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In a business environment shaped by digital transformation, cybercrime, operational disruption and rising customer expectations, organisations must demonstrate that they can protect information, maintain critical services and respond effectively when incidents occur. International standards provide recognised frameworks through which organisations can manage these responsibilities systematically.
What is ISO?
ISO – the International Organisation for Standardization – is an independent, non-governmental international organisation that brings together experts from around the world to develop agreed ways of doing things. Its standards cover areas ranging from quality, food safety and environmental management to information security, artificial intelligence and business continuity.
ISO standards translate international expertise into practical requirements, guidelines and good practices. They help organisations establish consistent processes, manage risks, measure performance and continually improve the way they operate. They can be applied by organisations of different sizes and across public, private and non-profit sectors.
Management-system standards do not merely assess the quality of a final product or service. They examine how an organisation is managed: how responsibilities are assigned, how risks are identified, how processes are controlled, how performance is monitored and how improvements are implemented.
Certification is also distinct from the development of a standard. ISO develops and publishes standards, but it does not certify organisations. Certification is conducted by an independent certification body, which audits an organisation to determine whether its management system conforms to the relevant standard. Organisations may implement an ISO standard without seeking certification, although independent certification provides additional assurance to customers, employees, investors and other stakeholders.
Information Security Management System ISO/IEC 27001: Protecting information in a digital world
The Information Security Management System – ISO/IEC 27001:2022 is jointly published by ISO and the International Electrotechnical Commission, which is why “ISO/IEC” appears in its official name.
ISO/IEC 27001 specifies the requirements for establishing, implementing, maintaining and continually improving an Information Security Management System, commonly known as an ISMS. Its purpose is to help an organisation protect the information entrusted to it by customers, employees, suppliers and other stakeholders.
Information security extends beyond computers and technical systems. It includes information held electronically, printed documents, employee and customer records, payment information, intellectual property, passwords, contracts, operational data and knowledge held by employees.
The standard is built around three fundamental principles:
Confidentiality: Information is accessible only to authorised people.
Integrity: Information remains accurate, complete and protected against unauthorised alteration.
Availability: Information and systems are accessible when authorised users require them.
ISO/IEC 27001 requires an organisation to understand its information-security context, identify information assets, assess threats and vulnerabilities, and introduce controls that are appropriate to its particular risks. These controls may include access management, password and authentication requirements, data backup, incident response, supplier security, employee awareness, physical security and protection against malware or unauthorised access.
The standard follows a risk-based approach. It does not assume that every organisation faces identical threats or must adopt exactly the same controls. Each organisation must assess its operating environment, determine the information risks that could affect its objectives and implement proportionate measures.
For a hospitality organisation, information security is particularly important because hotels manage extensive guest, employee and commercial information. Reservation platforms, payment systems, loyalty programmes, Wi-Fi networks, mobile applications, supplier databases and conferencing systems all depend on the secure handling and availability of information.
Certification to ISO/IEC 27001 provides assurance that information security is being managed through a structured system rather than through isolated technology initiatives. It demonstrates a commitment to identifying cyber and information risks, assigning accountability, training employees, managing incidents and continually improving security controls.
It is important to understand that certification does not mean an organisation will never experience a cyberattack or information-security incident. It means the organisation has established a recognised system for understanding its risks, reducing the likelihood and potential impact of incidents, and responding appropriately when they occur.
Business Continuity Management System ISO 22301: Maintaining operations through disruption
ISO 22301:2019 is the international standard for Business Continuity Management Systems. It provides a framework through which organisations can prepare for disruptive incidents, reduce their impact and recover critical operations within planned timeframes. Disruption can arise from many sources, including power and water interruptions, technology failures, cyberattacks, extreme weather, fire, disease outbreaks, supply-chain failures, equipment breakdowns or the loss of access to essential facilities. Business continuity is, therefore, broader than emergency response. Emergency procedures focus primarily on immediate safety and incident control. Business continuity considers how the organisation will continue delivering its most important products and services during and after the disruption.
ISO 22301 requires an organisation to identify its critical activities and understand the consequences if they become unavailable. This process, commonly supported by a business impact analysis and risk assessment, helps management determine priorities for recovery.
An effective Business Continuity Management System may address:
Critical operations that must be restored first
Acceptable periods of interruption
Alternative facilities, equipment and suppliers
Backup power, communications and technology
Roles and decision-making responsibilities during a crisis
Communication with employees, customers and stakeholders
Recovery procedures for systems and operational processes
Training, simulations and testing of continuity arrangements
Reviews and improvements following exercises or actual incidents
Within hospitality, business continuity is essential because guests expect accommodation, safety, communication and essential services to remain dependable. A disruption to electricity, water, reservations, payment systems, food supplies or communications can quickly affect guest welfare, service delivery and organisational reputation.
ISO 22301 helps an organisation move from reacting to emergencies as they arise to preparing for disruption systematically. The standard requires plans to be documented, communicated, exercised, reviewed and continually improved. A continuity plan that has never been tested may not work as expected when a real incident occurs.
Certification demonstrates that the organisation has established a structured approach to resilience and recovery. ISO 22301 provides confidence that the organisation has identified its critical services and prepared measures to protect and restore them.
RTG’s certification to ISO 22301:2019 provides stakeholders with assurance that business continuity is being managed systematically and independently assessed. It does not promise uninterrupted service under every conceivable condition. Rather, it demonstrates that the Group has established a framework to understand disruption risk, prepare response and recovery arrangements, exercise those arrangements and improve them. That distinction matters. Resilience is not the denial of disruption; it is the capacity to navigate disruption with foresight and discipline.
For guests, continuity is experienced through care, clarity and competence. It may be the ability to confirm a booking through another channel, provide essential services during an outage, protect a conference programme, communicate an operational change or recover a system without losing critical information. For employees, it means having defined roles and tested procedures. For partners and investors, it means greater confidence in the organisation’s capacity to protect commitments and value. By designing continuity into operations, RTG strengthens the promise at the heart of hospitality: that people will be looked after, particularly when circumstances are difficult.
Preparedness also supports faster, better-informed decisions. When priorities, authority and alternatives have already been discussed, leaders can spend less time establishing basic facts and more time adapting the response to the event. That institutional readiness protects scarce time at the moment it is most valuable and helps the organisation move from uncertainty towards coordinated recovery.
Two complementary standards
ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO 22301 address different but closely connected risks. ISO/IEC 27001 focuses on protecting the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information. ISO 22301 focuses on maintaining and recovering critical business operations during disruption.
A cyberattack illustrates their relationship. ISO/IEC 27001 helps an organisation reduce the likelihood of an attack, protect information and manage the security incident. ISO 22301 helps it continue or restore essential services if the attack disrupts reservations, communications, payments or other critical operations.
Both standards encourage leadership involvement, risk-based planning, clear responsibilities, documented processes, employee awareness, performance monitoring, internal audits and continual improvement. Their compatible management-system structures allow them to be integrated with other standards, including ISO 9001 for quality management.
