Millennium Hotels and Resorts is partnering with digital payment platform Alipay, operated by Ant Financial Services Group, to give Chinese travelers the ability to book hotel rooms and pay for additional services through the payment platform. More than 600 million Chinese users can now pay using Alipay while visiting key Millennium Hotels and Resorts properties in the U.S., including Millennium Broadway New York Times Square, The Premier Times Square by Millennium, The Bostonian Boston, and Millennium Biltmore Los Angeles.
Alipay is China’s leading online payment provider and the primary means of online and mobile payments for Chinese consumers. Millennium Hotels and Resorts will be able to market to Chinese tourists before, during and after their visits, boosting exposure of their businesses among China’s rapidly expanding overseas visitors.
Currently available online for online bookings at all Millennium Hotels and Resorts globally, Alipay can now be used while visiting hotels in New York, Los Angeles and Boston to pay for additional services provided at the hotel, including rooms, incidentals and dining.
“We are pleased to partner with one of the premier global digital payment platforms to launch the service in New York, Boston and Los Angeles in an effort to make the travel experience as seamless as possible for guests,” said Howard Wu, President – North America and CTO of Millennium Hotels and Resorts, in a statement. “As a hospitality brand, we are always looking for ways to enhance the overall guest experience, and expect Alipay to be well received by Chinese travelers visiting key markets in the United States.”
Millennium Hotels and Resorts’ enablement of Alipay leverages an existing partnership between Alipay and First Data. Last May, First Data and Alipay announced plans to enable Alipay across the millions of First Data merchant locations across the United States, including Millennium Hotels.
