Centara Hotels & Resorts is now accepting WeChat Pay transactions on its websites for online room reservations.
This is in addition to the 15 hotels that already deploy nearly 100 EDC devices for QR code scanning on WeChat Pay, making it the largest hotel group in Thailand offering Chinese tourists omni-channel payment solutions.
Bills for accommodation, restaurants and spa treatments can be paid directly from smartphones.
The company expects to have WeChat Pay at all Centara Hotels & Resorts globally by the end of 2018, thus providing convenience to customers, especially Chinese guests.
Thirayuth Chirathivat, Centara chief executive, said: “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.
“We embrace these types of disruptive opportunities to better serve our guests and stay on top of the industry.”
Chinese tourists account for almost one third of all foreign travellers to this country.
Thailand is welcoming an ever-increasing number of Chinese visitors, for whom the kingdom remains the top travel destination.
This year, the ministry of tourism and sports expects more than ten million Chinese tourists to travel to Thailand.
WeChat Pay is the payment solution of WeChat, one of the largest social networks in China.
WeChat Pay has become the main cashless payment method for daily small transactions in China and has more than 800 million active users in its database.