European travel demand is robust. In 2025, tourists spent nearly 3.1 billion nights in EU accommodations (including hotels and campsites), the second consecutive record year for the region. Spain led with 513.6 million nights, followed by Italy, France, and Germany, evidence that hospitality volumes remain high and increasingly international. 

On the ground, hotels and campings continue to juggle queues at reception, fragmented payment points, pre‑authorisations and late charges, multi‑method acceptance for international guests, mobile acceptance across large properties, and complex reconciliation, all while guest expectations tilt toward contactless, digital‑first experiences. Multiple industry studies confirm that contactless and mobile‑first flows are now baseline expectations for travellers and a lever to reduce wait time at arrival. 

The hospitality pain points

As a hospitality professional, from your operations, these likely sound familiar: 

  • Slow or manual check‑in/out, peak‑time bottlenecks, and staff pressure.
  • Multiple payment points, reception, restaurant, spa and/or rentals, that don’t always talk to each other, which complicates reporting and reconciliation.
  • Pre‑authorisations at booking or check‑in and late charges post‑stay, which require careful handling under PSD2 rules in Europe.
  • International guests’ preferred payment methods (wallets and APMs) not always accepted which results in missed conversion and frustrating customer experiences.
  • Limited mobile acceptance across large outdoor properties, which is common for campings and resort‑style venues, and connectivity gaps that hold back payments. 

How PayXpert solves this across the entire guest journey

PayXpert is a technology partner working on payments for hotels, campings, and a diverse type of accommodations with omnichannel acceptance across online, in‑person, and on‑the‑go touchpoints, unified in one Back Office. 

1) Booking and reservations: convert without friction 

  • Smart online checkout: Accept cards, wallets and international APMs with optimised, secure flows that align with PSD2/SCA (via EMV 3‑D Secure and exemptions strategies where applicable). This lifts conversion and reduces false declines.
  • Phone bookings: Securely capture payments for guests who prefer to reserve by phone. This is useful for groups and high‑touch sales.
  • Pay by Link: Send a personalised payment link to confirm bookings, deposits, or add‑ons (spa, activities) in a couple of clicks. No need to visit your ecommerce website, send it via email, sms or any other channel you work with. The customer can pay directly with the link provided.
  • Pre‑authorisations and additional charges: Apply best practices in travel/hospitality, such as authenticating at booking, authorising within the recommended window, and processing additional charges via MITs (merchant-initiated transactions).

Why it matters: In the EU, online guest payments must comply with SCA (strong customer authentication), unless exempted an exemption applies. A payment gateway optimised for PSD2 compliance (using the latest 3DS 2.x3.1) reduces friction whilst ensuring compliance and security. 

2) Arrival and check‑in: move queues, not problems 

  • For reception, PayXpert supports flexible touchpoints with modern, fixed and portable Android terminals, so your team can check in guests anywhere on property.
  • Offline mode in your payment terminal helps you continue accepting payments even with limited connectivity. An essential functionality for large outdoor sites and campings.
  • Why it matters: Guests increasingly expect a contactless check-in process that prioritises mobile devices; and European hotels are investing in digital and self-service check-in options to reduce queues and ease the pressure on staff. 

3) In‑stay purchases: remove friction and add convenience 

  • Unified acceptance across outlets: it doesn’t matter if it is for restaurants, bar, spa, rentals or booking activities, allow your guests to pay the same way everywhere, and keep your transactions consolidated in one view.
  • QR flows and Pay by Link: let guests order or pay from their device for room service, click‑and‑collect, or activities.
  • Alternative payment methods (APMs) for international guests, such as Alipay+ and WeChat Pay, reduce abandonment and enable Asian travellers and other international wallet users to pay with their home apps. A simple and familiar solution that ensures the satisfaction of this rapidly growing customer base.

Why it matters: As cross-border travel increases, accepting different payment methods can make the difference between a sale and a lost customer, particularly in high-spending, long-haul markets. 

4) Check‑out: fast, transparent, and accurate 

  • Offering multi‑currency payments and digital receipts keep the goodbye moment simple and efficient. 
  • Stored credentials/tokenisation support one‑click experiences for returning guests while reducing exposure to raw card data. 

If you run a hotel, camping, or multi‑site accommodation, your growth hinges on payments that are fast, flexible, and unified across booking, check‑in, on‑property spend, and check‑out. PayXpert delivers omnichannel acceptance, a variety of terminals, offline continuity, card payments and APMs for international guests, as well as centralised reporting for Europe*, so you can shorten queues, accept more transactions easily, and simplify your operations.  

Ready to modernise payments for your hotel or camping? Contact one of our experts and book a demo to explore your right payment fit. 

*PayXpert Spain SL can offer its solutions in the following countries in Europe: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Czech Republic, Spain and Sweden.