Travelodge apologises for data theft
Travelodge has apologised to customers after a data breach led to customer email addresses being stolen and spam email being sent out.
The budget sector hotel chain has sent out an official email signed by chief executive Guy Parsons designed to erasure customers.
It reads: “Our main priority is to ensure the security of our customers’ data, which is why I wanted to make you aware that a small number of you may have received a spam email via the email address you have registered with us.”
He says that Travelodge has not sold any customer data and “no financial information” has been compromised.
No further details of the Travelodge breach have yet been revealed and the company says it is conducting a “comprehensive investigation”.
Travelodge is the latest of a string of companies to report data theft , including Sega, Sony, Play.com, Marks & Spencer and TripAdvisor.
Companies are concerned that such thefts are contributing to increasing customer reluctance to hand over sensitive data details. According to the latest Data Tracker study for the Direct Marketing Association, incentives to provide data, such as loyalty cards, are losing their appeal.
Even a clear privacy policy is losing credibility with customers with numbers down in a year from 39% to 33% saying this would prompt them to give their details to a brand.
Read the relevant feature here.
Travelodge appointed Emma Williams as its new marketing director in February.
