Thai hotel operator Centara Hotels & Resorts is now accepting WeChat Pay transactions on its two websites for online room reservations.
This is in addition to 15 of Centara’s Thailand hotels that already deploy nearly 100 EDC devices for QR code scanning on WeChat Pay, where bills for accommodation, restaurants and spa treatments can be paid directly from smartphones.
By the end of 2018, the company expects to have WeChat Pay available at all Centara Hotels & Resorts globally.
Thirayuth Chirathivat, Centara’s CEO, said in a press statement: “A seamless payment experience for consumers using any channel is an element of our platform for expansion, which should see us double both revenue and the number of our properties over the next five years. As consumer behaviour evolves, Centara has adopted an omni-channel strategy to stay relevant and to provide a great customer experience.”
He added: “The number of Chinese tourists booking with Centara keeps growing. They are a significant customer base for all businesses in Thailand. Centara’s Chinese websites www.centarahotelsandresorts.cn and centarahotelsresorts.com receive hundreds of thousands of visits from Chinese users. Almost half the visits come from a mobile device.”
Earlier this year, Centara signed an agreement with TreePayCo, a payment platform facilitator to develop a system that allows Chinese customers to use their mobile phones to make e-payments outside of China for accommodation and services at Centara properties.
