The Village Hotel Club chain of urban hotels has chosen an information security and shredding company to aid its data protection, towards compliance with the European Union-wide General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Hotels by their nature process and store sensitive data, such as credit card numbers and email addresses.
A hotel-wide audit two years ago found that each of the group’s 30 properties was using a different system for data storage and disposal, from ad hoc services to standard shredding devices. Village Hotel Club now has monthly and fortnightly console collections by Shred-it besides making use of the ad hoc shredding service for data and paper clear-outs.
The shredding firm’s services are also in use for members of Village Hotel Club’s new VWorks co-working concept. The business club provides external spaces for meetings and remote workers.
Kate Banks, Compliance Officer for Village Hotel Club, says: “Not only do we have our guests’ personal information to consider but, with over 4,600 staff on our books, we also need to be mindful of keeping the information held on their records safe.
“Furthermore, if data is not disposed of securely within our new business club concept, it could open firms up to the possibility of a data breach. Shred-it consoles have now been added to some of the spaces to replace general waste bins as a means of disposal, leaving club members reassured that their documents will be securely disposed of. We’re not just trying to ensure the protection of our sensitive business information, but that of our customers and clients too.
“Our customers are certainly more aware of what we’re doing with their confidential information and it is heartening for them to know we have proper systems in place for secure disposal and destruction of confidential information. Not only do our new procedures help us on our journey towards GDPR compliance, but we are also able to build a loyal customer base which trusts that we will do our utmost to protect their sensitive and private information.”
