NEW YORK — A recent Deloitte survey of loyalty program members revealed that the majority of members of travel and hotel programs expect the same level of security as a financial institution when it comes to protecting their account information.
The consulting company’s survey of 1,000 U.S. customers, “Loyalty Data Security: Are hospitality and travel companies managing the risks of their rewards programs?,” also showed that while three-quarters of respondents expect high security, only one-third believe their loyalty accounts are secure enough. “Our study indicates a disconnect between travellers’ expectations and perceptions about the security of their personal data,” said Charles Carrington, partner, Deloitte & Touche LLP in the Travel, Hospitality and Leisure practice and author of the study. “Travellers consider protection of their physical security a basic expectation when they’re in a hotel or in the air. This responsibility now extends into the cyber world.”
While the majority are worried about comprising credit-card information, one in seven said they would be concerned about a loss of loyalty points. Meanwhile, a security breach in loyalty data would impact the customers’ perception of the brand, as 23 per cent would be less likely to use the brand in the future.
For the complete report, visit deloitte.com.
