Shift from Legacy Defenses to Future-Proof Security

Overview

Rotana is one of the region’s leading hospitality companies, founded in Abu Dhabi in 1992. It manages a portfolio of over 116 properties in operation and under development across the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe, and Türkiye. Known for its commitment to quality and guest satisfaction, Rotana operates six distinct brands: Rotana Hotels & Resorts, Centro Hotels, Rayhaan Hotels & Resorts, Arjaan Hotel Apartments, Edge by Rotana, and The Residences by Rotana.

Our Solution

Harmony Email & Collaboration

As a member of the Global Hotel Alliance (GHA), Rotana is part of the GHA DISCOVERY loyalty program—one of the world’s largest for independent hotel brands—offering guests exclusive benefits at more than 900 hotels in nearly 100 countries. With its brand promise of ‘Treasured Time’, Rotana continues to expand its presence across key markets while delivering trusted hospitality experiences.

Our Harmony Email & Collaboration deployment went very smoothly. We received strong support from Check Point and experienced seamless technical implementation. We ran Harmony Email & Collaboration in parallel with existing systems for about a month to ensure a seamless transition.

Biju Dharmaraj Corporate Director of Information Security & Compliance at Rotana

Challenge

Facing rapidly evolving cyber security threats that increasingly target the hospitality industry, rising regulatory demands, operational complexity, and a need to transform itself digitally, Rotana Hotel Management Corporation wanted to find more effective ways to secure itself against attacks and maintain regulatory compliance without disrupting worker productivity.

Rotana found itself targeted daily by exploits and phishing attacks, carried out by threat actors hoping to extract valuable guest data and disrupt critical business operations through ransomware extortions. To succeed, the IT security team needed to overcome several security pain points.

As threat actors craft sophisticated phishing campaigns tailored to exploit hospitality staff, Rotana noticed that phishing attempts were not only more frequent but also increasingly nuanced and compelling. Attackers even impersonated guests and partners, making phishing attacks harder to detect.

Rotana’s legacy email security defenses began to fall behind in their ability to defend against modern threats, causing inefficiencies in security incident management, routine security tasks, and increasing manual interventions.

The team faced a rapidly evolving compliance landscape, including regional Middle Eastern standards. They needed security frameworks and tools to enable auditable security controls and operations as they expanded.

Ultimately, Rotana began searching for a comprehensive email and collaboration platform.

Solution

After a thorough evaluation and a proof-of-concept comparison, Rotana selected Harmony Email & Collaboration, covering over 4,000 seats across the organization. Dharmaraj reported strong support from Check Point and a smooth technical implementation during the rollout.

Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies were implemented to restrict sharing of critical information, strengthening compliance. Integration with SharePoint secured both communication and collaboration channels.

Management improvements allowed users to resolve common issues independently, reducing the need for IT intervention. The team conducted awareness campaigns to educate users on the benefits of the new system.

The organization explored AI-driven security tools for enhanced infrastructure security and operational integration, aiming to leverage AI for security effectiveness and efficiency.

Outcome

Post-deployment, Rotana observed a drastic drop in phishing incidents, blocking approximately 50% more unwanted emails. The enhanced inbox hygiene significantly improved overall security posture. The streamlined ticketing process reduced manual work and improved team morale.

The compliance posture improved due to DLP enforcement and trackable approval workflows for externally published material, facilitating easier compliance with GDPR and related regulations.

User training and ease of use of Harmony Email & Collaboration led to positive feedback from frontline staff. Employees became active participants in the organization’s defense. The solution positioned Rotana better for ongoing digital transformation and future innovations in AI-driven security.

Rotana’s journey illustrates the importance of a holistic, user-centric, and forward-looking approach to cybersecurity in the hospitality industry, demonstrating measurable risk reduction and operational improvements.