Time and time again Angelina Motzo of XO Hotels experienced the same issues both at the front desk and in the office. Guests had not paid their reservations in advance. Some guests wished to pay for another guest which needed to be settled by authorization forms. Other guests asked for a refund shortly before their stay, leaving the hotel with an empty room. Ever since Motzo started working with PayByLink combined with Ingenico via Business to You, she no longer needs to calculate losses. PayByLink has significantly increased payments.
Fraud and risk sensitivity
“It has long been our cherised wish to ban fraud-prone and risky payment methods from our hotels” says Motzo. “Manual transactions are always tricky, since a guest may raise a chargeback. Dispute rules allow guests to request their money back up to six months after their reservation without having to prove that they did not stay in the hotel. Also there was plenty of opportunity not to pay the reservation and cancel it last minute. This happened a lot with guests who booked a number of rooms at different hotels and made their final choice at the last moment. Finally, Motzo often had to deal with guests who wished to pay for another guest at the front desk. To make this possible, personal data had to be filled out on authorization form and a copy of the passport had to be added to the form. A notorious payment method, especially nowadays where privacy and cyber crime are everyday’s business.
“Such a relief”
“Since we started using PayByLink two years ago, the Revenue department has seen the number of last-minute cancellations drop by 24 percent”, Motzo continues enthusiastically. Guests who make a reservation at one of the XO hotels will immediately receive a mail with a payment link. “Such a relief. No less than 75 percent of internet reservations are now paid within 24 hours after reservation. The percentage of advance payments also increased drastically: from 5.5 percent in 2016 to 51.5 percent in 2018. This resulted in a simplified check-in and check-out at the front desk, allowing our guests to optimally enjoy their stay. And thanks to PayByLink the use of authorization forms is in the past. Now XO Hotels receive a secure payment that can even be confirmed to the guest within five minutes and the hotel does not have to manage a manual transaction.
Patient cooperation
Motzo emphasizes: “I wish to praise the B2U staff for their patience with us. The specific setup of the tool with the right data and the right language to the right guest was quite a process, and the B2U staff enthusiastically helped us to get it done. “Meanwhile XO Hotels are using several different templates in eight languages, depending on the nature of the payment and the nationality of the guest. For example, automated mails are being sent out for group reservation deposits or for the payment of extras in the room. “B2U has always helped us perfectly to get started. Very friendly! “
