Dear Valued Guest,
Marriott values our guests and understands the importance of protecting your personal information. We have taken measures to investigate and address a data security incident involving the Starwood guest reservation database. The investigation has determined that there was unauthorized access to the database, which contained guest information relating to reservations at Starwood properties* on or before September 10, 2018. This notice explains what happened, measures we have taken, and some steps you can take in response.
Starwood Guest Reservation Database Security Incident
On September 8, 2018, Marriott received an alert from an internal security tool regarding an attempt to access the Starwood guest reservation database. Marriott quickly engaged leading security experts to help determine what occurred. Marriott learned during the investigation that there had been unauthorized access to the Starwood network since 2014. Marriott recently discovered that an unauthorized party had copied and encrypted information, and took steps towards removing it. On November 19, 2018, Marriott was able to decrypt the information and determined that the contents were from the Starwood guest reservation database.
Marriott has not finished identifying duplicate information in the database, but believes it contains information on up to approximately 500 million guests who made a reservation at a Starwood property. For approximately 327 million of these guests, the information includes some combination of name, mailing address, phone number, email address, passport number, Starwood Preferred Guest ("
SPG") account information, date of birth, gender, arrival and departure information, reservation date, and communication preferences. For some, the information also includes payment card numbers and payment card expiration dates, but the payment card numbers were encrypted using Advanced Encryption Standard encryption (
AES-128). There are two components needed to decrypt the payment card numbers, and at this point, Marriott has not been able to rule out the possibility that both were taken. For the remaining guests, the information was limited to name and sometimes other data such as mailing address, email address, or other information.
Marriott reported this incident to law enforcement and continues to support their investigation. The company is also notifying regulatory authorities.
Marriott deeply regrets this incident happened. From the start, we moved quickly to contain the incident and conduct a thorough investigation with the assistance of leading security experts. Marriott is working hard to ensure our guests have answers to questions about their personal information with a dedicated website and call center. We are supporting the efforts of law enforcement and working with leading security experts to improve. Marriott is also devoting the resources necessary to phase out Starwood systems and accelerate the ongoing security enhancements to our network.
Guest Support
Marriott has taken the following steps to help you monitor and protect your information:
Dedicated Call Center
Marriott has established a dedicated call center to answer questions you may have about this incident. The call center is available in multiple languages. Our dedicated call center may experience high volume initially, and we appreciate your patience. Please check info.starwoodhotels.com for any updates to our call center contact details. The call center contact details are:
Country/Region Toll Free Phone Number Hours Days of the Week
Australia 1-800-270-917 24 Hours Mon - Sun
Austria 0800-281462 0900 - 2100
CET Mon - Sun
Belgium 0800-708-43 0900 - 2100
CET Mon - Sun
Brazil 0-800-724-8312 0900 - 2100 Brasilia ST Mon - Sun
Canada 877-273-9481 0900-2100
EST Mon - Sun
China 4001839188 0900 - 1800 China ST Mon - Sun
China +86 20 38157000 0900 - 1800 China ST Mon - Sun
France 0805-080216 0900 - 2100
CET Mon - Sun
Germany 0800-180-1978 0900 - 2100
CET Mon - Sun
India 000-800-050-1531 24 Hours Mon - Sun
Italy 800-728-023 0900 - 2100
CET Mon - Sun
Japan 0120901011 0900 - 1800 Japan ST Mon - Fri
Japan +81 3 5423 6539 0900 - 1800 Japan ST Mon - Fri
New Zealand 0800-359805 24 Hours Mon - Sun
Mexico 01-800-099-0742 0900 - 2100
EST Mon - Sun
Russia 8-800-100-6925 0900 - 2100 Moscow Mon - Sun
Singapore 800-492-2405 24 Hours Mon - Sun
South Korea 007988171758 0900 - 1800 Korea ST Mon - Fri
South Korea +81 3 4334 2202 0900 - 1800 Korea ST Mon - Fri
Spain 900-905407 0900 - 2100
CET Mon - Sun
Switzerland 0800-561-876 0900 - 2100
CET Mon - Sun
United Arab Emirates 8000-3201-34 0900 - 2100 Gulf Mon - Sun
UK 0-808-189-1065 0800 - 2000
GMT Mon - Sun
USA 877-273-9481 0900 - 2100
EST Mon - Sun
Email notification
Marriott began sending emails on a rolling basis on November 30, 2018 to affected guests whose email addresses are in the Starwood guest reservation database.
Free WebWatcher Enrollment
Marriott is providing guests the opportunity to enroll in WebWatcher free of charge for one year. WebWatcher monitors internet sites where personal information is shared and generates an alert to the consumer if evidence of the consumer's personal information is found. Due to regulatory and other reasons, WebWatcher or similar products are not available in all countries. Guests from the United States who complete the WebWatcher enrollment process will also be provided fraud consultation services and reimbursement coverage for free.
The section below provides additional information on steps you can take. If you have questions about this notification and to enroll in WebWatcher (if it is available in your country/region), please visit info.starwoodhotels.com.
* Starwood brands include: W Hotels, St. Regis, Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, Westin Hotels & Resorts, Element Hotels, Aloft Hotels, The Luxury Collection, Tribute Portfolio, Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts, Four Points by Sheraton and Design Hotels. Starwood branded timeshare properties (Sheraton Vacation Club, Westin Vacation Club, The Luxury Collection Residence Club, St. Regis Residence Club, and Vistana) are also included.
Best wishes,
Arne Sorenson
MORE INFORMATION ON STEPS YOU
CAN TAKE
Regardless of where you reside, below are some additional steps you can take.
• Monitor your
SPG account for any suspicious activity.
• Change your password regularly. Do not use easily guessed passwords. Do not use the same passwords for multiple accounts.
• Review your payment card account statements for unauthorized activity and immediately report unauthorized activity to the bank that issued your card.
• Be vigilant against third parties attempting to gather information by deception (commonly known as "phishing"), including through links to fake websites. Marriott will not ask you to provide your password by phone or email.
• If you believe you are the victim of identity theft or your personal data has been misused, you should immediately contact local law enforcement.
If you are a resident of the United States:
We remind you it is always advisable to be vigilant for incidents of fraud or identity theft by reviewing your account statements and free credit reports for any unauthorized activity. You may obtain a copy of your credit report, free of charge, once every 12 months from each of the three nationwide credit reporting companies. To order your annual free credit report, please visit...