Marriott International and Ant Financial Services Group, an independent financial group and an ecosystem partner of Alibaba Group, announce an agreement to roll out the Alipay payment option, to hotels and resorts under Marriott International?s brands.
With this agreement, guests at select Marriott International hotels will be given the option to pay for their hotel stays, food and beverage purchases as well as for meeting and event bookings using Alipay on their smartphones.
Working with China?s largest e-payments provider, Marriott International will initially activate Alipay at 10 hotels in greater China, gradually expanding to other hotels in China and across Asia by mid-2016.
To better serve China visitors travelling abroad, Marriott also expects to introduce Alipay to properties in key markets outside Asia by the end of 2016.
The first hotels to install Alipay will be:
* The Ritz-Carlton, Sanya, Yalong Bay
* The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong
* JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong
* JW Marriott Hotel Shanghai at Tomorrow Square
* Shanghai Marriott Hotel City Centre
* Shanghai Marriott Hotel Pudong East
* Renaissance Beijing Wangfujing Hotel
* Renaissance Beijing Capital Hotel
* Renaissance Hong Kong Harbour View Hotel
* Courtyard Hong Kong Sha Tin
Alipay currently has 400 million registered users and 200 financial institution partners. It handles over 120 million transactions daily, of which mobile payment accounts for more than half.
Hotel guests can scan their unique QR code or barcode at check-out to settle their bills, or pre-pay before arrival ? an innovative payment option will fast-track check-outs.
The Chinese International Travel monitor reports that 59 percent of Chinese international travellers rate local payment solutions as the second most important feature a hotel should have after free Wi-Fi.
It is expected that Chinese outbound travellers will reach 200 million by 2020 and, with this growth, Marriott expects Alipay to become an important payment method for the travel and meetings industry in Asia, with broadening adoption outside of China.
Craig S. Smith, president and managing director of Marriott International, Asia Pacific said: ?Marriott International is playing a leading role in this seminal transformation within the hospitality sector, which will ultimately allow travellers and meeting planners from China and abroad to pay in a more streamlined, seamless and digital way with their mobile device.?
?Leveraging the cutting-edge technology of Alipay and its significant 80 percent market share in China, Marriott is going beyond just comfort and customisation at the property level to meet the needs of travellers in a way that no other global hotel brand does today.
?It is a real demonstration of how we aim to deliver more local and innovative services to our customers.?
Sabrina Peng, president of Ant Financial?s international business unit said: ?Alipay is the future of payments, and our vision is to better serve our users, even when they are travelling.
?We approached Marriott International because of its strong brand recognition and growth plan in Asia and around the world, making it an ideal partner for Alipay.
?We see this relationship as the beginning of a deeper collaboration between the two brands, all with the Chinese consumer in mind.?