Merchant Link, MICROS Extend Tokenization to Property Management

TransactionVault for OPERA PMS, available during the fourth quarter of 2009 to hotels that install or upgrade to version 5.0.2.0 of MICROS OPERA, will protect hotels from credit card breaches, improve the security of their guest data, and help them more cost-effectively achieve and maintain Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI-DSS) compliance.

The system replaces guest credit card numbers with unique "TransactionVault Keys" which can be used for all transactions and customer analytics, removes the actual credit card information, and safeguards it at one of Merchant Link's secure data centers.

Merchant Link has successfully implemented TransactionVault throughout the restaurant industry for more than two years, processing an average of 60 million transactions each month at more than 11,000 merchant locations.

With TransactionVault for OPERA PMS, Merchant Link has customized TransactionVault to meet the hospitality industry's unique needs, introducing the next generation of tokenization by replacing each card number with a unique key. "TransactionVault Keys" distinguish themselves from other token solutions by remaining associated with the card so they can be tracked for all guest transactions, and used for folios, customer analytics, and marketing purposes - all while safeguarding guests' actual credit card information.

The innovative TransactionVault for OPERA PMS "card to key" relationship means that hotels within the same corporate or chain structure will receive from Merchant Link the same "key" for each guest's credit card, regardless of when, where, or how often the card is used.

"We salute MICROS for working with us on this solution, which we believe will fundamentally change the landscape in terms of the security of hotel property management systems," said Merchant Link Chief Technology Officer Dan Lane. "More importantly, the solution will help make it easier and much less expensive for hotels to achieve PCI compliance, and allow them to rest a bit easier knowing they are doing the utmost to protect the personal financial data of their guests."

Lane added that maintaining the security of credit card numbers in the lodging world has been significantly more challenging than in a restaurant or traditional retail environment, principally because hotels must retain guest credit card information for a much longer durations. The period from the time a guest makes a reservation until check-out can often be measured in months. Hotels also accept payments by credit card for advance deposits, retain customer credit card information as a convenience to loyal and frequent guests, and analyze card usage patterns for purposes of marketing and guest relations.