The inaugural Knowledge Session titled Off the Record organised by ET HospitalityWorld in association with ET CIO and ET CISO concluded on February 18, 2025 in association with The Park Bengaluru. The gathering of hotel heads in the city, including senior vice presidents, general managers, CTOs and others were the audience during three very crucial sessions around the overlying topic of Securing Hospitality—Safeguarding Your Data which was specifically tailored for the hotel industry.

The first presentation of the day was made by Suhas Dutta, co-founder and managing partner, 3nayan whose presentation was titled The Transformation Conundrum in Hospitality.

Speaking later to ET HospitalityWorld, Dutta said, “This was a good start to a series of such events, especially because of the closed domain focused hospitality group. The one line that I would leave for the audience isΩ—tech can not compromise for broken fundamentals, and that is why data security starts at the property”.

Dutta’s interaction was followed by a very impressive presentation on the Digital Personal Data Protection Act by Vijayashankar Nagarajara, data governance and DPDPA auditor; executive Chairman of Foundation of Data Protection Professionals in India (FDPPI); and founder, Naavi.org.

“It was an excellent interaction with the industry leaders. It was also a revelation that many of the participants were not single property owners but those who were actually platforms and Franchise Managers with hundreds and thousands of subordinate service vendors who were themselves independent properties. The impact of DPDPA on the “Super Data Fiduciary” and the “Subordinate Data Fiduciary” was an interesting observation highlighting the concerns of the sector. FDPPI has been addressing similar concerns in the Health sector through its framework of compliance namely DGPSI and would try to look at the requirements of the hospitality sector separately,” Nagarajara felt. The last presentation was a case study which was presented by Mayank Khandelwal, the CTO, Treebo Hotels, who said, “The event had very insightful discussions to help understand the implications of data privacy, information security and the DPDP Act on the hospitality sector.”

“Extremely relevant and insightful, these are the issues modern day hoteliers and hotel companies are dealing with and this thought provoking afternoon was extremely useful and timely,” said Satyajeet Krishnan, senior vice president overseeing south at IHCL.

Sita Lekshmi, the general manager of Renaissance Bengaluru Race Course Hotel felt that, “The audience, comprising senior leaders and professionals, actively engaged with the speakers, demonstrating a keen interest in exploring the nuances of the topic. The event provided a valuable platform for knowledge sharing, discussion, and networking, ultimately enriching the attendees’ understanding of the complex interplay between data security, AI, and regulatory compliance”.

“The event on ‘Securing Hospitality and Safeguarding Your Data’ was a highly insightful and timely discussion on one of the most critical challenges facing the industry today. The event brought together experts and thought leaders to explore cutting-edge strategies for data protection, ensuring guest trust in an increasingly digital world,” said Sanjay Gupta, cluster general manager of Sheraton Grand Bengaluru Whitefield Hotel & Convention Center.

“The event has future proofed our learnings and emphasised on the importance of secure data analytics for future hotel operations,” said Virendra Razdan, general manager of The Leela Bhartiya City Bengaluru.

“The session was a curtain raiser for the dawn of a new era in India on digital space, data and privacy and AI tools .and covered all aspects of how the impact covering various data getting collected at various source points in human and machine interactions,” said Girish Ganeshan, general manager of Radisson Blu Hotel, Atria Bengaluru.

“The Economic Times brought together the brightest minds in hospitality for an insightful discussion on data security—an issue that’s more critical now than ever. The event was impeccably organised, fostering meaningful conversations that will shape the industry’s future. A big shoutout to the team for curating such a powerful and relevant gathering,” said Anthony Huang, general manager-hospitality at Kalyani Developers.