Budget chain A&O Hotels and Hostels has teamed with Yapital, an app that allows users to pay for items online or in store, to let guests pay for their stay using their smartphones.
Guests can pay for their rooms using the app in 21 A&O locations across Germany.
The move is the next step in the chain’s effort to manage its customers’ experiences on smartphones. According to a Yapital statement, A&O has seen a 250 per cent increase in mobile bookings this year, and also offers its customer service via WhatsApp.
Oliver Winter, general manager at A&O, said: “We have wanted a safe and easy-to-use payment system for our customers for a long time.
“Mobile payment is a great innovation in the hotel industry, and we are proud to be one of the first [to adopt it].”
Yapital’s managing director Karsten Cornelissen said: “We are very happy to expand our partnerships in the travel business with A&O Hotels and Hostels.
“The smartphone has become an indispensable travel companion. Especially when travelling abroad, the smartphone comes in handy when trying to find your way or looking up public transport information. It is therefore very practical and easy to also be able to pay for your stay with it.”
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