WeChat Pay for Chinese tourists at Centara

Centara Hotels & Resorts, Thailand’s leading hotel operator, has announced that it is now accepting WeChat Pay transactions on its websites for online room reservations.

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.

Thirayuth Chirathivat, Centara Chief Executive Officer, 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 behavior evolves, Centara has adopted an omni-channel strategy to stay relevant and to provide a great customer experience.”

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 10 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.

“The number of Chinese tourists booking with Centara keeps growing. They are a significant customer base for all businesses in Thailand. Centara’s Chinese website and receive hundreds of thousands of visits from Chinese users. Almost half the visits come from a mobile device. Earlier this year we signed an agreement with TreePayCo.,Ltd., a payment platform facilitator to develop a system that allows Chinese customers to use their mobile phones to make e-payments outside of China for accommodation and services at Centara properties.”