Overview
Resorts often want to understand guest behavior and spending patterns across lodging, retail, and food & beverage outlets. A common question is whether customer information can be pulled directly from credit card transactions.
The short answer: No. Due to PCI-DSS compliance and privacy regulations (GDPR, CCPA, etc.), resorts cannot obtain personal guest information directly from credit card swipes. Payment processors only share limited data (amount, date, time, and last 4 digits of the card number).
However, there are compliant alternatives to connect food & beverage spend with guest identities.
Recommended Approaches
1. Charge to Room
Guests staying at the resort can charge restaurant/cafeteria purchases to their room.
These transactions automatically tie to the guest’s reservation record (which includes name, contact info, loyalty ID).
2. Loyalty & Membership Programs
Create or expand a resort loyalty program tied to lift passes, apps, or keycards.
Guests earn points or rewards when they scan their pass or app during food & beverage purchases.
This builds a direct first-party link between transactions and guest profiles.
3. POS & CDP Integration
Integrate restaurant POS systems (e.g., Micros, Lightspeed, Toast) with your Customer Data Platform (CDP).
When a guest identifies themselves (via pass, loyalty ID, or room charge), their purchase data flows into their profile.
This provides a single view of spend across lodging, retail, and dining.
4. Email & Phone Collection at Checkout
Offer guests the option of an emailed receipt or SMS loyalty points.
Collecting contact information at checkout enables ongoing engagement.
Example incentive: “Earn 10 bonus points when you provide your email for a digital receipt.”
5. RFID / Cashless Payment Systems
Implement RFID-enabled ski passes, wristbands, or reloadable gift cards.
Guests preload funds or link them to a credit card.
Each use ties the spend directly to their registered profile.
What Not to Do
Do not attempt to buy or enrich credit card data from third-party providers without legal approval.
Do not store full credit card details locally (PCI-DSS violation).
Do not assume card usage alone will give you guest identities—it will not.
Summary
Direct guest identity cannot be obtained from credit card data.
Resorts should instead link transactions through room charges, loyalty programs, POS/CDP integrations, or RFID-based passes.
These methods are compliant, secure, and create valuable guest insights without violating privacy rules.
