Hospitality Payment Systems

Figures show that 2 billion consumers chose digital payment in 2020 alone, therefore effective, secure, fast and reliable payment solutions are vital to the success of the hospitality industry, an industry which reached a value of over £133 billion in 2019.

Hospitality payment systems today are designed to help those businesses in the sector including hotels, tourist attractions, bars and restaurants, accept and process customer payments from a range of payment methods be it online, in-store, via mail, telephone or other devices such as mobile or watch. As soon as businesses in the hospitality sector start implementing these customer-first payment systems both online and offline then this in turn will create revolutionary experiences. Hospitality payment systems will allow your business to keep on track and up to date with the ever changing consumer habits and ensure you are able to offer and process a range of payment options quickly and securely.

Serve customers swiftly & effortlessly with hospitality POS systems

Hospitality payment systems are continuously evolving right across the sector in the UK, therefore it’s becoming increasingly vital for businesses to keep up to date and progress with them. 

Consumers are turning their back on cash and opting for contactless payments and digital wallets, such as Apple Pay and Google Pay. Tourist attractions, hotels, B&B’s and restaurants must offer a range of payment methods in order to enhance customer experience, keep queues moving, see customers returning and sales increasing. 

Businesses need to make sure that the payment process is completely seamless, whether customers are sitting at a table in a restaurant, on a website looking to book a hotel room or pre-ordering a ticket for a tourist attraction via an app. They should feel reassured that they can place an order in a convenient and secure way where their details aren’t at risk of fraud.  

Popular hospitality payment methods include:

Online payments  

One of the main benefits of accepting online payments means it allows businesses such as hotels  to accept guests from all over the world, integrate payments with online booking systems and ultimately use their preferred localised payment method, therefore adding a more personalised experience for guests and customers. It also makes transactions, no matter the hospitality business, more transparent and seamless as well as being much more secure and easier to access in the digital age. 

Contactless 

As already mentioned, contactless payment has become a mainstream way to pay especially for businesses such as bars and cafés, where queues are common. Contactless methods allow lines to move faster as transactions are processed more efficiently. The best POS systems accept contactless cards and digital wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay for a seamless and satisfying customer experience.

Pre-pay

Pre-payment systems work by allowing customers, especially takeaways, to place their order and pay online rather than joining a long queue. This allows businesses to serve a greater number of people in the same amount of time.

Mobile ordering 

Mobile ordering essentially allows customers already in your pub or restaurant to place their order at their table using their smartphone cutting the hassle out of getting served; no more queueing for ages at the bar or asking the waiter for a bill. An order is sent electronically to the bar or kitchen, therefore creating speedier service times. 

What is a hospitality POS system? 

In order to be able to accept payments in person a hospitality business will need a POS system. A traditional hospitality POS system is essentially the place where your customer can make a payment for products or services either via a countertop card machine or a portable card machine. They help transform the payment process for both you and your customers in a safe and secure way which is smarter and faster. 

Benefits of hospitality pos systems:

• They allow you to accept multiple payment options 

• The are faster and more reliable 

• They help reduce queues

• The help to process refunds, offer gratuity, cashback and dynamic currency conversion with ease

• Allow you to provide a higher level of customer service

• Comply with EMV and PCI requirements

Streamline business operations using a hospitality ePOS System

An hospitality electronic point of sale system (or ePOS system) allows customers to pay for things like food, rooms or tickets through specific software and hardware. They mostly operate online and store information securely in the cloud.  Businesses which rely on making face to face sales can benefit from a hospitality ePOS system to create a streamlined workflow,  helping speed up processes such as bookings, accounting, stock management and sales performance depending on the specific business. 

Hospitality ePOS hardware typically consists of a touch screen ipad or computer (which can be wireless if you run a business which means staff are on the go) a cash drawer, and a card reader.  The screens are made to be robust and handle the many hospitality environments on long or busy days.

Key benefits of hospitality ePOS systems:

Speed up sales - The hospitality industry is a busy sector with a high turnover so ePOS software needs to be intuitive for staff and easy to use whilst also safe and secure . The touchscreen helps assist staff through a sales process as fast as possible. 

Encourage more sales - Hospitality ePOS systems prompt staff to ask questions as they sell food or drinks to customers, such as asking if a customer wants sides or larger meals etc to add revenue to each sale opportunity. 

Help manage staff - Hospitality ePOS systems also allow staff to sign on with a number or a small key fob which is unique to them and so will show on an audit who puts through each transaction. Staff can also clock in to work via the  system allowing you to look at staff attendance and timekeeping.

Handle stock control - The ePOS till handles stock control as soon as transactions are made. The software allows you to see how much product you have sold and at what price and, thanks to data, what remains available. 

Sales reports - Reports keep you well informed about what is happening in your business each day. Thanks to the ePOS system, data can be pulled up on your till directly for you to view and give you an up to date status as you need it.

How Pay @ Table reduces customer waiting times

Another hospitality payment system available, particularly suitable for restaurants and bars, is Pay @ Table. 

Pay @ Table helps businesses such as restaurants and cafes be able to serve customers swiftly and effortlessly. It allows waiting staff to be able to retrieve a bill in seconds,  simply by inputting a table or bill number directly into the terminal which therefore provides a much more efficient service to  customers. 

The technology also helps staff to split a customer’s bill, allow international customers to pay in their home currency and provides an option to include gratuity.

Pay @ Table essentially avoids double-keying errors, saves staff running between till and table and works with any hospitality ePOS system, including Oracle. 

How Pay @ Reception provides a ‘one pay, one stay’ service

Pay @ Reception provides a ‘one pay, one stay’ service which is designed specifically to make paying for hotel stays quick and easy. It integrates with your hospitality ePOS system with ease such as the Oracle Property Management System (PMS)  – unifying all tills and terminals.

Improve your customer service by performing operations quickly and securely. Pay @ Reception enables you to manage check-in and check-out transactions quickly and easily, as well as perform check-out duties from anywhere in your hotel. We’ll help to simplify your processes by automating end-of-day cash-ups and top-ups and automatically transfer prices to devices. You have the ability to offer dynamic currency conversion to your international customers expanding your customer reach, as well as take high-value contactless payments and accept major payment types and credit and debit cards.

Find out how the ability to pre-authorise cards benefits both staff and guests by checking out our guide here.

Accept payments from anywhere, at anytime

An online payment gateway and a virtual terminal are integral to the majority of hospitality businesses today. They allow hotels, bars and tourist attractions to accept payments for things like booking rooms, purchasing tickets or paying for deposits. They help businesses reach more customers and allow them to process multiple transactions from anywhere, at any time in a fast yet safe way. And with many customers opting to pay online or over the phone, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s important businesses can cater to them otherwise it runs the risk of losing sales and can have an impact on the reputation of the businesses.

Simply put, a payment gateway is an essential hospitality payment system for accepting card payments online. It’s a secure link between your website and your merchant bank. Whilst a virtual terminal is a secure web page that merchants can use to process card payments online when taking payments over the phone.  

Benefits of online payment gateways and virtual terminals

• Process payments safely and securely

• They allow you to accept all major credit and debit cards therefore, expanding your customer reach by offering more ways to pay

• Convert more sales

• Process transactions quickly 

Get started with our hospitality payment systems

At Opayo, we can help you find the right payment systems and technologies for your own unique hospitality businesses so your customers are able to pay in a convenient, fast and secure way no matter the method they choose, be it debit or credit card, contactless or a mobile and digital wallet. Now is the ideal time to invest in a payment solution that has the power to help grow your business.