Yes, you heard me right. 

Not AI, not high-speed internet, or any other technology for that matter. And, I cannot possibly emphasize enough the importance of cashless payments for hotels and restaurants. 

Well, to understand this let me take you to an incident that happened to me a year ago. 

I was travelling to Bangalore from Kolkata with my dog and a load of luggage. It was a long tiring train journey, and all I could think of was checking into my cozy hotel room to unwind. 

As I arrived at the hotel reception, eager to complete the check-in process swiftly, I realized that the only accepted mode of payment was cash.

Nowadays, everyone— like everyone— accepts cashless payments, and carrying cash has been out of the picture for a while. Still, I was hoping to have some amount of cash. Unfortunately, I didn’t, and what should have been a smooth check-in turned into a hassle to find an ATM, with all the luggage, my dog, and two days of train journey on me.  

This scenario is all too familiar for many travelers, and it highlights the limitations and inconveniences associated with cash transactions in hotels. 

But imagine an alternate scenario where the hotel embraces modern technology with a payment processing solution. Here the check-in process would become a breeze, allowing me to focus on the excitement of the stay rather than the hassle of handling physical currency.

Now, as a hotelier or restaurant owner, you must be thinking, ‘We know it can be hassle-free, but the complicacies are way too much!” 

Well, NO!

Setting up a hotel payment processing solution is child’s play and before getting into that let me explain the what, why, and how of it. 

The What: Understanding Hotel Payment Processing Solutions

Payment processing solutions are essential tools in the hospitality industry designed to streamline electronic transactions. They securely capture and transmit payment information, facilitating seamless processes at various touchpoints such as check-in desks, restaurants, and mobile service areas. 

These are deployed as terminals at hotel front desks, restaurants, and other service points. POS terminals securely process and accept UPI payments, net banking, and credit and debit card payments ensuring a swift and hassle-free experience for both guests and staff. 

They serve as the digital bridge between connecting guests and businesses, offering convenience through efficient and secure payment methods. It’s generally of three types- a payment terminal, a mobile card reader, and online payment solutions.

Payment processing solutions can be integrated with your existing systems too, like your hotel PMS, channel manager, booking engine, or restaurant POS. This integration streamlines your payments and keeps records and reports up to date. 

The Why: Importance of Payment Processing Solutions in Hotels

Payment processing solutions bring forward a plethora of benefits for hotels that extend far beyond mere financial transactions, like–

• Enhanced Guest Experience: 

Hotel payment processing solutions significantly enhance the guest experience in hotels by providing unparalleled convenience. Guests can choose from various payment options, such as credit and debit cards, eliminating the need for carrying large amounts of cash and ensuring a stress-free stay. 

The versatility of these terminals not only caters to guest preferences but also makes the check-in and check-out processes easier. 

This efficiency meets the need for speed and also enhances overall guest satisfaction, marking a pivotal shift in the way hotels provide seamless and customer-centric services.

• Increased Security:

Payment solutions offer high security in transactions with advanced technologies, such as EMV chips, providing an additional layer of protection for credit and debit card transactions. 

Plus, they comply with industry-leading standards like PCI DSS and ISO 27001. Having a secured payment processing terminal prioritizes your privacy and keeps guests’ sensitive information safe.

• Time-Saving:

With hotel payment processing solutions, guests experience a streamlined process, eliminating the need for time-consuming cash transactions. 

The flexibility of electronic payments, such as credit and debit cards, accelerates the check-in and check-out procedures, reducing waiting times at reception desks. This not only saves time but also enhances the overall guest experience. 

Hotel staff benefits as well, as the automated nature of hotel payment software reduces manual handling, allowing them to focus on providing attentive service rather than dealing with the complexities of cash transactions.

• Streamlined Financial Operations:

Payment processing solutions can be integrated with hotel management systems, creating a centralized hub for financial data. By doing so, they eliminate isolated data compartments and provide a comprehensive view of the hotel’s financial landscape. 

This integration facilitates quick and accurate reporting and enables hoteliers to make informed decisions based on real-time analytics. 

The automated transactions processed by these terminals significantly reduce the risk of errors associated with manual cash handling, ensuring precise accounting records. As a result, they enhance the overall financial efficiency of hotels and contribute to a transparent and well-organized financial operation.

• Enhanced Reporting and Analytics:

A comprehensive and modern hotel payment processing solution offers enhanced reporting and analytics of your business. 

These terminals provide a robust platform for generating insightful reports, allowing hoteliers to gain a deep understanding of transaction trends, peak periods, and revenue streams. 

By leveraging real-time transaction data, hoteliers can make informed decisions to optimize operations and enhance the overall guest experience. They help hotels to stay ahead of the curve, responding dynamically to the ever-evolving demands of the hospitality industry.

The How: How Hotel Payment Processing Solutions Work

Now that you know what a payment processing solution or terminal is and what benefits it brings to hotels and restaurants, let us understand how it works. 

Let me break down how a typical payment processing terminal works. Here’s the step-by-step process –

Initiation of Payment Process: When a guest intends to settle charges for a hotel stay or dining experience, a payment process is triggered.

Secure Communication with Bank: The Payment Processing Terminal securely establishes communication with the designated bank or payment intermediary.

Encryption for Enhanced Security: Employing advanced encryption methods, the terminal transforms payment information into secure codes, akin to a confidential language.

Authorization Request to the Bank: Then the terminal transmits these coded payment details to the bank, seeking authorization to proceed with the transaction.

Verification of Sufficient Funds: The bank conducts a thorough examination to ensure the guest possesses sufficient funds. Upon favorable verification, it provides approval to the terminal.

Execution of Payment and Record Update: Following approval, it executes the payment transaction, simultaneously updating the hotel’s records to reflect the successful completion of the guest’s payment.

Guest Notification and Receipt Generation: The terminal promptly notifies the guest of the completed payment and concurrently generates a detailed receipt containing all relevant transaction information.

Considerations for Choosing Hotel Payment Processing Solutions

Now comes the million-dollar question— what should you consider before choosing a payment processing terminal for your property? With countless options available in the market, making the right choice can be tricky. 

So I will make it easy for you. Here’s what you need to keep in mind before making your purchase–

• Do Not Compromise with Security: Prioritize terminals with robust security features, including encryption standards like SSL/TLS and advanced tokenization. Remember ensuring data protection is paramount for maintaining guest trust.
• Compatibility and Integration: Evaluate terminals that seamlessly integrate with existing hotel systems, such as Property Management Systems (PMS) and Channel Manager. Compatibility ensures a smooth flow of data and avoids operational disruptions.
• Payment Options: Consider terminals that offer a variety of payment options, including credit cards, debit cards, and emerging contactless methods. Providing flexibility in payment choices enhances the convenience for guests.
• User-Friendly Interface: Opt for terminals with intuitive and user-friendly interfaces. A simple design not only enhances the guest experience but also minimizes training requirements for staff, promoting operational efficiency.
• Reporting and Analytics: Look for terminals that offer robust reporting and analytics capabilities. Comprehensive insights into transaction trends, peak periods, and revenue streams empower hoteliers to make informed business decisions.
• Customer Support and Training: Assess the level of customer support provided by the terminal provider. A responsive support system, coupled with training resources, ensures that hotel staff can effectively troubleshoot issues and maximize the potential of the payment system.
• Meets Your Budget: Last but not least, evaluate the total cost of ownership, including setup fees, transaction charges, and ongoing maintenance costs. Understanding the financial implications helps in selecting a solution that meets your budget.

The Newest and Modern Payment Processing Solution: eZee Pay

Today the global hospitality tech market is flooded with countless hotel payment processing terminals and solutions that claim a lot of biggies, but most of them fail when it comes to services. 

In this scenario, it can be often tricky to choose a terminal that meets all the above considerations and meets your purpose. 

While I was researching for my blog, I came across eZee Pay Payment Solution which not only meets the criteria but also has years of industry expertise backing it. 

And I would recommend it to everyone. 

eZee Pay is a comprehensive system that is budget-friendly and tailored for hotels and restaurants to effortlessly manage payments. Unlike most terminals available, eZee Pay Payment Terminal meets industry-standard security requirements, automates transactions, and provides business insights that can help you track business progress.

The best part that I personally loved about eZee Pay is the simplified payment processes and saving hours of time. All you need to do is tap, scan, or swipe, based on your guests’ preferred mode of payment. And it’s done! No more crunching numbers, dealing with cash, or juggling with change.

Plus, you get round-the-clock support. 

Simply put, eZee Pay is your ultimate choice for payment processing terminals. It’s easy to use, supports integrations, fits your budget, and is designed by the industry’s best.

The post Paying The Way Forward: A Comprehensive Look at Hotel Payment Processing Solution appeared first on eZee Absolute.

While you can’t read every customer’s mind, by leveraging the right data and technology, you can anticipate and possibly exceed the possibilities for them through hyper-personalization marketing.

To put it simply, hyper-personalized marketing for hotels involves delivering highly tailored and individualized experiences to customers and goes beyond traditional personalization techniques.

Sounds complicated? Let me break it down for you.

What is Hyper-Personalization Marketing & How Does it Work?

Hyper-personalization, just like personalized marketing, takes into account a wide range of customer data, such as demographics, past purchase behavior, browsing history, social media interactions, and other relevant information. 

Its function depends on tools, including customer relationship management (CRM) systems, data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and automation. 

These enable companies to collect, analyze, and interpret vast amounts of customer data, identify patterns and preferences, and automate the delivery of personalized messages and offers. 

This data can be further used to gain insights into individual preferences, needs, and interests, resulting in highly targeted marketing campaigns and offers.

How Can Hotels Use Hyper-Personalization Marketing?

Just like every other business, the hospitality industry can make use of hyper-personalization marketing, and that too effortlessly because we have so much data lying around!

According to a study by McKinsey, 76% of customers will buy from a brand that personalizes their marketing communications and 78% will repeat their purchase. 

This means hyper-personalizing your campaigns has higher chance of success. 

Here’s an example to help you understand better—

A traveller, looking for a pet-friendly property on a weekend. He browses online, every day, at a particular time (between 12:30 to 1 PM) but is unable to make a decision.

This goes on for the next 3 to 4 days. You see a pattern and boom, that’s your opportunity for hyper-personalization marketing! 

If your hotel is set up with hyper-personalization apps, such algorithms help track and analyze your guests’ data and create custom campaigns such as pop-up messages or discounts.

But remember, you cannot send the same message or marketing campaign to all your visitors or potential customers. Frankly speaking, that will be a great waste of your time and resources. 

To do it correctly you can send message campaigns according to specific triggers set up on your CRM. 

8 Hyper-Personalized Audiences & Campaigns to Increase Your Revenue

You can choose automated campaigns for Hyper-personalized marketing at your hotel. Automated campaigns are now very easy to send through CRMs once you have cracked down your audience list. Let me show you how.

High vs. Low Spenders

The first set of your audience list is the high & low spenders. You can create it with the data based on the amount of money your visitors are spending on their stay. Based on it, you can evaluate and create two campaigns— one for high spenders and one for low spenders. 

For the high spenders, you can showcase expensive amenities like massage, spa, or sports activities, and for the low spenders, you can focus on essential services like room service, laundry, and so on.

Campaign

To start with the campaign, you first need to note down the amount of expenditure both audiences are willing to pay. Then figure out the services that fall under both budgets. Depending on it, create email or WhatsApp campaigns with special offers that will meet their budget and preferences. 

You can also curate special services depending on the audience visiting your hotel. For example, if you have a massage parlor then you can sell regular massages at Rs 1200/- and offer premium massage packages to the high spenders for Rs 2,500/-.

First-Timers vs. Returners

Your first set of audiences is quite different from each other. It is crucial that you find unique ways to impress them both as this will consolidate your future relationship with the guest. First-timers need to know everything about your property and what to expect as they are visiting you for the first time, and it is just the opposite with the returners. 

Not sounding relevant, eh? Well, it is. Hear me.

The guests returning to your property are already impressed with you because of the experience they had the first time when they stayed at your hotel. 

But that’s not the case for the first-timers. You need to prove yourself and satisfy them with your services. This is relevant for the campaigns you design for both these segments.

Campaign

For the first-timers, your campaign should portray all the necessary information they need to get around your hotel. This includes all the amenities you provide and services they can get at your property. You can share a video of your hotel that showcases what their stay looks like or maybe a tour guide.

But for the returners, as they have already stayed at your property, you don’t need to introduce your services or amenities. Instead, you can focus on optimizing the products that you know they liked during their previous stay. All you need to do is enhance their experience so that they stay impressed. 

Regulars

Regular guests are the ones who come to your hotel more frequently than others and know you better. Building strong relationships with regular guests is vital for long-term success. They know how your products and services are, what to expect, and how to move around your property. Regular guests mainly include business travelers who often come to your city for their office visits. 

Campaign:

To work on a campaign for your regular guests you need to set up how many times a guest needs to come back to call them as regular. Once you are clear on that, you can refer to the data on their previous stays and craft a campaign. 

You can surprise them with delightful experiences or make use of the data from their previous stay and focus on wooing them away with it.

For example, Mr. X came who visited your hotel earlier and liked your passion fruit martini. This time, when he checks in, you can offer the same mocktail as a welcome drink.

However, it’s always good to check on your guests with a sweet message asking about their whereabouts and adding a tailored discount. This will not only foster loyalty but will create an emotional bonding.

Families vs. Solo Travelers

Travellers have unique needs and preferences. By customizing campaigns for families and solo travellers, hotels can provide amenities, services, and experiences that cater to their specific requirements, enhancing overall satisfaction and loyalty.

The majority of family bookings typically include at least one child, and this often gives rise to distinct requirements throughout their stay. On the flip side, solo travelers tend to be more laid-back and less inclined to have such specific needs.

Campaign:

You can send summer camps or group activity campaigns to family guests as they will surely be interested in those. If you have caretakers at your property, you can use that as leverage and pen down a campaign saying adults can leave their kids without any worry and enjoy their stay. 

Additionally, you can offer a children’s meal package or rent-free swimming costume and accessories to kids.

While to solo travelers you can upsell your adventure services like rock-climbing, swimming pool, or gaming room. If you have an upcoming party at that time then you can send them an invitation to it. 

Short Stay vs. Long Stay

Hyperpersonalization marketing for hotels can also be used to target guests staying for short periods versus those staying for extended durations. A guest who is coming to your hotel only for the weekend will definitely not want the same experience as a guest who will be staying for 2 weeks. 

Short-stay guests will look for quick tours, adventurous things to do, and will mostly try to cover-it-all in that short span of time whereas long-stay guests will prefer laid-back activities and relaxation. 

Campaign

For your short-stay guests, you can offer early check-in or late check-out or give them a room upgrade package at a nominal cost. For long-stay guests, you can showcase campaigns like twice-a-day room service, discounted meal packages or complimentary breakfast. 

These are instances showcasing the distinct strategies required to enhance the experience for two vastly dissimilar guest types, enabling you to make the most of their stay.

Leisure vs. Business

The goal of someone travelling for business is completely different from those who travel for leisure. Leisure travellers basically travel to relax and have fun while those who travel for business are there to work. This clearly asks for completely two different campaigns according to the information provided by them. 

Business travelers try to keep their cost of travel low, as they want to achieve a greater return on their investment. On the other hand, leisure travellers are willing to pay given the services you offer and they opt to meet their expectations. This makes business travellers less price-sensitive and leisure travellers a bit more price sensitive. 

Campaign

You can send a personalized email or WhatsApp campaign that shows you have a dedicated co-working space, cubicle, or free wifi throughout the day to the guest travelling for work. If you have a meeting room or conference hall, you can market that too. 

Or maybe you can offer meal packages for their whole stay so that they don’t need to worry about the food. After-work relaxation like spa or yoga can also be campaigned to the business travellers.

Leisure travellers can be reached by campaigning various adventurous offers like tours, sightseeing, pool activities, and gaming rooms. If they are travelling with their pets then offer pet-friendly services.

Loyalty Programs

Loyalty programs play a crucial role in guest retention. It means you give some of your guests special access to certain offers and discounts that others don’t get. And to reach out to maximum guests it is important that you communicate it through your campaign.

Campaign

Loyalty programs have endless possibilities. You can offer rewards in the form of points that can be added to their wallet (virtual) during their stay and deducted from their bill on their next stay. Another popular loyalty program is room upgradation. 

If your guests have booked a double room with you, you can offer them a room upgradation with a nominal charge or if possible, free of cost. Airport shuttles, cab service, early check-in & out, POS discounts, scratch cards, and spin the wheel are some other examples that you can include in your Loyalty programs. 

OTA Bookers vs. Walk-in Guests

The last segment of this guest list is the ones who booked through OTAs or your website vs. the ones who just walked in. With this information, you will have access to their data, especially the ones who booked through your website. 

While the online bookers must have researched a lot and ended up choosing your property among your competitors, the walk-in guests simply chose your property after travelling to their destination. 

They could have either looked you up on Google and chose you based on their budget or through the suggestion of locals or simply through word-of-mouth marketing.

Campaign

Reach out to guests arriving from online travel agencies (OTAs) with a campaign introducing them to the essential facilities and services offered at your hotel, which might not have been accessible through the OTA platform. Following their stay, when presenting them with a return offer, highlight the advantages of making reservations directly through your hotel. Include a link to the booking page to facilitate direct bookings. 

Likewise, when it comes to walk-in guests, you have the opportunity to capture their information and implement tailored marketing campaigns. Encourage them to make their future bookings directly through your website for their upcoming trips. With a well-implemented CRM system and access to guest data, the possibilities for creative campaigns are endless. 

The post Hyper Personalized Marketing in Hotels: Try These 8 Audiences appeared first on eZee Absolute.