At Ibiza hotel, biometric payments let guests pay with fingerprints

Ushuaïa Ibiza Beach Hotel has rolled out what is the first instance of biometric payments we’ve seen in the hospitality industry, utilising a system from PayTouch.

Innovative ideas enabling consumers to pay digitally without the use of a card have recently included RFID chips embedded into watches and receipts sent directly to customers’ smartphones. However, Ushuaïa Ibiza Beach Hotel has rolled out what is the first instance of biometric payments we’ve seen in the hospitality industry, utilising the PayTouch system.

The hotel, which describes itself as a “techie pioneer”, has already experimented with RFID-equipped bracelets allowing guests to keep their Facebook friends updated about their holiday in real time. Now it has teamed up with PayTouch, which travelers can register with upon arrival at the hotel. Guests give their card details along with the biometric data of their right index and middle fingers. All of the facilities at the destination have been equipped with fingerprint recognition devices, meaning that customers do not have to present cards or enter pin numbers — rather, they press their fingers against the reader for a few seconds to complete payment. Security is increased due to the unique nature of fingerprints and the reduced need to carry cards around while on holiday. Each registration also comes with an account where users can track transactions online and the hotel rewards guests taking up the scheme with “access to events, reserved areas, discounts, prizes, promotions”. There is no extra cost to register with PayTouch. The following video shows the system in action:

While Ushuaïa Ibiza Beach Hotel is one of the first companies to trial the system, it is clear that PayTouch could be a strong contender for cardless payments both at home and abroad. One worth getting in on early?

Source: Springwise.com, 11 June 2012