SiteMinder partners with AsiaPay to simplify hotel customer payments across Asia
Bangkok, Thailand – SiteMinder, the global hotel industry’s leading guest acquisition platform, has today partnered with AsiaPay, a premier digital payment solution and payment service provider, to simplify the online payments process for consumers booking a hotel room in Asia. Through the partnership, which comes amid rising consumer expectations for choice and contactless experiences, AsiaPay’s payment gateways—PayDollar, PesoPay and SiamPay—have been integrated into SiteMinder’s online booking engine to provide an automated and secure way for hotel customers to make an upfront payment when booking on their desktop or mobile.
SiteMinder’s online booking engine is used by thousands of hotels across Asia to enable consumers to book directly. From this month, hotel users in 12 countries can now accept their customers’ preferred methods of payment securely, including international credit card; internet banking; and regional digital wallets such as AliPay, WeChat Pay and GrabPay, to eliminate the need for costly terminals and manual payment processing during customer check-in. Upfront payments will also reduce cancellations or no-shows for hotels in those 12 country locations, which are China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, Japan, Macau, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Taiwan and Vietnam.
“Asia has long been popular as a leisure and business travel destination. Together with SiteMinder and its strong brand among hotels in the region, we are well prepared to support hotels to be ready for the resurgence in travel that is to be driven by both international travellers and those seeking local staycations,” says Joseph Chan, CEO of AsiaPay. “More Asian travellers make and pay for their hotel bookings online, via desktop or mobile, than through any other channel. For hotels in the region to stay competitive, it is important for those millions of travellers to find the online booking and payment process simple and convenient.”
SiteMinder’s partnership with AsiaPay comes at a critical time for hotel businesses in Asia, which are plagued by credit card declines, daily payment reconciliations and increased data security standards. The companies’ partnership means eligible hotels can now reduce the time, cost and risk involved with handling payments manually, by giving their customers the ability to book ahead through a process that complies with the latest Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).
Bradley Haines, Regional Vice President of Asia Pacific at SiteMinder, says, “Hotels today are challenged to keep up with the latest consumer demands, behaviours and expectations. Additionally, this year has given rise to booking cancellations and the need for online security like never before. Through our partnership with AsiaPay, our hotel customers can offer greater choice to their guests, so they can increase booking conversions online and save time by not having to manage payments manually onsite. By receiving payments upfront, hotels also have a greater ability to create contactless check-in experiences.”
The SiteMinder World Hotel Index reports that year-on-year hotel bookings currently sit at 64 percent in Indonesia, 57 percent in Hong Kong and 56 percent in Thailand. Hotel bookings have surpassed pre-pandemic levels in Taiwan at 108 percent year-on-year.