In cooperation with WeChat Pay, Shangri-La Group will now deploy offline mobile payment and offer guests in our China hotels, deposit payment alternatives using an e-channel platform and this makes Shangri-La the first hotel group in mainland China to offer such e-payment facilities. 

After a pilot was successfully initiated for the WeChat Pay Deposit in one of the Shangri-La hotels, this deposit payment option will now be offered by 45 Shangri-La hotels across China by 31 May, 2019. This pilot underscores our commitment to drive the digital transformation of the group and is part of our on-going quest to enhance our service quality and to deliver greater convenience and personalised experience to our guests. 

By integrating the deposit and room charges, Shangri-La brings a one-stop payment solution to guests which will help save them time upon check in/out as well as provide greater operational efficiency for the hotels.

The WeChat Payment service is expected to be well received by many local consumers given the overwhelming popularity of mobile payment in China. Guests can choose to use WeChat Pay to settle the deposit at the hotel front desk upon check-in. They can also view the deposit transaction via their WeChat account. Upon check out, the deposit will be refunded to guests’ WeChat accounts after deducting for any other incidentals and non-room expenses. On the hotel end, Shangri-La will be able to conduct real-time confirmation of the guest’s deposit which will help reduce the risk of any transaction dispute. 

Tencent and Shangri-La Group announced the signing of a strategic partnership and co-development of Smart Hotel solutions in November 2018. According to the cooperation plan, in addition to the successful roll-out of WeChat Pay Deposit, Shangri-La and Tencent will continue to design and implement more strategic projects in the future.