Controversies

Poland hotel-management investigation

A criminal investigation in Poland concerned allegations by the owner of a Warsaw hotel that Marriott acted fraudulently or unethically during the pandemic, including disputes over maintenance, alternative use of the property, and payments. The allegations were not established here as final findings.

Resort-fee disclosure criticism

Marriott faced investigation and class-action litigation concerning resort fees that were not clearly included in advertised room prices and whose included services were alleged to be insufficiently disclosed.

Guest attacked by crocodile at Marriott resort in Mexico

Safety incident

A teenager was attacked and dragged underwater by a crocodile while vacationing at a Marriott resort in Mexico. Guests said the resort could have done more to warn visitors; Marriott said warning signs, night patrols and red flags were in place.

Court dismisses Marriott data breach lawsuit

Ruling

A U.S. district court dismissed a proposed class action against Marriott alleging violations including of the CCPA, finding that the plaintiff lacked standing. The court found the alleged information did not meet the sensitivity requirement for injury in fact; this was a standing ruling, not a determination that no data breach occurred.

Separate customer-information breach

Marriott reported the theft of contact information involving approximately 5.2 million customers in a separate security incident.

Lawsuit alleges racial discrimination at Marriott hotel

Lawsuit filed

A lawsuit filed against Marriott International alleged racial discrimination at the Residence Inn by Marriott Portland Downtown-Convention Center. According to the report, Felicia Gonzales claimed that White guests at the hotel were not required to sign a no-party policy while she was required to do so. The report presents the allegation as made in the lawsuit and does not establish any determination or outcome in the matter.

Felicia Gonzales sued Marriott, alleging that White guests at the Residence Inn by Marriott Portland Downtown-Convention Center were not required to sign a no-party policy while she was required to do so. The article reports the allegation and does not establish a determination.

Marriott discloses potential exposure of customer information

Issue disclosure

Marriott International disclosed that contact details, loyalty account numbers, and other personal information of an estimated 5.2 million customers may have been accessed using the login credentials of two employees at a franchise property. The company stated that it disabled the credentials, began an investigation, increased monitoring, and arranged to inform and assist guests. The disclosure concerned potential unauthorized access to customer information rather than a confirmed misuse of the data.

Marriott disclosed that contact details, loyalty account numbers, and other personal information of an estimated 5.2 million customers may have been accessed using login credentials of two employees at a franchise property. The company said it disabled the credentials, began an investigation, increased monitoring, and arranged to inform and assist guests.

Marriott discloses breach affecting about 5.2 million guests

Issue disclosure

Marriott International disclosed a data breach affecting about 5.2 million guests. According to the company, contact details, loyalty account information and other personal details may have been accessed using the login credentials of two employees at a franchise property. The disclosure describes the possible scope of the affected information and the means by which it may have been accessed.

Marriott discloses guest data breach affecting 5.2 million guests

Issue disclosure

Marriott International disclosed a data breach that may have exposed guest information, with reports stating that approximately 5.2 million guests were affected. According to the source, Marriott said it was investigating the incident and had notified involved guests. The company also offered a year of personal information monitoring and provided an online portal for guests to check whether their information was involved. The disclosure concerns potential exposure of guest data and the response measures described by the company.

Marriott disclosed that a data breach may have exposed guest information; the article says approximately 5.2 million guests were affected. Marriott said it was investigating, notified involved guests, offered a year of personal information monitoring, and provided an online portal to check whether information was involved.

Marriott discloses breach affecting about 5.2 million hotel guests

Issue disclosure

Marriott International disclosed a data breach that occurred in mid-January and was discovered in late February, affecting the personal information of about 5.2 million hotel guests. According to the article, Marriott said two employee accounts at a franchised hotel were suspected of accessing guest information. Marriott disabled the credentials, began a cybersecurity investigation, increased monitoring, notified affected customers, and offered affected guests one year of free IdentityWorks monitoring.

Marriott disclosed that a data breach occurred in mid-January and was discovered in late February, affecting personal information of about 5.2 million hotel guests. Marriott said two employee accounts at a franchised hotel were suspected of accessing guest information. The article reports that Marriott disabled the credentials, began a cybersecurity investigation, increased monitoring, notified affected customers, and offered affected guests one year of free IdentityWorks monitoring.

UK ICO fines Marriott over customer data breach

Fine or penalty

The UK Information Commissioner's Office fined Marriott International £18.4 million over a 2014 customer data breach. The ICO said its investigation found that Marriott had failed to put appropriate technical or organisational measures in place to protect personal data. The penalty was announced on 30 October 2020.

The UK Information Commissioner’s Office fined Marriott International £18.4 million over a 2014 customer data breach. The ICO said its investigation found Marriott had failed to put appropriate technical or organisational measures in place to protect personal data.

Starwood guest-data breach

Unauthorized access to the former Starwood reservation database exposed or potentially exposed guest information. The incident led to investigations, lawsuits, cybersecurity remediation, and regulatory action in multiple jurisdictions.

Wi-Fi interference at Gaylord Opryland

The US Federal Communications Commission fined Marriott $600,000 after finding that a Wi-Fi monitoring system at the Gaylord Opryland Resort interfered with customer-owned wireless networks. The incident generated criticism of network practices and convention Wi-Fi charges.

Animal-welfare and cage-free egg criticism

Marriott has faced criticism from animal-welfare advocates over the use of eggs from caged hens and delays in meeting stated cage-free sourcing objectives in global operations.