospitality-specific averages reached $3.82 million, and industrial mega-breaches can far exceed $5 million.
- Lack of law-enforcement collaboration can increase costs by ~$1 million per incident.
Actionable steps:
- Maintain incident response (IR) plans, including law enforcement engagement protocols.
- Invest in cyber-insurance and potential self-insurance.
- Prepare for regulatory and customer-related ripple effects, including data privacy fines and fallout.
Navigating Compliance: Regulations & Hotel Cybersecurity Obligations
The EU AI Act takes effect on February 2, 2025, signaling a shift toward stricter data privacy and transparency regulations.
Similar measures are emerging across U.S. states and other regions, creating a fragmented legal environment that hospitality businesses must navigate carefully.
The sector is especially vulnerable to copycat domain registrations, phishing scams and fake booking sites — areas often overlooked in compliance audits.
To stay compliant and competitive, hospitality organizations need to audit their data flows, implement privacy-by-design principles and align with evolving AI regulations.
Monitoring domain misuse, deploying DMARC and HTTPS protocol and running regular phishing simulations should be part of any hotel’s cybersecurity playbook.
Defensive Turn: AI & Automation in Hospitality Cybersecurity
Defensive AI is gaining ground:
- Organizations using AI/automation extensively report $1.88 million lower breach costs.
- Breach identification and containment times shrink by ~100 days with extensive AI support.
- Around 31% use AI extensively, with 36% using it to some degree.
Recommendations:
- Deploy AI for detection (e.g., anomaly monitoring, network traffic analysis).
- Automate alert triage, patch readiness, and incident playbooks.
- Invest in security orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR) platforms.
Final Thoughts On Cybersecurity in the Hospitality Industry
Cyber threats in hospitality are becoming more sophisticated, costly and frequent.
As guest-facing technologies evolve, so do the risks — ranging from AI-driven phishing to identity misuse and unpatched legacy systems.
In 2025, cybersecurity is a core business function, not just an IT issue. Hotels that prioritize real-time threat detection, zero-trust access controls and compliance with emerging regulations will be better positioned to protect their data, operations and reputation.
Building a resilient cybersecurity posture is now essential to delivering a secure and seamless guest experience.
