Kessler Collection, a luxury hotel group in the United States, has announced that it is now accepting digital currency as a form of payment for bookings via payment processor BitPay.
“I believe cryptocurrency is only going to gain acceptance, and partnering with BitPay allows us to offer more choices in the payment process,” PYMNTS quoted The Kessler Collection Chairman and chief executive officer Richard Kessler as saying in the announcement.
The Kessler Collection has also become the first luxury hotel group in the U.S. to accept cryptocurrency as a mode of payment — and the first in the world to join forces with BitPay, the world’s biggest provider of bitcoin and cryptocurrency payment services.
Crypto as a form of payment
According to Kessler, guests can now use cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, ether, dogecoin and bitcoin cash as well as stablecoins Binance USD, USDC, PAX and Gemini Dollar as a payment method.
Properties owned and operated by Kessler include JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District, Grand Bohemian Greenville (future property), Mansion on Forsyth Park, Grand Bohemian Hotel Asheville, Beaver Creek Lodge, Elliot Park Hotel, Grand Bohemian Hotel Charlotte and Casa Monica Resort & Spa.
Global adoption
The move will make it more convenient for guests traveling around the world, both in time saved from going to a local currency exchange and in money saved with a lower exchange rate, Kessler chief financial officer Fravy Collazo said.
As early as 2013, airline companies and travel operators started accepting bitcoin, and now The Kessler Collection is banking on the emerging trend that is significantly reshaping the future of market competition as virtual currency registers an all-time high.
The Kessler Collection is one of the leading luxury hotel groups in the U.S. and is being very innovative and catering to their clients by enabling them to pay in cryptocurrency, BitPay chief commercial officer Sonny Singh said in the announcement, as per PYMNTS.
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