Connected technology can improve the guest experience and make hotel operations more efficient, but it also increases the number of devices, integrations and external connections that operators need to secure.
Hotels are connecting more of the guest experience, from mobile keys and smart locks to televisions, lighting, thermostats and room controls. These technologies can make stays more convenient and properties more efficient, but greater connectivity also expands the hotel technology environment that operators need to protect.
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The cybersecurity implications extend beyond the individual devices that guests interact with. Connected hotel technology can communicate with property management systems (PMS), building controls, hotel networks and third-party services.
Depending on how these systems are designed and connected, a weakness in one device could potentially provide a route towards more sensitive systems.
For hotel operators, the challenge is therefore not whether to adopt smart technology, but how to build security into its procurement, deployment, operation and eventual retirement.
Why smart hotel technology expands the attack surface
A smart hotel room can contain numerous connected systems, including televisions, lighting and temperature controls, occupancy sensors, digital door locks and entertainment platforms.
Some properties also use voice-enabled technology and systems that allow guests to control room functions through mobile applications.
These products can come from different manufacturers, run different software and have different security capabilities and update cycles. As the number and variety of connected devices increases, maintaining visibility over what is installed and whether it remains secure becomes more difficult.
UK government research published in 2025 identified vulnerabilities across a range of enterprise connected devices, including products used for building entry and room booking.
The assessment found issues including outdated software, insecure configurations and vulnerabilities that could allow some devices to be compromised remotely. The research warned that vulnerable connected devices could provide a route into wider business IT systems.
For hotels, this matters because connected technology rarely operates entirely independently.
The PMS is a particularly important example. NIST describes the PMS as an operational hub that can connect with systems such as point-of-sale, door locks, Wi-Fi, guest services and external business partners.
These integrations help hotels operate efficiently, but they also mean cybersecurity cannot always be considered system by system. Operators need to understand which systems can communicate with each other and what controls limit the impact if one part of the technology environment is compromised.
The risk is therefore not simply that an individual device could be compromised. The greater concern is what an attacker might be able to reach from it.
Where smart hotel technology can create security gaps
One potential weakness is the security of the devices themselves. Connected products can have vulnerabilities in authentication, software, communications or configuration. They can also become difficult to secure if manufacturers stop providing updates or hotels do not have an effective process for applying them.
This makes product lifecycle management an important consideration. NIST guidance on Internet of Things security emphasises the need to consider cybersecurity when connected devices are acquired and integrated. Its guidance for manufacturers also addresses security throughout the product lifecycle, including maintenance, support and end-of-life considerations.
Electronic locks demonstrate why that lifecycle matters. Following the disclosure of vulnerabilities in dormakaba’s Saflok electronic lock systems in 2024, the manufacturer provided a mitigation programme and security support for affected products.
The broader lesson for hotel operators extends beyond any individual lock system. Responsibility for a connected product does not end when it is installed.
Operators need to understand how suppliers disclose vulnerabilities, how patches or mitigations will be deployed and what happens when a product is no longer supported.
Third-party access creates another potential gap. Hotels can depend on technology suppliers and integrators to remotely maintain smart-room platforms, building controls and other connected systems.
Remote access that is unnecessarily broad, poorly protected or no longer required can create another route into the hotel technology environment.
Connected technology can also create an ownership problem inside the hotel business. Smart locks may be managed by security teams, room controls by engineering, entertainment platforms by operations and networks by IT.
Without clear responsibilities, network-connected equipment can fall outside established IT security and asset-management processes.
Operators therefore need to establish responsibility for maintaining inventories, approving connectivity, applying security updates, managing supplier access and responding to vulnerabilities across connected systems.
Data privacy is another consideration. Smart-room technology can process information about guest devices, preferences, room use and interactions with hotel systems. Operators should understand what information each system collects, where it is processed and stored, how long it is retained and which third parties can access it.
For every connected system, the questions are essentially the same: what does it collect, where does that information go, who can access it and what other systems can it communicate with?
How hotels can make connected technology more secure
Cybersecurity should begin before smart hotel technology is purchased and continue throughout its operational life.
Build security into procurement
A procurement assessment can establish which devices will be installed, what information they handle and which hotel systems they need to communicate with.
Hotels also need to understand how devices authenticate, how security updates are delivered, how long the supplier intends to support the product and what happens when it reaches the end of its supported life.
Contracts with technology providers can reinforce these expectations. They should establish responsibilities for security updates, vulnerability management, incident notification and remote access, as well as the eventual retirement or replacement of products.
Clear responsibilities are particularly important when vulnerabilities emerge. Hotels need to know who will assess the problem, who will deploy patches or mitigations and how quickly action can be taken across affected properties.
Limit connectivity when systems are deployed
Security also needs to be considered when connected technology is installed. Guestroom devices should not automatically have unrestricted access to the same network environment as critical hotel systems.
Network segmentation can restrict what a connected device is able to reach and reduce the opportunity for an attacker to move laterally if one part of the environment is compromised.
The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre recommends separating systems that do not need to interact and using network architecture to help contain compromises.
The principle is to give connected technology access only to the systems it needs. A room controller may need to communicate with a particular management platform, for example, without requiring unrestricted access to other parts of the hotel’s technology environment.
Maintain visibility over connected assets
Once connected technology is operating, visibility becomes critical. An accurate asset inventory should cover equipment that may not traditionally have been considered part of the IT estate, including room controls, building systems, entertainment equipment and access technology.
The inventory should record what each asset communicates with, which systems it depends on, who supports it and whether it continues to receive security updates.
Supplier access also needs to be reviewed throughout the product’s life. Remote connections that were necessary during installation should not automatically remain open indefinitely, while accounts belonging to suppliers that no longer support a system should be removed or disabled.
Monitoring can help hotels identify unusual behaviour, unsupported devices and unexpected external access. Logging can also provide information that helps security teams investigate incidents when they occur.
Plan for the end of the technology lifecycle
Connected devices can remain physically functional long after their software is supported. A television, lock or room controller may still perform its intended function even though security updates are no longer available.
Hotels therefore need to understand when products will reach the end of support and decide how they will be managed. Depending on the device and the risks involved, unsupported technology may need to be replaced, isolated from other systems or removed from the network.
Planning for this stage during procurement can help operators avoid discovering years later that large numbers of connected devices can no longer be securely maintained.
For hotel operators, cybersecurity should sit alongside cost, functionality, interoperability and guest experience when connected technology is selected.
Suppliers need to be assessed not only on what their products can do when installed, but on how vulnerabilities will be handled, updates delivered and products supported throughout their operational lives.
Greater connectivity does not have to mean greater exposure. But it does require hotels to understand the relationships between devices, critical systems and external suppliers, and to maintain appropriate controls throughout the technology lifecycle.
A smart hotel is only genuinely smart if the technology behind it can be maintained, monitored and protected throughout its useful life.
