Case study
Bringing Alipay+ to
Marriott in Munich
Unlocking European hospitality for Asian travellers
Landmark events that bring people together require skill, co-operation and co-ordination across the sectors of travel, hospitality, entertainment, retail and commerce. At the crossroads of it all, between consumers and businesses, you need a payments team you can rely on.
The challenge
Bookings for Asian tourists to Germany rocketed by 125% ahead of the 2024 UEFA European Championships, according to data from Trip.com Group. The tournament, sponsored by Alipay, saw a spike in travellers from China in particular – which surged by 132%.
Munich was a top destination.
If you’re not offering the right local payment methods, you risk missing out on a sizeable slice of your potential customer base. If, say, a traveller from Asia cannot see you accept Alipay+ on your website or in person they may not book and certainly cannot pay digitally. The alternative is to use cash or not use your business at all. Either option removes them from your trackable customer base, so it’s easy then to overlook demand and potential growth for your business.
Currency conversion, cross-border payment regulations and the ability to integrate with various payment methods and providers were historically considered a challenge. But such challenges are easily tackled together by local-payment specialists PPRO and Elavon – the global payments experts.
Our solution
Alipay+ is used by more than 1.6 billion consumers worldwide, already allowing 90 million businesses to accept 35 payment methods in 66 markets. From digital wallets, banking and Buy Now Pay Later apps, Alipay+ means travellers can make payments on the go using smartphones and smartwatches. Crucially, it allows travellers to use their local payment method, wherever they are.
Marriott’s loyal customer base has high standards and expects the widest choice. So, it was a priority to get Alipay+ established in Marriott hotels, where leading dignitaries and football fans were staying and hosting watch events and post-game get-togethers.
This was made possible through Elavon’s partnership with local payments specialist PPRO. Acting as the local payments partner, PPRO enabled seamless onboarding of Alipay+ into Marriott hotels, ensuring guests could pay with familiar, trusted methods while travelling.
How it works
- Payment method – The consumer opens the Alipay+ app and selects the Mobile Payment Provider (MPP)
- Merchant – The consumer presents the payment code in the MPP app to the merchant
- Payment method – The merchant scans the payment code to initiate a payment
- Payment method – The payment is complete and the MPP presents the payment result page
The impact
Making sure Alipay+ was available in the hotels’ bars and restaurants, as well as for check-in and check-out, was vital.
“The ease and speed of the rollout exceeded our expectations,” says Fabio Oliverio, the food and beverage cost controller at both the Westin Grand Munich and the Four Points by Sheraton Munich.
“The support from Elavon, PPRO and Alipay was exceptional – they were highly responsive and proactive. Particularly impressive to us was the coordination between all parties, which ensured we encountered minimal issues during the go-live phase,” he adds.
“Offering Alipay gives our customers, especially those from Asia, a payment option they’re familiar with and trust,” says Merve Varol, who leads the front office for both Westin Grand Munich and the Four Points by Sheraton Munich. “Customer feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Some have specifically mentioned how much they appreciated seeing Alipay as a payment option. So, a win-win for both us and our customers.”
Daniel Czukor, assistant director of finance at the Munich Marriott Hotel City West, says: “The technology side and the process was insanely easy: it took us one afternoon with the team from Elavon on site. They did some work with our terminals and then, suddenly, it all just worked. It was very, very easy and smooth – and then getting the payments, again, was smooth and easy.
“We’d been asked a few times before if we accepted Alipay or not, because only a few in Munich did,” adds Daniel. “We didn’t…and then we did! Now we don’t have to say ‘no’ to a customer. It just makes us more flexible.”
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