New Payment Platform Powers Five-Star Hotel

February 22, 2019

By: Tania M. Voss

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The first week of its launch saw a new payment platform raking in huge transaction volume for a five-star hotel in Makati.

The platform is called e-Snapped, created by online payment gateway and multi-solutions SaaS provider AltPayNet. A first of its kind in the country, it is an e-Invoicing that provides a simple and secure way to collect receivables online. 

Successful Launch

e-Snapped was first launched on November 28, 2018, right at the start of the busy holiday season. P7 million worth of transactions were routed to the system on its first week.

The e-invoicing platform aims to provide the hotel industry with a straightforward payment service.

There is no need for a website or integration, as with traditional payment methods. It works by sending an electronic invoice to clients via e-mail, where they receive the invoice and is given the platform to pay through the centralized platform, which will then prompt them to enter their card details or payment method of their choice.

More than providing ease of payments, merchants can process reversals and rebills straight from the platform. Leading payment networks are available, including American Express, China UnionPay, and JCB, or Online Direct Debit of Europe (SEPA), Poli of Australia, Interac of Canada, ACH Debit, Sadad of KSA, KNET of Kuwait, Wechat, Alipay, paypal etc to best serve international clients.

It drives sales volumes while being efficient for merchants particularly with its operating cash flow at the same time.

Huge Surge of Transactions

The five-star hotel’s project lead gave an honest firsthand review of their experience with e-Snapped, one month after its launch.

He said they took a chance with e-Snapped because it is very user friendly, and the rates given were lower compared to competitors.

Transaction growth is expected for the hotel, as more clients make the switch. According to him, “[We earned roughly] P7 million on the first week. And it’s not fully operational yet. We still have clients who are not yet online. They are still used to bank remittances, [but] we are now introducing e-Invoicing solutions to them.”

Customer satisfaction was met in both merchant and customers. “So far, we don’t have feedback that it’s hard to use. Because the reservations, events, room sales, [they all] report to me. Even F&B and Front Desk. [The entire] hotel is using it, and it’s very user-friendly.” 

How e-Snapped Works

Just how user-friendly is e-Snapped?

Don Vacal, CEO and co-founder of AltPayNet, further explains the payment process:

“The back-office team of our merchant can go to a portal, generate an invoice in any currency and tax structure, and then send an invoice to the customer’s e-mail address. The customer will then receive the invoice. [It looks like] a typical invoice, personalized with the company’s logo. It shows the amount to be paid by the customer.

There’s a ‘Pay’ button that the customers can click. This will then lead them to the secure payment page, which AltPayNet provides. This is where they will enter the payment details. And, payment is collected. On the merchant’s side, they can monitor the status of the invoice as it is generated, sent, received, customer accepted, status of payment or if the customer has paid successfully. In addition, the merchant can do refund, rebill and reversal with ease from the platform”

Customer Satisfaction

In coordination with AltPayNet, acquirer Global Payments, and the hotel’s leadership team, e-Snapped was launched right on schedule.

Michael Adornado, Global Payments’ key Account Manager, handles the hotel’s merchant account. The hotel representative saw the potential of e-Snapped, which led them to endorse the platform to the hotel’s upper management.

According to Adornado, its features make it a good payments solution even for start-ups. “On my end, one of the key factors [for its success] is that it’s easy to use, especially on the customer-side. It is in the efficiency of the solution you provide. These are the two (2) main factors.”

The five-star hotel currently uses e-Snapped to accept online payments for room reservations, events, food and beverage (F&B), and the front desk. Their partner travel agencies are now getting started with using the platform.

Their point person adds, “I am confident to recommend [e-Snapped] because they have complete payment networks. What’s good about it, [is that] once the client enters the credit card details, even us [on the merchant side], we can’t see it. It’s very safe,” referring to the secure PCI DSS Certified payment page that requires no redirection.

“The whole hotel, I can say, is so happy. It’s word of mouth. I’m sure it will reach other hotels and [we] will recommend it.”

Currently, AltPayNet is working to provide more payment networks for e-Snapped such as UnionPay, WeChat Pay, and AliPay. This will only bring in more revenues for the hotel, and appeal to other businesses, too.

Know more about e-Snapped via e-Snapped.com. See us at AltPayNet’s booth at the oncoming 2nd PhilippinesHospitality Summit, on February 27-28 at Solaire Resort and Casino, Parañaque.