As a vacation rental or hotel operator, you live or die by smooth guest payments. If paying a deposit, tourist tax or an extra service is hard, guests drop off, revenue is lost and your team wastes time chasing money instead of delivering great stays.
That is why Chekin has introduced native Apple Pay and Google Pay into its platform, bringing a new, seamless way to handle guest payments for both your business and your guests. From subscription billing to upsells in the Guest App, every transaction becomes faster, more secure and easier to complete on any device.
In this article, we will explore what is changing, why it matters for property managers and how you can turn guest payments into a true growth lever for your short-term rental or hotel business.
Why Guest Payments Are Broken for Many Property Managers
Most property managers know that payments are a constant headache:
- Guests abandon purchases when they have to type long card numbers on a phone.
- Cards expire between booking and arrival, causing failed charges and manual follow-up.
- International guests are nervous about entering card details into a site they do not recognise.
- Every failed payment becomes a support ticket and an operational fire drill.
The result is a poor guest payment experience, lower conversion on extras like early check-in or late check-out, and unnecessary pressure on your front desk or reservations team.
At the same time, guest expectations have changed. Travellers are used to one-tap checkouts inside the apps they use every day. When your guest payments feel slower and less secure than what they have on their smartphone, your brand looks outdated — even if the property itself is amazing.
How Chekin Streamlines Guest Payments With Apple Pay and Google Pay
Chekin’s new upgrade brings Apple Pay and Google Pay directly into the platform, so both hosts and guests can benefit from a modern, mobile-first payment experience.
Frictionless checkout on any device
With Apple Pay and Google Pay, guests no longer need to reach for their physical card or type in a 16-digit number. They simply confirm the payment using the wallet already stored on their phone or browser.
For you as a property manager, this means:
- Fewer abandoned checkouts when selling upsells and services in the Guest App.
- Faster completion of mandatory guest payments such as deposits or tourist taxes.
- A more natural, app-like guest journey from online check-in to payment and access.
Every extra second you remove from the checkout flow has a direct impact on your conversion rate. One-tap guest payments are one of the easiest ways to improve it.
Higher conversion on upsells and extras
Chekin already helps you generate additional revenue by offering services like early check-in, late check-out, pet fees, parking, transfers, insurance, digital keys and more through the Guest App.
By combining these upsell opportunities with Apple Pay and Google Pay, you make it dramatically easier for guests to say “yes”:
- They see the offer at the right moment in the digital journey.
- They trust the payment method because it is provided by Apple or Google.
- They can confirm and pay in seconds without leaving the app or finding their wallet.
This combination turns guest payments from a blocker into an accelerator for ancillary revenue.
Secure and compliant by design
Security is a critical part of guest payments. With Apple Pay and Google Pay, sensitive card details are never shared directly with your property. Instead, tokenisation and biometric authentication (Face ID, Touch ID or device unlock) protect each transaction.
For property managers, that means:
- Fewer disputes and chargebacks linked to suspicious transactions.
- Less stress around handling card data and compliance.
- A safer experience that you can confidently promote to your guests.
Guests feel more at ease when they recognise and trust the payment method, which again feeds back into higher completion rates.
Read more about:
Chekin and ISO 27001: leading data security in hospitality
What This Means for Your Vacation Rental or Hotel Business
Chekin’s upgrade to Apple Pay and Google Pay is not just a new button on the payment screen. It reshapes how guest payments work across your entire operation.
Less admin for your team
Failed or delayed payments create a huge amount of manual work. Your staff has to send reminders, update card details, check whether funds arrived and explain issues to guests.
With guest payments routed through modern wallets:
- There are fewer failed transactions created by expired or incorrect cards.
- Guests complete more payments before arrival, reducing check-in desk congestion.
- Your team can spend more time on service and upsell strategy instead of payment chasing.
This is especially valuable for multi-property managers and hotel groups, where small inefficiencies scale quickly.
Stronger brand and guest trust
Today’s travellers compare every interaction with the best digital experiences they know. When your guest payments feel instant and secure, your brand benefits directly:
- Guests perceive your operation as professional, modern and trustworthy.
- They are more willing to share additional data and buy extra services.
- They are more likely to repeat their stay or recommend your brand.
By embedding Apple Pay and Google Pay deeply into the Chekin journey, you align your brand with the most trusted payment names in the world.
Future-Proofing Guest Payments and the Guest Journey
Payment behaviour is evolving fast, and property managers need partners that evolve with it. Chekin’s focus on guest payments is part of a broader vision: to automate every critical step of the guest journey from check-in to check-out.
Today, this includes:
- Online check-in and ID verification.
- Legal reporting and document generation.
- Tourist tax calculation and collection.
- Smart access and digital keys.
- Upsells and ancillary services in the Guest App.
- And now, seamless guest payments through Apple Pay and Google Pay.
By centralising these touchpoints in one platform, you remove silos between operations, revenue management and guest experience. Payments become one more automated, optimised step instead of a recurring headache.
Looking ahead, a strong foundation for guest payments will also allow you to connect new services and partners — from insurance and mobility to local experiences — without redesigning how you charge guests each time.
Conclusion: Turn Guest Payments Into a Competitive Advantage
For vacation rentals and hotels, guest payments are no longer a back-office detail. They sit at the heart of how you capture revenue, deliver a smooth experience and differentiate your brand in a crowded market.
With its new Apple Pay and Google Pay upgrade, Chekin transforms guest payments into a faster, safer and more conversion-friendly part of the guest journey. Your guests enjoy a familiar one-tap checkout, and you enjoy higher upsell revenue, fewer payment issues and a more efficient operation.
If you want to modernise your guest payments while automating the rest of your check-in and guest journey, Chekin gives you an integrated solution designed for property managers like you.
Discover how Chekin can help you automate check-in, stay compliant, protect your property, and boost revenue—saving 87% of your time and earning more from every booking.
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