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Baywood Hotels Inc. is making eTip’s cashless mobile-tipping technology available across its entire portfolio of properties, which include Hilton, Marriott, IHG, and Choice hotels.
ETip enables consumers to digitally tip hotel workers by scanning a QR code with their mobile phone. That opens the eTip app directly in their phone’s Web browser. Once the app is open, consumers tap the banner that appears on their screen, then select their preferred payment method to pay the tip.
Consumers can also pay a tip using an NFC-enabled QR code. Consumers tap their phone on the QR code, which automatically opens the profile of the associate or department the guest wishes to tip. Hotel employees can receive their tips directly in their bank accounts through Visa Direct, Visa Inc.’s real-time service. This avoids waiting for tips to be disbursed as part of payroll processing.
“We pride ourselves on seeking innovative solutions to best serve the needs of our employees,” Baywood Hotels chief operating officer Ryan Lee says in a statement. “With eTip’s solution, we’re proud to not only modernize a time-honored tradition of allowing guests to express their appreciation but also thrilled to offer a method for employees to more quickly and efficiently enjoy the benefits of their dedicated work.”
The addition of eTip is expected to help employees at Baywood’s properties net more tips. A study of hotel employees and guests by Canary Technologies, a provider of digital tools for hotel management, revealed that tips have decreased in the past five years. One reason is that 40% of guests responding to the survey said they carry significantly less cash than they did five years ago, while 18% said they carry slightly less cash.
The study revealed that more than 70% of hotel guests said they would have tipped if digital tipping had been available. In addition, about 70% of guests who did tip during their stay said they would have tipped more had there been access to digital tipping.
“We are seeing an increase in market demand for a fast, reliable, and fully digitized tipping experience for hotel guests and employees in the hospitality industry,” Yanilsa Gonzalez-Ore, senior vice president of Visa Direct, says in a statement. “eTip now offers a digital tipping solution, enabled by Visa Direct, to Baywood Hotels, helping to modernize that process for their guests and employees.”
