Luxury hotel group The Kessler Collection is teaming with BitPay to accept digital currency as a payment method, according to an announcement on Tuesday (March 9).
“I believe cryptocurrency is only going to gain acceptance, and partnering with BitPay allows us to offer more choices in the payment process,” The Kessler Collection Chairman and CEO Richard Kessler said in the announcement.
Each of the eight corporate-owned hotels in the collection will take bitcoin, Dogecoin, Ethereum and four stablecoins, among other tokens, effective immediately. Kessler-owned properties include JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District, Mansion on Forsyth Park, Grand Bohemian Greenville (future property), Grand Bohemian Hotel Charlotte, Grand Bohemian Hotel Asheville, Elliot Park Hotel, Casa Monica Resort & Spa and Beaver Creek Lodge.
Each property will provide an emailed invoice that will let guests make payments from their digital currency wallets using BitPay. Clients will have the capacity to make payments through DOGE, ETH, BCH and BTC, in addition to PAX, GUSD, BUSD and USDC.
“The Kessler Collection is one of the premier luxury hotel groups, and is being very innovative and catering to their customers by allowing them to pay in bitcoin and cryptocurrency,” BitPay Chief Commercial Officer Sonny Singh said in the announcement. “Bitcoin payments are cheaper than credit cards and help international travelers make payments easier.”
The news comes as crypto is edging into the mainstream. It was the topic of a previous PYMNTS interview with Sean Rolland, director of product for BitPay, who said that mass payouts – harnessing bitcoin now, and ultimately other digital currencies – could be the tailwind that brings cryptos into use for everyday transactions.
Among BitPay’s offerings: The firm handles payment processing and lets individuals and companies purchase products and services via digital currencies. Rolland offered the example of a consumer who wishes to pay their AT&T bill harnessing digital currency and can do so via BitPay.