The 7-hotel story: how fear of hacks keeps hospitality stuck

I know a hotel owner who runs seven beautiful properties across Flanders. He worries every night about hackers, but still refuses to change the way his systems work.

The Problem

Most people in hospitality don’t realize how fragile their IT really is until something goes wrong.

Take my client with seven hotels. Two years ago, he got hacked: guest data leaked, systems went down, bookings were lost. Since then, he’s been cautious. But not strategic.

He’s still running old Windows laptops behind the front desk. Staff share generic logins because “creating accounts for everyone is too complicated and expensive.” Receptionists snap photos of passports and credit cards on their personal phones. Some still scan them to the office PC and email them around.

He knows it’s not ideal. He knows it’s risky. But like many in the industry, he keeps postponing action.

“We’ll fix it after the season,” he says.

The biggest challenge facing hospitality today isn’t awareness; it’s inertia. Owners understand the risk, but they’re overwhelmed by complexity, cost, and change fatigue.

And so, the same old systems stay in place until the next breach.

The Consequences

This leads to sleepless nights and silent losses.

Every time a staff member leaves, no one remembers which devices or accounts they used. Guest data travels in unsecured WhatsApp chats. A lost phone could mean hundreds of passport copies floating in the cloud.

The worst part? The owner knows all this. He’s not careless; he’s paralyzed.

Every day he delays, he increases the odds of another incident. But change feels big, and staff aren’t tech-savvy.

“What if we make things worse?” he asks.

Meanwhile, the risk compounds. Another phishing email, another forgotten update, and one small mistake could bring all seven hotels offline again.

The Shift Most People Miss

Here’s what most hotel owners in his position don’t realize…

You don’t need a massive IT overhaul to become secure. You don’t need to hire an IT manager or spend tens of thousands.

The smartest hospitality businesses aren’t fighting their old systems; they’re replacing them with something far simpler.

A setup where devices lock themselves, updates happen automatically, and guest data never touches a personal phone.

And it’s all built around a tool that’s already proven itself in education and enterprise: ChromeOS.

The Positive Future

Imagine this:

A front desk where every employee logs in with their own secure account. No one can install risky apps or email sensitive data outside the system.

Every device—laptop, kiosk, or tablet—is managed centrally. Lose one? You disable it in 30 seconds.

No software updates. No antivirus renewals. No shared passwords scribbled on sticky notes.

And your staff? They just open the laptop and work. Because ChromeOS is built for people who aren’t tech experts but still need to handle sensitive information safely.

That’s the digital peace of mind every hotel owner deserves.

The Solution

Here’s what I advised my client, and what I recommend to every hospitality operator facing the same dilemma:

1. Start with ChromeOS Flex on existing devices. You don’t need to buy all-new laptops. Install ChromeOS Flex on your current Windows machines and immediately eliminate 90% of security risks.
2. Introduce Managed Google Accounts. Even if staff aren’t digital natives, they can handle a login. Managed accounts ensure every action is logged, and access can be revoked instantly when someone leaves.
3. Replace risky workflows. No more photos of passports or credit cards. Use secure online check-in tools and connect them to Drive or a GDPR-compliant PMS.
4. Train once, manage forever. A short onboarding is enough. After that, devices and policies can be managed remotely. If someone breaks a laptop, you replace it and they pick up exactly where they left off.

This isn’t theory. It’s already happening in smaller European hotel chains—cutting IT costs and reducing stress.

Take the First Step

Book a free 30-minute consultation

Let’s walk through what a ChromeOS setup could look like for your hospitality business: how it works, what it costs, and how quickly you can pilot it in one location.

Closing Thoughts

If your guests trust you with their passports and credit cards, your systems should be trustworthy too.

Let’s make that happen, without the complexity.