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Best Western Hotels
Best Western Europe Says Hacking Was Not Wide-Spread
August 26, 2008 at 4:08 PM | 0 Comments
Yesterday a news report said that the computer reservations system for Best Western Europe had been hacked and detailed guest information had been sold to the Russian mob.
While many guests probably had a sleepless night worrying that someone named Vlad or Tatiana was going to take over their lives, Best Western today issued a statement that the initial hacking report is "largely erroneous."
We can confirm that on August 21, 2008, three separate attempts were made via a single log-on ID to access the same data from a single hotel. The hotel in question is the 107-room Best Western Hotel am Schloss Kopenick in Berlin, Germany, where a Trojan horse virus was detected by the hotel's anti-virus software. The compromised log-in ID permitted access to reservations data for that property only. The log-in ID was immediately terminated, and the computer in question has been removed from use.
We can also confirm that we have been able to narrow down the number of customers affected by this breach to ten. We are currently contacting those customers and offering assistance as needed.
The statement from BW also said that the computer reservations system purges data from guests seven days after departure. This is definitely reassuring but does this mean they don't keep our pillow preferences on file?
Best Western Hotels
Hackers Infiltrate Best Western Europe and Sell Guest Info to Russian Mafia
August 25, 2008 at 11:00 AM | 0 Comments
In a truly bizarre turn for the hotel industry, the European Best Western reservations database was hacked last week. Information on former and future guests for the last year was stolen, including names, addresses, phone numbers, credit card information, and even places of employment. Ack!
The Jason Bourne-like heist involved a hack using an employee account login which siphoned the data. The data was then sold on a underground website operated by the Russian mafia.
Some are saying it's the greatest cyber-heist in world history which could affect up to 8 million people in several different ways.
Bratislava Hotel Reviews
Enjoy Danube Views From Bratislava's Hotel Danube
April 5, 2007 at 9:10 AM | 0 Comments
Slovakia's capital city, Bratislava, is becoming increasingly popular with tourists who've realised it's just an hour from Vienna, and a good alternative to busy-busy Prague. Our tip for the hotel with the best location is the Hotel Danube which, as the name suggests, is set on the edge of the mighty river itself (there's a road and a tramline between the hotel and the river, but the views are still perfect) and also at the beginning of the Old Town. With a tram stop right outside and a good half of Bratislava's attractions right at the doorstep, you couldn't find a better place unless you set up your own tent outside the National Theater.
It is now managed by a French company, the Meydan Hotel chain, and service and facilities have been continually upgraded in the last decade or so. In fact, the service is so great that the website claims:
We are not only hotel for you...we are HERE for you.
They also claim to be multilingual, but didn't mention whether that meant the staff have good grammar or not. Slovak English aside, there aren't too many complaints to be made about Hotel Danube, and recent guest reviews all sound very satisfied. Our main gripe is that to use the relatively small pool or fitness center, despite having a great view over Bratislava Castle, even guests have to pay an additional fee. And although prices are steadily rising in Slovakia--and will no doubt continue to do so as the date for introduction of the Euro currency approaches--having the standard nightly rate starting at 139 Euro ($185) is still pretty high compared to the average costs you'll find in Bratislava.
[Photo: SteveHodges]
Related Stories:
· Hotel Danube reviews [TripAdvisor]
· Getting From A to Bratislava [Jaunted]
