The perks of payment automation
The simplification of payments is one of the signs of the world we live in. As customers, visitors or guests, we barely need to carry cash as we handle our money with a mere wave of a card next to the machine. But this experience could be even more frictionless if the payments were automatic. And that is precisely what HotelTime offers – automatic payments for hotels that do not bother staff or guests.
The process is pretty simple – guests book an accommodation (typically online), fill in the payment details, and from that moment on, everything runs automatically.
For the hotel itself, this means that it gets the money without -literally- having to lift a finger. There is no need to write down the card number or to set the payment manually. Instead, the system takes the card information the guest provided, saves this information, and then automatically charges (or preauthorizes) the card according to the rules set in the PMS.
Saving the card information (card tokenization) is a completely secure process. The card number is hidden, and the system is PCI compliant.
As the payments run automatically, it assures zero error rate. Therefore, in practice, the hotel staff does not have to solve a problem with denied payment from a virtual card or a wrong payment from a regular card.
The only moment someone has to say anything else than “enjoy your stay” and must ask for the guests‘ card is when they come with no previous reservation. But in this situation, as well, the process is pretty simple and secure – the hotel employee just enters the card number into the system, and everything runs automatically.
Last but not least, a crucial aspect is that thanks to payment automatization, the hotel has the card information saved and can use it for other payments – for example, when a guest needs to pay for the goods from the minibar.
All these advantages lead to higher work efficiency because the receptionists do not waste the hotel’s precious time punching in numbers but -instead- can be fully concentrated on the guests’ wishes.
That means not just the hotel but also the personnel benefits from the payment automatization. As they do not need to ask guests to present their credit cards or write down the numbers, the check-in/out process becomes fast and smooth. Therefore, the staff does not have to deal with overloaded reception. And that is not just because of the automatization of the payment process; the invoices are automatically sent as well.
The system does everything on its own; employees do less manual work -ergo- make fewer mistakes and have more time for guests.
Finally, automatic payment systems bring significant advantages for the guests themselves. As the hotel staff is more effective, the processes in the hotel are faster, and guests do not need to wait indefinitely for check-in/out. They are also less bothered at the reception because they are not asked to present their credit card and thus, their satisfaction is guaranteed.
The system ensures security for them, too. They can be sure that the payment information they provided will not be misused in any way.
So, to cut a long story short, one very small step in the form of payment automatization means a considerable improvement of the hotel services and a significant move towards the future.