Electronic locks manufacturer Onity is offering major hotel brands a replacement offer tantamount to a recall to replace circuit boards vulnerable to hacking.
In a Thursday article Forbes cited internal memos from Marriott International, IHG and Hyatt Hotels Corp. which detailed the replacement offer from Onity. The memos discuss Onity’s offer to sell the hotel companies and their franchisees replacement circuit boards and offer refunds for mailing back the replaced circuit boards.
An excerpted memo from Marriott stated that “Onity will invoice the Marriott franchisee US$11 per board when the refurbished upgraded boards ship and will credit back US$11 for each board returned by Marriott franchisee within 30 days and in good working condition.”
Onity told HOTELS that it has has shipped 1.4 million solutions for locks to hotel properties over the past few months.
“Over the next several weeks, we will ensure all hotel properties in our database receive the mechanical solution. These mechanical caps and security screws block physical access to the lock ports that hackers use to illegally break into hotel rooms. The mechanical solution remains free of charge to customers,” said Suzanne Fritz, Onity’s global marketing manager.
Onity’s locks are installed in about four million hotel guestroom doors.