What is Apple Pay for hotels?

Apple Pay is Apple’s mobile payment service. It allows Apple users to make a range of payments from their device, including on the internet, in iOS apps, and in person using contactless near field communication (NFC) technology.

By offering Apple Pay to hotel guests, a small, independent hotel can streamline the payment process, capturing customers who may have abandoned their cart or chosen to stay elsewhere, enhancing the guest experience, and even encouraging guests to spend more.

Let guests pay their way with Little Hotelier

Little Hotelier’s Payment Processing solution lets guests pay however they prefer, including with Apple Pay and Google Pay, which can drive up revenue and efficiency.

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Why should hotels use Apple Pay?

Apple Pay is an organic feature that comes pre-loaded within Apple’s products and services, and this integration has made it an incredibly popular payment solution amongst Apple users.

The popularity of Apple Pay has prompted most businesses to accept it as a payment method, which has led many Apple users to assume that every business accepts Apple Pay – even small, independent hotels.

As a consequence, if you don’t accept Apple Pay at your hotel, you could miss out on business from potential guests who prefer to pay that way.

On the plus side, accepting Apple Pay can help you to:

  • Attract guests who prefer to use Apple Pay.
  • Enhance the guest experience by streamlining the payment process, as Apple Pay is a super quick and easy way to pay.
  • Increase your direct booking conversion rate thanks to the simple payment process.
  • Encourage guests to spend more, because extra purchases can be made in a tap from their phone.
  • Enjoy the famous levels of security offered by Apple products and services.
Apple pay for hotels

Which hotels accept Apple Pay?

Most hotels now accept Apple Pay, but a few of the most famous hotels that take Apple Pay include:

1. Marriott Apple Pay

In 2015 Marriott became the first hotel company in the world to offer the Apple Pay service to its guests. It integrated perfectly with Marriott’s market-leading smartphone check-in and check-out service, which it launched in 2013.

2. Hilton Apple Pay

Hilton was a little slower on the Apple Pay uptake than Marriott, and only accepted the payments across selected properties as little as a few years ago, but now Apple Pay can be used more or less anywhere within the Hilton Hotel network.

3. Booking.com Apple Pay

Booking.com has offered Apple Pay as a payment method for reservations for years. And as the world’s largest booking website, this has conditioned many travellers to expect the same from all booking services, including hotel direct booking websites.

Benefits of Apple Pay for hotels

For a hotel, Apple Pay represents opportunity. Here are just a few of the benefits you can expect from integrating the payment method into your systems.

Speed up check in and check out

Apple Pay lets guests pay for their stay in as little as one click or tap, by waving their iPhone or Apple Watch over your card reader. This ultra-quick and ultra-simple process can seriously speed up check in and check out.

Onsite purchases

As many businesses have found out, the simplicity of Apple Pay can encourage a customer to spend more. For a hotel this can come via onsite purchases like drinks at the bar, room service, spa treatments, parking, late check out and more.

Streamline bookings and reservations

When you allow guests to book directly with you through your website, and pay through the Apple Pay portal, they won’t have to manually add their credit card details. It’s all done for them, in a matter of moments, which can greatly reduce your cart abandonment rate.

Marketing or loyalty programs

Integrating a modern payment solution like Apple Pay can encourage customer loyalty in and of itself, by showing guests that you are committed to providing a convenient service. But you also gain insights from Apple Pay transactions – data like transaction data, customer demographics, behavioural patterns and customer feedback – that can help you craft more effective loyalty programs, marketing strategies and personalised offers.

Secure contactless service

Hotels that accept Apple Pay enjoy confidence in terms of online security and compliance. Apple is famous for the strength of its security, so when you offer Apple Pay, you can be confident that you won’t be exposing your guests to any unnecessary risk.

How to implement Apple Pay for hotels

How can you use Apple Pay for a hotel? In order to offer Apple Pay to your guests, you’ll need to integrate the service with your existing payment system. Depending on the shape of your system, this may involve working with your payment gateway provider to update software and hardware. But there is a better and simpler way: Little Hotelier’s Hotel Payment Processing Solution.

Enable Apple Pay and other digital wallets for hotel guests and process hassle-free payments with Little Hotelier

Can hotels accept digital wallets like Apple Pay? With the help of Little Hotelier, they sure can.

Little Hotelier is the all-in-one software built specifically for small, independent hotels. Along with being a PMS, a front desk tool, a channel manager and a direct booking engine, Little Hotelier also lets you process payments through digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay. You don’t have to lift a finger: Apple Pay integration is just part of the package.

Our payments solution also…

  • Saves you time: Stop double-handing guest payment details during check in and check out. Digitally request payments, or set up Auto Payments and charge guests at predefined dates and times.
  • Brings all payments together: All your payments in one place – a single, simple dashboard that makes reconciliation simple.
  • Offers high-end security: On top of the inherent security of Apple Pay, Little Hotelier payments are PCI-DSS and PSD2 SCA compliant, safeguarding you and your guests from online fraud.

More revenue. More Support. More control. Little Hotelier is designed to make your life simple and your hotel successful. Offering Apple Pay ticks both boxes, and with the help of Little Hotelier, it couldn’t be simpler.

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By Dean Elphick

Dean is the Senior Content Marketing Specialist of Little Hotelier, the all-in-one software solution purpose-built to make the lives of small accommodation providers easier. Dean has made writing and creating content his passion for the entirety of his professional life, which includes more than six years at Little Hotelier. Through content, Dean aims to provide education, inspiration, assistance, and, ultimately, value for small accommodation businesses looking to improve the way they run their operations (and live their life).