Marriott Appoints Daniel Dubowski as Global CISO

Marriott International appointed Daniel Dubowski as senior vice president and chief information security officer, succeeding Arno Van Der Walt. Dubowski joins from Hertz to direct enterprise-wide information security and resilience programs, reporting directly to Marriott Chief Information Officer Naveen Manga as the hotel giant advances its multiyear technology transformation [[1], [2]].

Who is Daniel Dubowski and what is his background?

Daniel Dubowski joins Marriott International after serving as chief information security officer at car rental operator Hertz [[1], [2]]. According to Marriott Chief Information Officer Naveen Manga on LinkedIn, Dubowski brings a background in leading cybersecurity and risk management programs across several fields, including travel, hospitality, financial services, and healthcare [[1], [2]]. A company spokesperson confirmed the appointment directly to Hotel Dive [2].

Dubowski succeeds Arno Van Der Walt in the global leadership post [[1], [2]]. While a Marriott spokesperson declined to provide Hotel Dive with a detailed list of his specific day-to-day duties, Manga confirmed that Dubowski will focus on strengthening trust, operational resilience, and enterprise security [2].

How does the CISO appointment fit into Marriott's tech strategy?

Dubowski steps into the CISO seat as Marriott progresses through a multiyear digital modernization program [2]. As Asian Hospitality reported, Dubowski will help reinforce digital defenses while the global lodging company integrates new digital systems across corporate units and franchised properties [1].

Manga noted that Dubowski will work alongside leadership to ensure the enterprise embeds security by design and trust by design principles into all emerging systems [[1], [2]]. The company aims to protect enterprise data assets as it deploys cloud platforms, operational automation, and customer-facing machine learning tools [[1], [2]].

What digital and AI tools is Marriott currently testing?

Marriott is actively deploying artificial intelligence tools to enhance guest interactions while supporting hotel owners and on-property associates, Manga shared during an industry virtual event in May [2]. In June, the lodging group introduced Ask Bonvoy, a conversational search tool powered by AI that assists travelers in discovering destinations across the global brand portfolio [1].

The Ask Bonvoy conversational feature entered its initial beta rollout in U.S. English on marriott.com as well as the Marriott Bonvoy mobile apps for Apple iOS and Android devices, available to selected loyalty members [1]. Alongside guest-facing conversational search, Marriott is running operational automation trials inside properties to streamline associate workflows [[1], [2]].

What are the priorities for hotel security leaders?

Hospitality security leaders face expanding responsibilities as hotel brands integrate artificial intelligence and conversational booking engines directly into guest channels [[1], [2]]. Ensuring data privacy and infrastructure resilience remains central as hotel operators test internal automation to assist property teams and franchise owners [2]. Under Manga and Dubowski, Marriott plans to maintain trust and security architecture at the core of all new system implementations across its portfolio [[1], [2]].