Let’s be honest: getting guests to your website isn’t the hard part anymore. The real challenge is getting them to actually hit that ‘Book Now’ button. And more often than not, the drop-off happens at the very last step: the payment.
Guests expect booking a room to be just as simple as the apps they use every day. They want payment options they know and trust, in their own currency, on the device they always use. And if they don’t see it? They’ll book somewhere else.
That’s why your booking engine’s payment experience is one of the biggest levers for improving conversion. Localised and flexible payment options can truly remove the barriers to booking. And offering that can be the difference between losing a booking and securing it, without an OTA taking a cut.
Let’s look at why payment options are such a dealbreaker for guests.
The payment gap in hotel booking engines
Booking abandonment is a serious revenue drain. Studies show abandonment rates in travel & hospitality often hover around 80%. Here’s why:
- Too few options (only credit card when guests want PayPal or Apple Pay)
- No local methods (missing iDEAL, Bancontact, Sofort, Alipay, UPI — depending on the market)
- Currency mismatch (prices not shown or payable in guest’s local currency)
- Slow or clunky checkout (especially on mobile)
Because guests are used to one-tap payments or locally trusted methods for almost everything online, they expect the same from hotel websites. When your booking journey feels rigid, OTAs instantly seem easier.
Understanding local and flexible payment options
Localised payments mean supporting the methods travellers know and trust in their own markets. Some examples include:
- iDEAL (Netherlands)
- Bancontact (Belgium)
- Sofort & Giropay (Germany)
- UPI (India)
- Alipay & WeChat Pay (China)
These put guests at ease, showing that your hotel understands their needs.
Flexible payment options go beyond local methods. These include:
- Mobile wallets: Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay
- Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL): Klarna, Affirm, Afterpay
- Multi-currency support: showing and charging in the guest’s preferred currency
- Local language in checkout: removing last-minute confusion
Together, these are more than just nice to have. They’re strong trust signals that tell guests the booking process is easy and works the way they expect.
5 ways better payment options drive conversions
Here are the most impactful ways better payment options support higher conversion rates.
1. Reduce cart abandonment
Abandonment is a major source of lost revenue for hotels. Guests can spend a long time comparing rooms, selecting extras, and entering their details, but the moment they don’t see their preferred way to pay, they quit. It’s not frustration, it’s instinct. People simply stick with what feels familiar.
By offering localised hotel payments (like iDEAL for Dutch guests or Alipay for Chinese travellers) alongside flexible methods such as PayPal, Apple Pay, or Klarna, you remove that final barrier. Guests stay on your site, complete their booking, and never have a reason to look elsewhere.
2. Build trust with international guests
Trust is currency in hospitality. Picture a guest booking from overseas—maybe a family in Shanghai booking their dream Paris vacation. When they see payment options they recognise and trust, like UnionPay or WeChat Pay, they instantly feel more confident that your website is safe, reliable, and welcoming to international travellers.
This matters even more for long-haul and high-value bookings, where committing hundreds or thousands of euros online requires reassurance. Localised payment methods are more than convenient. They help seal the deal.
3. Support mobile-first experiences
Today, over half of direct hotel bookings happen on mobile. Yet, typing long credit card details on a small screen is still painful. That’s why mobile-first payment options turn what could be a drawn-out process into a one-tap confirmation.
Coupled with simplified checkout flows (like autofilling personal details or storing preferences for return guests), this makes the mobile experience frictionless. And on a device where attention spans are shortest, eliminating friction is everything.
4. Match OTA flexibility
Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) know payment flexibility is one of their biggest competitive advantages. They’ve invested heavily in checkout, offering the widest range of currencies, wallets, and localised methods, making it easy for anyone from anywhere to book in seconds. If your direct booking engine feels more limited, guests will gravitate back to OTAs by default.
By adopting that same flexibility, you level the playing field. You’re essentially saying: “Booking direct is just as easy, but better for you, because you get the best deal straight from us.” Matching OTA-standard payments is how you prove your direct channel deserves to win.
5. Shorten booking time
In hotel eCommerce, speed equals conversion and direct hotel bookings are no different. The more steps you add, the more chances guests have to second-guess or drop off. Fast, familiar payment methods reduce booking time from minutes to seconds. Guests shouldn’t have to think, hesitate, or work hard to pay you.
Optimising the mobile checkout experience
Your guests are already mobile-first. They browse rooms, compare prices, and book on their phone in between other tasks. If your payment experience isn’t mobile-ready, you’re losing them.
Wallets like Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal shorten checkout dramatically. A single tap or fingerprint confirmation replaces typing card numbers on a small screen. That difference alone can make or break a booking.
Simplified flows = less friction
Auto-filling guest details, saving preferences for return visitors, and using trusted checkout providers all shave seconds off the process. That’s critical when attention spans are short.
Hotel checkout UX tips for mobile payments:
- Keep forms short (name, email, basic details only)
- Show payment buttons clearly above the fold
- Use recognisable, trusted payment provider badges
- Test the flow yourself: does it “just work” in under a minute?
Conclusion
Payments are the final step in the booking journey and the moment where revenue is either won or lost. For too long, hotels have treated payments as a necessity. But now, they’re a touchpoint that carries enormous weight.
By offering localised hotel payments and flexible methods, you reduce friction, build trust, and show guests you understand their needs wherever they come from. The result? Higher completion rates, fewer abandoned bookings, and increased direct bookings.
The good news: with the right hotel booking engine partner, adding new payment methods doesn’t require complex development or financial hassle. Ultimately, your payment flow should feel as curated and guest‑friendly as your rooms and service. When it does, you not only convert more bookings but also strengthen your direct channel’s reputation for convenience.
Want to make sure guests book directly, with ease? Discover how Hotelchamp’s Booking Engine transforms your checkout with quick, localised payments. Explore Hotelchamp’s Payments.
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