Regulatory and Legal Affairs

📈 Identifying critical assets in disaster recovery is essential for business operations. Prioritize systems based on compliance requirements. Define Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and Recovery Point Objective (RPO) to gauge recovery benchmarks. Ensure strategies are clear, with documented processes and a disaster communication plan. Third-party risk management is vital; align vendors' recovery plans with your objectives. Regularly test and validate your strategy to maintain readiness. A tailored disaster plan ensures swift recovery and long-term viability.

🛌 August 2, 2025, Miami: La Quinta by Wyndham faces backlash due to a viral video showing virtual check-in handled by an alleged Indian-based employee. This incident highlights outsourcing concerns with 59% of US companies outsourcing to India. In 2023, Indian nationals received 72% of H-1B visas. US immigration rose by 1.6 million in 2023. The foreign-born labor force decreased by 735,000 in 2025 amid rising automation and cost-cutting trends.

✈️ Brisbane Airport, in June 2025, became the world's first airport to complete IATA's new global security program assessment. The Security Management Systems (SeMS) certification included a full audit focused on governance, resource management, threat management, and more. Brisbane Airport handles 24 million passengers annually and aims to align with global standards ahead of the 2032 Olympics. The certification ceremony took place in Geneva, highlighting its commitment to proactive and innovative security practices.

📈 eDreams ODIGEO criticizes Google-parent Alphabet Inc for not complying with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in Europe, 17 months after the obligations took effect. Google continues harmful practices, affecting millions of European businesses and consumers. Despite preliminary findings of breach, the European Commission has not made a final enforcement decision. eDreams calls for immediate action, urging the Commission to enforce a zero-tolerance policy to protect the European digital ecosystem and uphold the DMA.

Nearly half of Americans plan leisure trips in summer 2025, raising cybercrime risks in hospitality. Cybercriminals exploit guest Wi-Fi, property management systems, and loyalty programs. Fraud-as-a-service on the dark web targets hotel bookings, offering up to 70% discounts using stolen data. Tactics include mimicking legitimate businesses and phishing hospitality staff. Industry leaders must adopt real-time threat intelligence sharing, behavioral analytics, and mobile-specific controls as standard practices to combat these threats.

🏨 On 30 July 2025, HOTREC announced an extension of the registration deadline for a legal action against Booking.com to 29 August 2025. Over 10,000 hotels across Europe have already joined the initiative to claim compensation for financial losses due to Booking.com’s illegal "best price" clauses, as ruled by the European Court of Justice on 19 September 2024. The action, supported by HOTREC and 30 national hotel associations, is free and risk-free for all eligible hotels.