As 2025 progresses, the hospitality industry is demonstrating strong momentum and a clear shift toward future-focused strategies. Occupancy is rising, long-haul travel is rebounding, and operators are shifting focus - not just to recovery, but to reinvention.

But as travel returns, it’s clear that expectations have changed.

Today’s guests expect more than a place to stay. They expect frictionless, tech-enabled, values-driven experiences - and that includes how they pay.

A New Era of Hospitality

The guest journey has gone fully digital. From booking to check-in, mobile keys to contactless checkouts, hospitality is becoming less about the physical lobby and more about digital touchpoints.

• 72% of guests now prefer using digital tools for planning and booking.
• 85% expect contactless check-in and mobile key access as standard.
• And 69% say the payment experience affects whether they return to a hotel.

This isn’t just a shift in preference. It’s a shift in what defines a good stay.

The Overlooked Link Between Payments and Experience

In a hyper-connected world, payment is no longer just the final step. It’s a critical moment that shapes guest satisfaction and brand perception.

Whether it’s:

• A Gen Z backpacker splitting a bill on a digital wallet,
• A business traveller using a corporate card,
• Or a couple from overseas navigating unfamiliar currencies —

Guests now expect clarity, control, and convenience at checkout. When it’s absent, it leaves a mark.

Transparency Builds Trust

Well established in the hospitality space, Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) and Multicurrency Pricing (MCP) continue to play a crucial role in meeting international guest expectations. These solutions give international guests the option to pay in their home currency. For many guests, this removes the guesswork and builds trust at the most critical moment: payment.

Recent data shows:

• 85% of guests report greater convenience and clarity when offered DCC/MCP.
• 79% are more likely to return to a brand that offers it.
• 82% believe it positively impacts sales.

For operators, this isn’t about upselling. It’s about meeting guests where they are and offering them the transparency they increasingly demand.

Hospitality Is Evolving - Payments Should Too

What we’re seeing in 2025 is a blurring of lines between hospitality, retail, tech, and lifestyle.

• Guests are mixing business with leisure.
• They’re looking for personalisation, sustainability, and seamless digital flows.
• They’re comparing hotels not just with each other but with the platforms and apps they use every day.

In this environment, the way a guest pays isn’t a back-end process. It’s part of the experience and a signal of how well a brand understands its audience.

Looking Ahead

The global hospitality market is projected to reach $5.7 trillion this year. But growth won’t be defined by expansion alone. It will be shaped by experience.

The best brands will be those that integrate technology not just for efficiency but for removing friction, respecting preferences, and turning every interaction into an opportunity to build loyalty.

Because in the end, hospitality is about how we make people feel and that includes the moment they pay.

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Contact us today

Web: www.fexco.com

Ruth Levins
  087 755 3783
  RLevins@fexco.com

Andrew McCarthy
  087 413 4887
  amccarthy@fexco.com