Why is Security Critical for a Booking Engine?
In today’s digital age, cybersecurity is a major concern for any online business. Hotels and other hospitality businesses are no exception. The hospitality industry has seen a surge in online bookings in recent years, and with the increase in bookings, the risk of security breaches has also increased. This is why it is crucial to ensure that your booking engine is secure and that your guests’ data is protected.
So, why is security critical for your booking engine? Let’s take a closer look.
Protecting Your Guests’ Data
The most critical aspect of any booking engine is the protection of your guests’ data. A secure booking engine will protect your guests’ personal and financial information from being accessed by unauthorized individuals or hackers. This includes everything from their name and address to their credit card details.
With the rise of cybercrime, protecting your guests’ data has never been more important. Data breaches can result in significant financial losses and damage to your reputation. Not only can they lead to legal action, but they can also cause your guests to lose trust in your business.
Compliance with Industry Standards
The hospitality industry has strict data protection laws and regulations that must be followed. This includes the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), which outlines the security standards that all businesses that accept credit card payments must adhere to. Failure to comply with these standards can result in significant fines and legal action.
A secure booking engine will be fully compliant with these standards, ensuring that your business is protected from legal action and financial penalties.
Preventing Fraudulent Bookings
Fraudulent bookings can be a significant problem for hotels and other hospitality businesses. They can result in lost revenue, damage to your reputation, and even chargebacks. A secure booking engine can help prevent fraudulent bookings by using various fraud detection tools and techniques.
These tools can help detect and prevent credit card fraud, chargebacks, and other fraudulent activities. This will not only protect your business from financial losses, but it will also help maintain the trust of your guests.
Maintaining Your Reputation
Finally, security is critical to maintaining your reputation. Guests expect their personal and financial information to be protected when booking online. A security breach can result in negative publicity and damage to your reputation. This can lead to a decrease in bookings and revenue, as guests may be reluctant to book with your business.
By ensuring that your booking engine is secure, you can maintain the trust of your guests and protect your reputation in the long term.
Conclusion
In conclusion, security is critical for any booking engine. It is essential to protect your guests’ data, comply with industry standards, prevent fraudulent bookings, and maintain your reputation. By choosing a secure booking engine and taking the necessary precautions, you can protect your business from the risks of cybercrime and maintain the trust of your guests.
Spotlighting Past Hall of Fame Inductees

Recognized for being industry pioneers, inductees to the HFTP International Hospitality Technology Hall of Fame are the individuals behind much of the hospitality industry’s technology developments. Since 1989, 51 innovative and influential professionals have been selected to be a part of this venerated group, and this Spring, nominations are once-again being accepted for 2023 nominees. The deadline to apply is April 17, with inductees recognized at the upcoming HITEC Toronto on June 27.

Jeff Edwards, also a 2023 inductee, said, “Being inducted into the Hall of Fame is a true career honor, as it is a recognition by my industry peers. I am pleased to be alongside a group of outstanding professionals, each with their own specialties all culminating in the excellence and progress of the hospitality technology industry.”
Inductees are a true encapsulation of the past, present and future of our industry, having been extensively involved in the role technology plays. Because of this, we asked inductees to discuss their perspective on the industry. We talked about the challenges — old, new and ongoing — what technologies have had an impact and which will continue to bring change to the hospitality industry.
What follows is an insightful conversation with a group of inductees. Participants include: Dave Berkus; Richard Brooks; John Burns; Fraser Hickox; Ted Horner; Jon Inge; Michael Kasavana; Douglas Rice; and Harbans Singh. [Original interview conducted in 2015, edited and shortened for HFTP Connect.]
Notable IT Challenges
There is no question that change is one of the defining features of technology, and as professionals who started in this industry more than four decades ago, many of our participants went from zero to 100 percent integration. In the early days, if you can believe it, one of the largest hurdles to overcome was getting management to visualize the benefits of technology tools.
Brooks says, “Perhaps the greatest consistent challenge I encountered was just the acceptance of technology in our industry. For many years technology was viewed as a ‘necessary evil,’ or a tool that had not reached sufficient functionality and maturity to be a truly competitive asset to hospitality managers.” And because there was not sufficient support for technology, it took some time for technology companies to gain a foothold and stay in business long enough for their products to gain acceptance.
Time and technology did move forward, with technology developments leading to a size reduction of hardware — hello PCs and mobile media — and the improved functionality of systems. The challenge then came in the form of disconnected systems: the POS didn’t match the CRM, etc. Rice explained, “We operate in a world with hundreds or thousands of vendors, most of whom don’t play by common architectural rules that would make it easier for hotels to bind them together in a cohesive way. So there are lots of loose ends that each hotel group (or even individual hotel) needs to try to tie together as best they can, which often isn’t a good or cost effective solution.”
Never-ending Challenges
Today technology is an essential business element and with its ubiquitous qualities, it also brings ongoing challenges. Not surprisingly, high on the list is data security, if the news is any indication. “Security is an obvious one, though not so much that it doesn’t end, as that we didn’t use to worry about it at all. Now we have to, and the problem will continue to get worse every year,” declares Inge.
Then there is the fact that technology development still moves at lightning speed. There continues to be the challenge of keeping up with changes, maintaining functionality with upgrades and convincing executives to continue to make the investments.
“Each seven to 10 years, there is a new generation of technology that challenges suppliers of systems to upgrade or rewrite in orders to remain current and fend off new competitors who are starting with a clean slate and no massive user base to service, a reality that distracts R&D developers of current solutions from concentrating upon only the next generation,” explains Berkus. “Hospitality technology vendors and users must learn to be agile and adapt to change — or suffer a loss of leadership or even relevance. This form of creative destruction has continued to ravage the industry from its technology beginnings and provides openings for new companies with new ideas periodically to shake up this industry.”
Keeping up With Technology Innovation
In a discipline that has been experimental, new and evolving; keeping up-to-date depending on information sharing amongst practitioners.
Horner explains, “The only way to stay current is to attend as many industry events as possible, as face-to-face contact is the best way to liaise with industry colleagues and get the information you want directly. HITEC is the first date in my diary and this year is my 27th in succession.”
He further explained, “Methodology to solve problems only comes with experience and if you have a good global network of contacts this helps as you can reach out to discuss with them what they did to solve a problem. Also, I have found common sense is a great starting point in looking to solve issues and sometimes this is lost in the desire to solve a problem quickly.”
Singh agrees, “In terms of problem solving, the key issue is to identify what the problem is. It seems like a no brainer, but many times the problem is not understood. The key to solving the problem is to look for the right resources, knowing who can help you address the issue; or if not, point you in the right direction.”
Another notable way to build knowledge is to accept the guidance of others. Hickox says, “I am fortunate to have a number of mentors who would freely exchange their thoughts on what was evolving from their labs. With this information I was able to undertake further research and determine how it may be applied within the industry.”
Final Reflections
As participants wrap up the conversation, they have some final thoughts to share:
Kasavana said: “Nothing can impact the way a hospitality business is planned, conducted or managed than a sound technology roadmap.
The industry has a promising future given the progressive evolution of sophisticated property management systems, food service management systems, and guest and non-guest operated interfaces.”
On hospitality professionals, Burns is intrigued by, “The need by hotel management staff for strong leadership, mental agility, despondency and a willingness to repeatedly reinvent their teams and their objectives.”
Read this full interview in the HITEC 2015 Special Report.
Nominate a technology pioneer for the 2023 Hall of Fame by April 17, 2023.
The Best Hotels In Barcelona For Food Lovers
When it comes to eating well, few cities in the world can compete with Barcelona. On your next vacation here, why not start by booking a hotel with some top-notch gourmet credentials?
The Roof at The Barcelona EDITION.
To help you make the right accommodation choice, here are the best hotels in the Catalan capital with restaurants worth traveling for—from the Michelin-approved temples of fine dining, to bustling tapas bars, an upscale sushi spot, and not one, but two , rather excellent steakhouses.
Pigeon from Las Landas in its juice, fruit marmalade and vegetable nuances at Lasarte.
With no fewer than four Michelin stars under its roof, it’s hard to rival Barcelona’s Monument Hotel for culinary excellence. One-star Oria has a more casual approach to fine dining, while three-star Lasarte goes the whole hog, with dishes like squid tartare with liquid egg yolk, onion and kaffir consommé, or Wagyu ravioli and glazed eel, iodized cream, horseradish and caviar, which is bound to bring a tear to your eye. Meanwhile, the top-floor Verbena restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and Sunday brunch—with rooftop views included. All three are led by Spain’s most Michelin-starred chef, Martín Berasategui.
Moments Restaurants at Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona.
There are many reasons why Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona consistently gets named as one of the best hotels in Spain: from its unrivaled comfort and ultra-discreet staff, to the exceptional food and beverage offerings. The highlight is the two-star Michelin Moments, by Carme Ruscalleda—the first woman to be awarded seven Michelin stars—and her son Raül Balam, whose current tasting menu is a delicious work of art inspired by Salvador Dalí’s recipe book ‘Les Dîners de Gala ‘. There’s also Blanc, a light-filled atrium serving locally-inspired Mediterranean cuisine, Banker’s Bar, one of the city’s best cocktail bars, and, in summer, the rooftop Terrat, by Peruvian chef Gastón Acurio.
Nobu Restaurant with views of the Sagrada Famlia.
Despite its somewhat unfashionable location opposite Sants train station, it’s safe to say Nobu Barcelona is one of the city’s hottest openings in recent years. Rooms deliver signature Nobu minimalism with dimmed lighting and sexy wooden bathtubs, and there’s even a dreamy subterranean Natura Bissé spa. But the real piece de resistance is the achingly hip top-floor Nobu Restaurant, with views spanning all the way from Tibidabo mountain, past the Sagrada Família, down to the beach—not to mention some of the best sushi in town, of course.
Caelis is known for its popular tasting menus.
Take a stylish address in central Barcelona, add the youngest French chef ever to win a Michelin star, and what have you got? Why, Caelis restaurant at Ohla Barcelona, of course! This one-star Michelin fine-dining temple is by Chef Romain Fornell who was first recognized by the people at Michelin at the age of 24. Since then, he has built a mini restaurant empire in Barcelona, of which Caelis is the crowning glory. The popular 13-course seasonal tasting menu includes dishes like frozen vichyssoise with trout eggs, and a mind-blowing combination of smoked eel with artichoke and foie gras.
Michelin-starred Catalan chef Marc Gascons is behind the restaurant at Serras Hotel.
Serras Hotel Barcelona is very much everything a boutique hotel should be. Hiding in plain sight in the midst of the Gothic Quarter, it is peaceful and discreet, with exceptional personalized service and some of the comfiest rooms in town. Its rooftop and ground-floor Informal restaurant, by Michelin-starred Catalan chef Marc Gascons is an under-the-radar favorite among local foodies. Gascons’ take on spicy patatas bravas is up there with the best, while his organic chicken cannelloni with mushroom béchamel will take you right back to your grandma’s kitchen.
Tapas at Bodega Bonay at Casa Bonay.
While it’s no secret that Casa Bonay is one of Barcelona’s trendiest boutique hotels, what you may not know is that it is also home to some of the city’s hottest eating and drinking spots. The ground-floor Libertine bar mixes a mean Three Gin Martini, while Bodega Bonay is a low-key foodie hotspot serving creative tapas like the moreish artichoke tatin (a savory take on tarte tatin with—you guessed it—artichoke instead of apple). On summer nights, the rooftop Chiringuito is the place to feast on barbecued lamb chops and succulent Criollo-style Iberian pork blade.
Amar Barcelona: the fine-dining restaurant El Palace deserves.
When El Palace opened in 1919 as the Ritz of Barcelona it was the city’s first five-star luxury hotel. These days, the competition may be fiercer than ever, but El Palace has retained its reputation as one of the most glamorous spots in the city and—as of last year—it also has the fine-dining restaurant it deserves. Amar, which specializes in fishy delicacies like oysters, red Mediterranean shrimp and caviar, completes a superb food and beverage offering that also includes the ultra-romantic jasmine-blossom-filled Rooftop El Palace and the buzzy Bluesman Cocktail Bar.
A hotel as achingly trendy as Sir Victor deserves a restaurant to match and Mr. Porter doesn’t … [+]
Set within spitting distance of Gaudí’s La Pedrera, Sir Victor knows what modern travelers want: a bustling city center location, comfy, on-point design, and a hip rooftop where the beautiful people congregate on summer nights. It goes without saying that somewhere as achingly trendy as this needs a restaurant to match and Sir Victor’s resident Mr. Porter doesn’t disappoint. Don’t be fooled by the “steakhouse” billing; Mr. Porter is also a dab hand at everything from zucchini carpaccio to roasted sea bass and the unmissable jumbo shrimp salad with corn, avocado and chili.
Bar Veraz at The Barcelona EDITION.
The unbeatably located Barcelona outpost of Marriott’s ultra-chic Edition brand is the hotel that has it all. Spend the day enjoying the show-stopping views and fresh takes on Asian street food on the Roof, before heading to the ground-floor Bar Veraz for dinner. Here, flavor-packed yet unpretentious Mediterranean dishes are prepared using top-notch seasonal ingredients from the neighboring Santa Caterina market, known for its undulating mosaic roof. Once the sun sets, sip a signature cocktail in the Punch Room before dancing the night away in the Cabaret nightclub.
The leafy open-air patio at Solomillo.
Part of Hilton’s Curio Collection, the Alexandra Barcelona Hotel may not look like much on the surface but ignore it on your peril. Not only do the top-floor suites with their spacious terraces and open-air bathtubs offer some of the best-value stays in town, the onsite Solomillo restaurant also serves some of the city’s finest steaks. Choose your meat according to your preferred breed, cut, and weight—before adding sides and sauces—for a feast worthy of the most die-hard carnivores. On balmy summer nights, enjoy it on the hotel’s leafy open-air patio.
Lobster, tomato and coral salad at Michelin-starred Enoteca.
A landmark of luxury hospitality since it opened in 1994, this beachfront Ritz-Carlton property has everything you’d expect from a hotel of its caliber. The 483 rooms include 28 serviced penthouses, set on the upper floors of the hotel with a private reception and concierge, while the aptly named 43rd-floor 43 The Spa offers exclusive treatments and panoramic views. Hotel Arts has a poolside restaurant and a cocktail bar, but the real standout is the two-star Michelin Enoteca Paco Pérez, named after its superstar chef whose love of seasonal Catalan produce from the land and sea and shines through in his elegant tasting menus.

