[Important] Regarding the distribution of messages that lead to phishing sites (Follow-up report)
Last updated:2026.03.25
Thank you for your continued patronage of Hotel Granbach Kyoto Select.
We have received inquiries from some customers who made reservations at Hotel Granbach Kyoto Select (hereinafter referred to as "the Hotel") using Expedia.com and its group sites (hereinafter referred to as "Expedia.com"), etc., regarding phishing messages being sent via the messaging app "WhatsApp" by an external third party.
We sincerely apologize for the great inconvenience and worry this has caused our customers.
We would like to report the results of our subsequent investigation as follows.
■ Survey results
Our investigation revealed that a phishing email received by one of our employees led to a third party illegally obtaining authentication information in our hotel's name for the reservation management screen provided by Expedia.com, and accessing that screen.
Furthermore, we have received reports (as of the date of publication) of a customer who used our hotel receiving a phishing message via WhatsApp and subsequently entering their card information, resulting in payment fraud.
■Scope of personal information accessed illegally
Upon checking with Expedia, it was confirmed that the unauthorized access included the names, phone numbers, and stay dates of some customers who made hotel reservations through Expedia between February 21, 2026, and January 31, 2027 (credit card information was not accessed).
■ Measures to prevent further damage
Following the discovery of the incident, Expedia promptly took measures such as blocking access. Furthermore, Expedia has sent a warning message via WhatsApp to customers whose personal information may have been accessed without authorization.
■ Measures to prevent recurrence
We take this matter very seriously and will implement the following measures to prevent recurrence.
- Review of security measures in integration with external reservation systems
- Strengthening account management system
- Continued implementation of security training for employees
- Strengthening operations, including multi-factor authentication.
We sincerely apologize to our customers and all those involved for any concern caused by this incident.
We will continue to work with external system providers to maintain a secure operational system.
When we contact you regarding your reservation, we will not contact you via social media or WhatsApp.
If you receive a suspicious message, please be careful not to click on any URL links within the message.
If you receive a message like the one above regarding a reservation with this hotel, please contact the following office.
[Customer reservation inquiries]
Hotel GrandBach Kyoto Select
Phone Number 075-221-2211
Email Address info-kyoto@grandbach.co.jp
[Contact point for inquiries regarding the handling of personal information from customers]
Green Hospitality Management Co., Ltd. (GB Division)
Email Address hotel@greenhouse.co.jp