Chicago-based hotel operator Hyatt Hotels Corporation informed customers on Wednesday that it recently discovered malware on its payment processing systems.
Hyatt operates more than 600 properties in 52 countries, including Hyatt, Park Hyatt, Andaz, Hyatt Centric, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Place, Hyatt Regency, Hyatt House, Hyatt Ziva, Hyatt Zilara, and Hyatt Residence Club brands.
The company has not provided any details about the breach, but says the incident is being investigated with the aid of third-party cyber security experts. Updates on the investigation will be made available on a special page set up by Hyatt.
“We have taken steps to strengthen the security of our systems, and customers can feel confident using payment cards at Hyatt hotels worldwide,” said Chuck Floyd, Global President of Operations at Hyatt Hotels Corporation.
For now, customers have been advised to keep an eye on their payment card statements and report any suspicious transactions to the card issuer.
Customers who have questions about the incident can contact Hyatt at 1-877-218-3036 (U.S. and Canada) or +1-814-201-3665 (International).
Hotel chains are a tempting target for cybercriminals and several such companies reported suffering data breaches this year.
Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group was the first to admit that hackers planted malware on its payment systems. In April, hotel management company White Lodging Services informed customers that point-of-sale (POS) systems at ten of its hotel properties had been compromised, resulting in exposure of customer payment data for more than half a year.
Trump Hotel Collection launched an investigation in July after several banks identified fraudulent activity on cards used at the company’s hotel properties. The most recent breaches, which came to light in November, impact Hilton and Starwood Hotels. Hilton said the malware found on its systems might have stolen the card details of people who used their payment cards at Hilton Worldwide hotels in certain periods of 2014 and 2015.
