Personal info compromise/misuse
Mar 8, 2016, 9:40 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: IAH
Posts: 418
Personal info compromise/misuse
I received an unsolicited email from In Residence Bangkok Sukhumvit 13 hotel offering me discounted stays for this year and recognizing a stay with them in February. I've never stayed with them nor contacted them. This email came on my second day in Thailand. My best guess at this time is an employee at one of the two hotels I stayed at is selling guest information. I had a stay at a different chain in February but cancelled it when my trip was postponed so that hotel could be the culprit. The only other source I can think of would be when I registered for the free AOT internet service at BKK. Anyone received a similar email?
Mar 8, 2016, 10:00 pm
#2
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: KWI
Programs: I travel for fun these days.
Posts: 383
Not sure we have the same information-privacy standards in Thailand you may have come to expect elsewhere. The phone company themselves sells your numbers to telemarketers - which you have to opt out of, so they can continue to sell it to a new marketer. 
Mar 8, 2016, 11:16 pm
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 1999
Posts: 12,375
So you've stayed at two hotels so far? Which ones?
They could be part of the same company (as In Residence), family, organization, etc., and thus sharing contact info for direct marketing.
I fully expect that any email/telephone/contact info. I provide here (Immigration, DMV, post office, banks, phone co., etc.) gets re-purposed, so I usually use a fictitious/sole purpose email, phone.
They could be part of the same company (as In Residence), family, organization, etc., and thus sharing contact info for direct marketing.
I fully expect that any email/telephone/contact info. I provide here (Immigration, DMV, post office, banks, phone co., etc.) gets re-purposed, so I usually use a fictitious/sole purpose email, phone.
Mar 9, 2016, 1:49 pm
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: IAH
Posts: 418
Information privacy standards aside, is it typical in Thailand for a hotel to sell guest information to an unafilliated competitor? Doesn't seem to make much business sense to me.
Mar 9, 2016, 2:18 pm
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: IAH
Posts: 418
So you've stayed at two hotels so far? Which ones?
They could be part of the same company (as In Residence), family, organization, etc., and thus sharing contact info for direct marketing.
I fully expect that any email/telephone/contact info. I provide here (Immigration, DMV, post office, banks, phone co., etc.) gets re-purposed, so I usually use a fictitious/sole purpose email, phone.
They could be part of the same company (as In Residence), family, organization, etc., and thus sharing contact info for direct marketing.
I fully expect that any email/telephone/contact info. I provide here (Immigration, DMV, post office, banks, phone co., etc.) gets re-purposed, so I usually use a fictitious/sole purpose email, phone.
Mar 9, 2016, 7:14 pm
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 1999
Posts: 12,375
The two USA chains owned chains are not related to In Residence
Meh. These (USA chain) hotels are owned/operated by local Thai franchisees. What was the (third?) hotel you cancelled in February?
As the unsolicited email references that planned/cancelled stay, it seems like it must be related?
I can't see a single email address being worth more than 10 baht, so question your initial theory. The lasses on the street generating leads, for condo/time-shares, probably make a tad more?
Meh. These (USA chain) hotels are owned/operated by local Thai franchisees. What was the (third?) hotel you cancelled in February?
As the unsolicited email references that planned/cancelled stay, it seems like it must be related?
I can't see a single email address being worth more than 10 baht, so question your initial theory. The lasses on the street generating leads, for condo/time-shares, probably make a tad more?