Travelodge GDPR Data Breach Compensation Claims Guide – How To Claim?

Travelodge Breached My Data Privacy. Could I Claim Compensation?

This guide looks at what to do after a potential data breach by Travelodge.

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), organisations that process personal information have a duty to protect it. Moreover, if victims of a data breach suffer consequential financial loss or psychiatric harm, they could claim. Therefore, you may be owed compensation if you have been affected this way by a personal data breach.

Travelodge data breach compensation claims guideTrust Legal Helpline to help you claim compensation for a hotel chain data breach. We could connect you with our panel of knowledgeable data breach lawyers to handle your compensation claim.

To see if you could begin a claim, contact us on 0161 6969 685 or make a claims enquiry online via our live chat. On the other hand, keep on reading to find out more.

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A Guide On Data Protection Breach Claims Against Travelodge

Travelodge is the largest independent hotel brand in the UK. The business operates 570 hotels in the United Kingdom, Spain and Ireland. Travelodge has 11,000 colleagues.

In the UK, hotels have to obey the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) if they collect or process personal data. The GDPR is a piece of EU legislation that protects the privacy and security of the general public. The Data Protection Act 2018 enacts the GDPR into the laws of the United Kingdom.

Upholding the Data Protection Act in hotels:

  • The hotel should securely hold and process the data it collects from guests and employees.
  • Therefore, the hotel may have cybersecurity and data management processes in place. This could help enforce data privacy for hotel guests and employees.
  • What’s more, the hotel could be liable for psychiatric or financial damage caused if a data breach takes place.

What are the consequences of a data breach for Travelodge? Those who’re financially or psychologically affected by an employer or customer data breach could claim compensation from the company. In addition, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) may issue a fine for the data breach.

Hotel Data Breach Claim Time Limits

There is a 6-year time limit for making a data breach claim in the UK. This runs from the date of knowledge of the breach. However, you will have one year to claim compensation if the data breach violated your human rights. To see what time limit applies to you, call Legal Helpline to speak to an advisor.

What Is A Data Breach Protection Claim Against Travelodge?

A data breach is a security incident involving the failed protection of personal data. Personal information could be lost, destroyed, accessed, changed, disclosed unlawfully. A data breach can happen if:

  • Personal data is leaked or exposed.
  • Unauthorised persons access it unlawfully.
  • It’s lost, altered, stolen or encrypted.

Personal data breaches can happen for a number of reasons. This can include poor data management or hotel workers making errors due to a lack of staff training. For example, if a hotel computer device is lost and it contains personal information, unauthorised persons could access it. To avoid this, hotel devices could have better security.

Sadly, a hotel company data breach can take place because of malicious forces at work. For example, a hotel may be the subject of a hacking attack. This could involve criminals exploiting weaknesses in a system to access the company’s personal data records. Consequently, criminals may use the breached data to target hotel guests for fraud. Types of fraud can include push payment scams and phishing.

If your personal data has been involved in a data breach and you suffered financially or mentally because of it, you may be owed compensation. Call Legal Helpline today to enquire about making a personal data breach claim.

What Is The Sharing Of Third-Party Data?

Personal data is information that relates to a specific individual. This could include names, addresses, email addresses and dates of birth. Personal data is interchangeable with personal information. It can identify you on its own or be used alongside other information to identify you.

Hotels will also collect information specific to a guest’s stay, such as passport numbers and credit card information.

As we have already mentioned, businesses have to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The Data Protection Act 2018 enacts the GDPR into UK law.

The Data Protection Act requires hotels to do the following when they collect personal data from data subjects, such as customers and employees:

  • Firstly, hotels can only collect personal data if the data subject has permitted them to.
  • Secondly, hotels should state their purpose for collecting data to the data subject. Subsequently, they cannot use the data for another purpose unless there is a lawful reason.
  • And what’s more, the hotel must not share the personal data with another party without the data subject’s permission. However, the hotel doesn’t always need your consent to share your personal information.

Does the ICO enforce the GDPR? Yes, the Information Commissioner’s Office upholds data protection laws. Therefore, if a hotel breaches the GDPR, it may receive an ICO fine.

The Travelodge Data Hack And Security Incident

Unfortunately, data breaches involving Travelodge have taken place in the past. One took place in 2011. Travelodge stated that a “third party” had gained access to guests’ email addresses. They were being sent spam emails. This was a breach of the guests’ privacy and personal security.

Source: https://www.bighospitality.co.uk/Article/2011/06/27/Travelodge-security-breach-obtains-customer-e-mails

Another incident took place in 2018. Typeform, a third party business that Travelodge uses to manage competitions and surveys, experienced a data security incident. The following Travelodge customer data could have been accessed as a result:

  • Names
  • Email addresses
  • Phone numbers
  • Date of birth
  • Gender

Source: https://www.thecaterer.com/news/hotel/travelodge-data-hacked-in-security-incident

What are the consequences of a potential data breach by Travelodge?

Unfortunately, victims of a data breach can be targeted by fraudsters. For example, criminals may target hotel guests for phishing attacks. This is when a fraudster poses as a reputable company to steal data such as credit card information or bank details.

Data breaches could result in financial loss. Some people may experience emotional distress or psychological trauma as a result.

If you have been affected by a hotel chain data breach, call Legal Helpline today to speak to a claims advisor. We will be happy to discuss your situation with you in depth. Moreover, if we can see that you have a favourable claim, we could connect you with our panel of solicitors.

Calculating Compensation Claims For A Data Breach By Travelodge

You can use the below compensation table to estimate how much compensation could cover non-material damages. (This is compensation for any emotional distress or psychological injuries you have endured.)

The table does not include material damages, which you may also be eligible to receive. Material damages compensate you for financial losses.

Type Of Psychological InjuryDegree Of Injury SeverityDescription Of This InjurySettlement Estimate
Psychiatric Damage (Generally)SevereClaimants could suffer severe issues with all areas of their life. Areas of the person's life which may be affected could include relationships, working life and education.£51,460 - £108,620
Psychiatric Damage (Generally)Moderately severeClaimants could be impacted in similar ways to the category above. However, this will be to a lesser degree and with a better future prognosis.£17,900 - £51,460
Psychiatric Damage (Generally)ModerateClaimants will again be impacted in a similar way to the person above, however the effect on the claimant's relationships, education and work life will be more moderate.£5,500 - £17,900
Psychiatric Damage (Generally)Less severeClaimants would again suffer effects in their relationships, work life and ability to continue in education. This will be to a lesser degree.Up to £5,500
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)SevereClaimants could be left suffering permanent degrees of PTSD and the resulting symptoms.£56,180 - £94,470
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)Moderately severeThis claimant should have a better prognosis than the person above.£21,730 - £56,180
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)ModerateClaimants should already have begun to recover from their injuries. They may still have some degree of psychiatric symptoms.£7,680 - £21,730
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)Less severeClaimants should recover from their injuries within a period of two years.Up to £7,680

The compensation amounts in the table above are based on guidelines from the Judicial College. Solicitors can use figures from these guidelines when they’re valuing injuries.

How much compensation you receive may vary depending on your personal circumstances. For an accurate compensation claims estimate, please call Legal Helpline today to speak to an advisor.

Examples Of Material And Non-Material Damages

What types of compensation can you claim for a potential Travelodge data breach?

Material damages are compensation for any financial losses you have suffered because of the data breach. You can claim material damages compensation if the data breach enabled criminals to steal money from you, for example.

Non-material damages are compensation for any emotional distress that was caused by the data breach. You can claim non-material damages compensation, in the event that you were psychologically injured by the trauma of the data breach. Examples of psychological injuries you could claim compensation for include depression and anxiety.

Reporting A Hotel Chain To The Information Commissioner’s Office

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) could choose to help you if your personal data privacy was breached. The ICO upholds the GDPR in the UK. If a data breach has occurred, they can investigate and may issue them with a fine.

We recommend you first contact Travelodge if you believe that they have breached your personal data privacy. The ICO has a helpful guide on raising concerns with organisations. The business may be able to resolve the matter with you internally.

However, what can you do if, after communicating, you don’t believe that they can help you? Please feel free to report them to the Information Commissioner’s Office. Though remember, you’d have to do this no later than 3 months after your final communication with the organisation. If you do so after 3 months, it could affect the ICO’s decisions.

ICO fines can go into the tens of millions of pounds. For example, Marriott International Inc was recently fined £18.4 million for a data breach.

No Win No Fee Claims For A Data Breach By Travelodge

Legal Helpline believes that everyone deserves equal access to legal representation. Therefore, our panel of solicitors offer the option for you to make a No Win No Fee claim. This means that there is no upfront solicitor’s fee to pay, which can make it a more affordable option for many who choose to use the services of a lawyer.

How do No Win No Fee claims work?

Firstly, you will sign a Conditional Fee Agreement (the formal term for No Win No Fee agreement). This states that you won’t have to pay an upfront or ongoing solicitor’s fee. You will be charged a success fee, but only if your solicitor wins your claim.

If your claim loses, you don’t have to pay any solicitor fees.

You can find out more about making a No WIn No Fee claim. Otherwise, contact Legal Helpline today to discuss these agreements.

How A Data Breach Protection Lawyer Could Help You Make A Claim

If you wish to make a data breach compensation claim, we could help you. If you have evidence of a valid claim, we can connect you with our panel of skilled data breach lawyers.

What are the advantages of working with a lawyer?

  • They can cut through legal jargon and should know the data breach claims process well.
  • They can support you or represent you in the unlikely event that a claim goes to court.
  • The legal legwork is no longer your responsibility.
  • They can accurately value your claim and try to negotiate for the compensation you deserve.

How The Victim Of A Data Breach Could Make A Claim

You may be eligible to claim compensation if you suffer financial loss or mental harm because of a personal data breach. We recommend you first contact the company to see if they can solve the problem.

However, if you are not satisfied with the response from them, we recommend that you contact Legal Helpline. We can advise you about making a data breach claim for compensation. What’s more, we could connect you with our panel of data breach lawyers to handle your compensation claim.

Speak To An Advisor

This guide on what to do following a potential data breach by Travel Lodge aims to give information to help you. If you need anything else, however, speak to a claims advisors. Use the contact details below to get started.

  • Call our claims helpline on 0161 6969 685
  • Contact us online so we can call you back.
  • Chat with us using our Live Support chatbox.

Our panel of lawyers has already helped many claimants get the compensation they deserve. We looking forward to speaking with you.

Hotel Breach FAQs

What is considered a data breach?

A data breach starts with a security breach at an organisation that collects or processes personal data. It leads to the loss, destruction, disclosure, alteration or access of personal information in an accidental or unlawful way.

For example, a security breach at a hotel could involve a ransomware attack. Cyber attackers could gain access to the customer database and hold personbal data to ransom.

How many data breaches were there in 2020?

There were potentially 1,120 cyber attacks and breaches in 2020.

Source: https://www.itgovernance.co.uk/blog/2020-cyber-security-statistics

What are the consequences of a data breach?

If a data breach takes place, the following can happen:

Victims of a data breach may experience emotional distress at having their privacy violated. In extreme cases, the trauma may result in the victim developing a psychological condition such as depression or anxiety.

In addition, victims of data breaches may also experience financial losses. Criminals may pose as the business that was breached and request personal information such as bank account details. They could then use these details to steal from the victim. This process is known as phishing.

Where To Learn More

You may wish to consult these guides if you want to know more about making a data breach claim.

Employer Breach Of The Data Protection Act: What Are My Rights?

Did you know that your employer is legally required to protect your personal data if they hold it or process it? This guide is for employees whose personal data privacy was breached at work.

Superdrug Pharmacy GDPR Data Breach Compensation Claims

If Superdrug Pharmacy has breached your personal data privacy, you may be eligible to claim compensation. Read our pharmacy data breach guide to learn more.

Ibis Hotels GDPR Data Breach Compensation Claims

Have you experienced an Ibis Hotels data breach? Read our hotel business data breach guide to learn more.

Data Protection: Rights For Data Subjects

A Ministry of Defence guide to your rights as a data subject.

Data Protection

An online guide to data protection from the UK Government.

We hope this guide on what to do following a potential data breach by Travelodge is helpful.

Written by HC

Edited by RV