DETROIT – In what might be the largest data breach we know about, as many as 500 million people staying at Starwood hotels have been compromised. Marriott said it uncovered unauthorized access that's been taking place within its Starwood network since 2014.
Original Story: Massive data breach reported at Marriott's Starwood hotels; 500 million guests affected
What does this mean for you?
Names, phone numbers, email addresses, passport information, credit card numbers and expiration dates of guests may have been taken.
“We deeply regret this incident happened,” said Arne Sorenson, Marriott’s president and chief executive officer. “We fell short of what our guests deserve and what we expect of ourselves. We are doing everything we can to support our guests, and using lessons learned to be better moving forward.”
The hotel chain said the hack affected its Starwood reservation database, a group of hotels it bought in 2016 that includes the St. Regis, Westin, Sheraton and W Hotels. The two Michigan hotels included in this breach are the The Westin Book Cadillac Detroit hotel and the The Westin Detroit Metropolitan Airport hotel.
Data from more than 6,700 hotels around the world have been compromised. The hotel chain is offering some level of credit monitoring for those affected, but it's unclear how extensive it will be and how it will work to protect those affected moving forward.
A website and call center for anyone who thinks that they are at risk was set up by the chain.
For more information, you can read the official statement from Marriott here.