What security obligations does an Even Hotels franchisee have regarding the PMS Solution?
Even_Hotels Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
Hotel will implement and maintain commercially reasonable and industrystandard measures, safeguards, and other controls to prevent a breach of or unauthorised access to the PMS Solution.
Hotel will ensure all Designated Users comply with industry best practices to implement secure passwords, regularly change such passwords, and protect the security and privacy of their user logins and the PMS Data.
Hotel shall be solely responsible for any and all Claims and Losses (as each such term is defined below) relating to an unauthorized third party access to the PMS Solution and/or PMS Data that results or arises out of breach of the foregoing.
Hotel will comply with any additional security requirements that HotelKey or IHG provides to Hotel in writing, which may be updated from time to time.
Hotel shall inform each Designated User of this Agreement's terms and restrictions and shall enforce such restrictions.
Source: Item 23 — RECEIPTS (FDD pages 99–438)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Even Hotels' 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, franchisees have specific security obligations related to the Property Management System (PMS) Solution. The franchisee (referred to as 'Hotel' in the FDD) must implement and maintain commercially reasonable and industry-standard measures to prevent unauthorized access to the PMS Solution. This includes ensuring that all designated users, such as employees or contractors authorized to access the system for business purposes, comply with industry best practices for secure passwords. These users must implement secure passwords, change them regularly, and protect the security and privacy of their user logins and the PMS data.
The Even Hotels franchisee is solely responsible for any claims and losses resulting from unauthorized third-party access to the PMS Solution or PMS data if it arises from a breach of these security obligations. Furthermore, the franchisee must comply with any additional security requirements that HotelKey (the PMS provider) or IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group, the franchisor) provides in writing, which may be updated periodically. The franchisee is also responsible for informing each designated user of the agreement's terms and restrictions and ensuring that these restrictions are enforced.
In practical terms, this means an Even Hotels franchisee needs to invest in appropriate security infrastructure and training for their staff. They must stay updated on the latest security recommendations from HotelKey and IHG and implement those recommendations promptly. Failure to comply with these security obligations could result in financial liability for any data breaches or unauthorized access incidents. This is a standard requirement in the hotel franchising industry, as protecting guest data and maintaining system security are critical for brand reputation and legal compliance.