Can hotels survive without automatic payment processing?

The vast majority of hotels don’t use automatic payment processing, but the ones that do have a big head start on their competitors. Now that the acquisition and processing of credit card data have been restricted by European legislation, everyone is looking for a viable solution. We offer that solution with SmartCONNECT for Payment. This service also offers hoteliers additional advantages, from improved cash flow to increased efficiency.

With SmartCONNECT for Payment, payments from hotel guests can be handled quickly, safely, and pleasantly. With a single click, the payment service provider automatically charges both online and offline bookings. Payments are also immediately registered in the hotel's Property Management System. You don’t even need to use our

Smart Channel Manager: this service works on any Property Management System.

Guaranteed turnover

Besides the convenience that automatic payment processing provides, it also improves cash flow. You can choose to tax payments and deposits directly at the time of booking. This way, you’ll have guaranteed turnover. One of many hoteliers’ greatest annoyances is the so-called 'no-show' guest. You'll end up having to turn down guests who would like to book a room, while other guests don’t even show up. Being able to collect the full payment even when a guest doesn’t show goes a long way towards alleviating this problem.

The payment service provider processes this automatically. SmartHOTEL has a strategic partnership with Adyen, a reliable Dutch party with a worldwide payment platform.

Frictionless payment

The transaction overview is linked to the reservation that is already in the hotel management system. The receptionist can immediately see whether the guest has paid the deposit or the full amount. For the hotel guest, this results in a frictionless transaction.

We’ve taken this even further. If, for example, a credit card is expired or has an insufficient balance, we have an alternative to fall back on. The system can easily send out an email with a payment link, which enables the guest to guarantee the booking with an alternative payment method on the spot. This can also be automated: the sending of an email with a payment link can be set up according to a set of rules, so it doesn’t have to be done manually.

Save time and make better use of your staff

The smart automation of administrative actions saves time. For a start, the credit card details no longer have to be registered and verified again at check-in. Since payment processing - whether for a deposit or the full amount - has already been initiated at the time of booking/reservation, the receptionist can quickly complete the transaction when the guest checks in.

Everyone in the hotel industry has experienced difficulties in finding staff. This makes it all the more important to deploy employees where they are most needed. Typing and copying out data that is already available digitally, is not a valuable way to spend their time. You'll also avoid the hassle of typos that are discovered later on. Give your colleagues the time they need to make the guests' stay as pleasant as possible!

Never forget an activation date again

Another advantage of this system is that you’ll have a solution to meet the stricter requirements for processing credit card data and owner identification. These have been introduced by the European Union on 1 January 2021 with the PSD2 Directive and are causing many a headache for hotel owners.

More and more payment/pin terminals no longer accept the manual entry of card numbers. The ‘card not present’ method is therefore disappearing from the terminals, and automation is the only way to tax the virtual credit cards that booking sites issue. The system immediately takes into account the activation date that the OTA has assigned to the booking - which is usually the arrival or departure date. This way, the card can be charged on the correct day.

Without automatic payment processing, the hotelier will have to remember all of this themselves. Should you forget, you’ll have to go through a lot of trouble to get your money afterwards.

Improved guest journey

Guests are also enthusiastic about automatic payment processing. They find the guest journey more pleasant because there are fewer steps they need to take. And thanks to the greater choice of payment methods, there is always one that is familiar and comfortable for them. In addition, they can check-in and out more quickly at the reception, because the paperwork from the past is gone.

If the guest unexpectedly cancels but has already paid in advance, it would be nice to have an automatic refund. Not just for the guest, but also for you as a hotelier.

Want to know more about how your hotel can easily benefit from automated payment processing? Feel free to call or email: 0650909831 and derreck@smarthotel.nl. Or book an appointment via this link.

About SmartHOTEL 

For more than 16 years, SmartHOTEL has been helping hoteliers navigate the exciting world of online distribution. From our office based in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, our team serves independent hotels, hostels and chains worldwide by providing channel management and tailored online distribution solutions. A lot has changed over the last few years, but our goal remains the same: simply connect hotels to the world. For any questions regarding our services, please contact us at sales@smarthotel.nl or call +31 (0)182 75 11 18.