White Lodging releases information about data breach investigation at select food and beverage outlets

MERRILLVILLE, Ind., April 8, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Officials of White Lodging Services Corporation, an independent hotel management company, announce the suspected breach of point of sales systems at food and beverage outlets, such as restaurants and lounges, from the period July 3, 2014 through February 6, 2015 at 10 properties. Systems other than the point of sales systems at the food and beverage outlets are not believed to be affected.

The food and beverage outlets affected are located at:

• Indianapolis Marriott Downtown, Indianapolis, IN
• Chicago Marriott Midway Airport, Chicago, IL
• Auburn Hills Marriott Pontiac at Centerpoint, Pontiac, MI
• Austin Marriott South Airport, Austin, TX
• Boulder Marriott, Boulder, CO
• Denver Marriott South at Park Meadows, Denver, CO
• Louisville Marriott Downtown, Louisville, KY
• Renaissance Boulder Flatiron, Broomfield, CO
• Courtyard Austin Downtown, Austin, TX
• Sheraton Hotel Erie Bayfront, Erie, PA

White Lodging manages hotels under agreements with the hotel owners and is a distinct and separate entity from specific hotel brands.

Guests at the hotels who did not use their credit card at these outlets, and guests who charged to their room account at these outlets, are not believed to be affected. 

"After suffering a malware incident in 2014, we took various actions to prevent a recurrence, including engaging a third party security firm to provide security technology and managed services," said Dave Sibley, White Lodging president and CEO, Hospitality Management. "These security measures were unable to stop the current malware occurrence on point of sale systems at food and beverage outlets in 10 hotels that we manage.  We continue to remain committed to investing in the measures necessary to protect the personal information entrusted to us by our valuable guests.  We deeply regret and apologize for this situation."

Upon learning of the suspected data security breach, company officials immediately contacted appropriate federal law enforcement officials and initiated a third-party forensic review. The company continues to work with investigators and the credit card companies. 

The unlawfully accessed data at risk is believed to be limited to names printed on customers' credit or debit cards, credit or debit card numbers, the security code and card expiration dates.  Guests who used or visited the affected food and beverage outlets during the seven month-period and who used a credit or debit card to pay their bills at the outlets might have had such information compromised and are encouraged to review their statements from that time period. 

We are offering one year of complimentary fraud resolution and identity protection services, to all affected cardholders. Enrollment information and additional information are on our website (http://www.whitelodging.com/about/payment-card-issues). 

Potentially impacted guests should also consider placing a fraud alert on their credit files. An initial fraud alert, which lasts for 90 days, requires potential creditors to use reasonable policies and procedures to verify a customer's identity before issuing credit in his/her name. To place an alert, calls can be made to anyone of the following three credit reporting agencies:  Experian (888) 397-3742;  Equifax  (800) 525-6285; or  TransUnion  (800) 680-7289.  A fraud alert request call to any of the three agencies will result in all three agencies implementing the alert.  Customers then will receive communications from all three agencies, confirming that the alert is in place and letting customers know how to obtain a free copy of your credit report.  Interested parties also can order a free copy of his/her credit report by calling (877) 322-8228 or by visiting  http://www.annualcreditreport.com.

White Lodging Services Corporation - was established in 1985 and is headquartered in Merrillville, Ind. White Lodging is a fully integrated hotel ownership, development and operations company – a recognized leader that has defined and cultivated the ability to achieve consistent, sustainable growth among mid-to large-scale hotels across the country. Its current portfolio consists of more than 161 hotels in 21 states and encompasses representation of the following leading brands: Preferred Hotel Group, Marriott International, Inc., Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt Global, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, InterContinental Hotel Group and Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group.

For more information about White Lodging, please visit www.whitelodging.com.

Contact:
Kathleen Sebastian
Phone: 219.472.2861
Fax: 219.472.2273

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SOURCE White Lodging Services Corporation