COVID-19 may have put barriers between you and your customers, some of which will remain even when they return, but every other aspect of your operation needs to be ready, royalty ready.

Making moments matter

As you know, when you and your team are on stage, every moment counts; everything has to come together perfectly so you can deliver a luxury service. From the moment your guests are welcomed on arrival or enjoy dinner and drinks in your restaurants through to when they slip into their bed at the end of the day, your staff must be fully focussed on delivering that five-star experience. The last thing you want is them juggling payment terminals or trying to explain you don’t take Apple Pay!

That payment moment is a critical part of the overall experience. Get it right and few people notice. Get it wrong, and your guests won’t be going Aaaahhhh they’ll be screaming AAARGH!

What would royalty expect from five star payments?

A digital, contact-free guest experience

From online shopping to home deliveries, and from home entertainment to socialising online, as the world went into lockdown, the rate at which people embraced digital accelerated rapidly.

We’ve seen the benefits and many are here to stay. As guests carefully move back to ’normality’, they want to enjoy what digital offers – speed, safety and convenience – in the physical environment.

Forward-thinking hoteliers and partners are building a seamless omnichannel experience into the overall guest experience. For example, the introduction of guest room tablets offers a convenient, one-stop concierge service that guests can manage on their own.

Payments services are going digital too, with hotels using them to enhance the experience at every stage of the journey from check-in to check-out.

Innovations such as contact-free self-check-in options on the guest’s device before arrival, in-room apps, self-check-in kiosks, and keyless entry with the room key sent to your guest’s device - all help deliver that five-star feeling.

Offering guests express check-out is another way to provide this. It gives guests the flexibility to leave the hotel at their leisure, while their payment is automatically processed securely, and queues are reduced in the hotel reception.

Increasing demand for contactless payment methods

With the need to ensure safety and sanity, contact–free payment methods are the way to go as we emerge from the pandemic.

Right across the world, people are moving to contactless and digital wallet payments, all processed on the latest payment devices. Leading hoteliers are accepting alternative forms of payment, for example Alipay and WeChat Pay, to better serve Chinese customers.

There’s a plethora of choices with the constant stream of new payment methods. It’s a race to keep up. Fortunately, the payments industry is able to help hoteliers stay one step ahead of the curve, offering them the ability to match the payment methods accepted to the ever changing needs and preferences of guests.

This gives guests the confidence to spend freely during their stay. And it ensures the five-star, red carpet treatment extends to the choice of payment method too.

Automating processes allows staff to focus 100% on your guests

One of the challenges facing luxury hotels is in having to deal with time-consuming, fragmented processes at key moments like check-in and check-out. Added to which is the need to ensure the best health, safety and sanitation measures.

So, make automation a priority when looking at how best to deliver a brilliant service post-pandemic and embrace a fully personalised payments service that works across every channel and all transactions.

With the focus on costs, it’s also an efficient and accurate way to manage hotel operations.

Delivering that Aaaahhhh five-star moment of experience

The needs and expectations of guests have changed considerably over the last 12 months – with speed, safety and convenience now all top of the agenda for a luxury physical experience.

Payments services have also evolved and form an important element in crowning their stay with delight.