Resorts World Las Vegas, a hotel that is hosting attendees of the DEF CON hacking conference this week, will perform daily inspections of rooms including those displaying a privacy sign, according to a letter from the hotel given to guests. An information security professional posted a photo of the letter online. Members of the cybersecurity community have reacted with a mix of anger and disappointment on social media.
“Welcome, and thank you for choosing Resorts World Las Vegas. We are pleased that you have joined us, as you have chosen to stay with us for relaxation, fun and excitement!” the message, written on hotel letterhead, reads.
“As you may or may not know, a well-known hacking convention will be held in Las Vegas during your stay,” it adds. DEF CON runs from August 8 to 11, with many attendees already in the city for the separate Black Hat cybersecurity conference or other events. “We remain committed to our guests’ safety and understand the utmost importance of cybersecurity, as well.”
The letter then describes what staff at Resorts World Las Vegas will be doing: “In an effort to increase the safety of our guests, we will be conducting scheduled, brief visual and non-intrusive room inspections daily beginning Monday, August 5. Rooms with a privacy sign will be included as part of the inspection process.”
The biggest point of issue, if I were a lawyer, is whether or not these terms were agreed upon (or ‘not’) before or after the point of sale.
I mean yeah if it’s not in the original contract that obv makes it way easier, assuming they didn’t suddenly agree to a second contract mentioning explicitly that.
That is, either terms of the contract can be unenforceable, the whole contract could get voided or the the terms are not in the contract. Any of that means there’s a good chance the hotel is doing illegal things.
And quiet frankly, if I were the hotel I would not try that stuff, and even if I announced this, I wouldn’t follow through.
Way to make your lawyers and bank account work overtime.