We’ve all been there. We want to tip a hotel concierge or the bell hop, but we forgot to grab some cash before our trip. The Wall Street Journal reported today that Wyndham Hotels has been rolling out a digital tipping app and Hilton has also started a pilot program for digital tips.
In the case of Wyndham, they are using a solution provided by Béné. The payment is initiated through a QR code and takes major card brands, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. That will work fine for tipping the person who cleans the room and leaves a card with their personal QR code on it. It will still be a little awkward to grab a QR code for the individual who puts your bags in the back of the car for you.
Overall, it’s a step up from apologizing that you don’t have any cash to someone who just helped you. Hopefully this catches on and becomes the norm. I have to imagine it will help the service staff even if these transactions are tracked and reported for tax purposes.
Overview by Sarah Grotta, Director, Debit and Alternative Products Advisory Service at Mercator Advisory Group.