Amadeus study: paying difficulties at hotels challenge tourists' overall experience

The report states that 40% of travellers report challenges paying at hotels, with a third of them being unable to choose their preferred payment method. Outdated approaches to payments represent one of the major problems in the hospitality industry, with guests feeling anxious and frustrated when it comes to paying. 

Most guests are still asked to pay up-front, at check-out using physical terminals instead of choosing between different digital payment methods, at the time of the booking. In other words, hotels process payments at the desk, based on their own local payment system, which may cause distress to customers, as they are forced to be physically present at checkout, visit the front desk to pay for extras, including room service, and having to go through another payment process if they want to acquire additional services.