Operational Resilience in Hotel Operations
Recognising cyberattacks, preventing fraud attempts and remaining able to act in crisis situations
Cybercriminals and professional fraudsters are increasingly targeting hotels. Phishing emails, Booking.com fraud, fake invoices, data theft and social engineering attacks are now part of everyday life. It is often not technical vulnerabilities that cause a security incident, but human factors such as uncertainty, lack of knowledge or unclear escalation paths.
Anyone who works in direct contact with guests or has access to sensitive data bears important responsibility for the security of the operation. In this practice-oriented online course, employees learn to recognise risks at an early stage, respond correctly and keep hotel operations able to act even in critical situations. Using concrete examples from the hotel industry, current threats, manipulation techniques and proven procedures are conveyed.
Registration via the Hotel & Gastro Union
Content & course structure
Format: Online live training
Duration: 2 modules of 3 hours each
Module 1: Cyber Security, fraud prevention and social engineering
Cyber Security and attacker perspective
- Current threat landscape for hotels
- Booking.com fraud
- Phishing and spear phishing
- QR code fraud
- CEO fraud and fake invoices
- Guest Wi-Fi and PMS access
- Password managers and passkeys
- Data leaks and digital attack surfaces
- OSINT demonstration and attacker perspective
Human factors and social engineering
- Social engineering and manipulation techniques
- Building trust by attackers
- Insider risks
- Assessing people and recognising warning signs
- Communication under pressure
- Professional questioning and de-escalation
Module 2: Communication, crisis management and operational resilience
Safe behaviour in critical situations
- Negotiation tactics
- Difficult guests and critical situations
- Professional communication and escalation
Crisis management and operational resilience
- When does an incident become a crisis?
- Roles and responsibilities
- Business continuity and emergency management
- Decision-making under time pressure
- Protecting reputation
- Dealing with media enquiries
- Cyber attack and ransom demand
- PMS failure and failure of credit card systems
- Physical security incidents
Learning objectives
After completing the course, participants will be able to:
- recognise and assess current cyber risks and fraud techniques in the hotel environment
- identify phishing, social engineering and attempted fraud at an early stage
- correctly classify warning signs and suspicious behaviour patterns
- deal safely and professionally with critical situations and difficult interlocutors
- communicate security incidents in a structured way and escalate them correctly
- initiate initial immediate measures in the event of cyber and security incidents
- contribute to the safety of guests, employees, reputation and hotel operations
- support the operational capability of the business even during crises and disruptions
Participant documents & certificate
Each participating person receives a digital participant pack with:
- Presentation materials
- Factsheets on Cyber Security, Social Engineering and hotel resilience
- Checklists for security and cyber incidents
- Guides for communication and escalation
- Action aids for crisis situations
- Quick Reference Guides for everyday hotel operations
After successful participation, all participants receive a course certificate.
Target audience
This course is aimed at employees of hotel businesses who regularly come into contact with guests, sensitive information or operationally critical processes, in particular:
- Front Office
- Reservation
- Concierge
- Management
- Restaurant services
- Other employees with guest contact or access to sensitive data
Speakers - Red Teaming Schweiz
The course is delivered by the subject matter specialists from Red Teaming Schweiz. The speakers combine many years of experience in the fields of Cyber Security, Social Engineering, crisis management and operational resilience.
Florian Muff
- Senior Security Solution Architect
- CyberSeal Lead Auditor
- Board member of Allianz Digitale Sicherheit Schweiz (ADSS)
Roger Büschlen
- Entrepreneur
- Specialist in Social Engineering
- Expert in negotiation tactics and human factors
Romain Markwalder
- Entrepreneur
- Specialist in crisis management
- Expert in business continuity and operational resilience