Beijing (TAN): Checking in and out of Shangri-La hotels in China could now be a breeze.
In a bid to offer a one-stop payment solution to guests, Hong Kong-based luxury hotel group Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts will begin offline mobile payment service and deposit payment through an electronic platform in China.
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Shangri-La Group has partnered with Chinese mobile payment app WeChat Pay to deliver the e-payment options, making it the ‘first hotel group in mainland China’ to offer such electronic payment solutions, Shangri-La Group said. WeChat has been developed by Shenzhen-based internet-based technology and cultural enterprise Tencent Holdings Limited.
The hotel group will initiate the e-payment option WeChat Pay Deposit at 45 properties across China by May 31, 2019, following a successful trial at a Shangri-La hotel.
The move is expected to help guests save time during checking in or out, and help run hotels more efficiently. Guests can keep track of the deposit transaction through their WeChat accounts – while they can use the platform to settle the deposit while checking into the hotel, the deposit will be refunded to their accounts upon check out after subtracting any non-room expenses. On the other hand, the platform could help lessen risks of transaction error by allowing hotel authorities to conduct real-time confirmation of the guests’ deposit.
Participating hotels include Shangri-La Hotel, Beijing, Kerry Hotel, Shanghai, Shangri-La Hotel, Chengdu, China World Hotel, Beijing, Songbei Shangri-La, Harbin, Shangri-La Hotel, Hangzhou, Shangri-La’s Sanya Resort & Spa, Hainan, and Jing An Shangri-La, West Shanghai, among several others.
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Shangri-La Group and Tencent had signed a strategic partnership and announced co-development of Smart Hotel solutions last November. The duo plans to keep designing and executing more projects in the future.
