Payment infrastructure not keeping pace with guest demand leads to revenue loss, Journey whitepaper finds

Firm has implemented Klarna offering as action point

Hotels are increasingly missing out on revenue opportunities because of outdated payment infrastructure, according to new research from Journey.

The company's new white paper, Retailing the Entire Guest Journey, revealed there's a disconnect between the abilities of the current infrastructure and the expectations of a guest's experience. 

From the one million transactions processed by Journey in 2025 alongside industry research, the report found that hospitality is rapidly evolving from a room-selling model into an experience-led economy encompassing dining, wellness, activities, retail and services across the entire guest lifecycle.

While hotels are seeing benefits overall, the industry can't keep up with the demand of booking experience, with researching showing that hotels adopting connected payment infrastructure are seeing significant commercial benefits enabling guests to book experiences more easily which leads to operators increase guest spend and reduce operational complexity.

Among its findings, only 28% of hospitality businesses say current infrastructure can easily support ancillary revenue offerings while 74% of hospitality executives report spending excessive time reconciling payments across fragmented systems.

Payments juggernaut Stripe is making quite the impact with guests that used Stripe's Link (One-Link) checkout generated a 53% higher average basket value than traditional digital wallets, equating to an average uplift of approximately £73 per transaction.

This is further qualifed by 69% of repeat guests activiely choosing One-Link when available.

Apple Pay accounted for 22% of all transactions across Journey hotel customers in 2025 and has risen to 35% during 2026.

The report argued that as guest expectations increasingly mirror those of leading consumer platforms, every payment interruption creates friction and basket abandonment. 

Whether booking a spa treatment, reserving a restaurant table, purchasing activities or upgrading a stay, guests increasingly expect one-click checkout, stored payment credentials and seamless transactions across every touchpoint.

Simon Bullingham, CEO of Journey, said: "Hospitality has become far more than accommodation. Guests are purchasing experiences before arrival, during their stay and even after they leave. 

"Yet many hotels still rely on disconnected payment systems that create friction for guests and unnecessary complexity for operators. The opportunity is to treat the entire guest journey as a connected commercial experience."

The report also highlighted growing demand for flexible payment options, with only 32% of hospitality businesses currently able to offer pay-over-time solutions despite strong consumer interest. 

In response, Journey is rolling out Klarna across its platform, enabling hotels to offer flexible payment options both online and, later this year, through payment terminals. 

The move is expected to help hotels attract younger travellers, with Gen Z and Millennials accounting for approximately 70% of Klarna transaction volume globally.

Alongside payment flexibility, fraud prevention is emerging as a growing commercial priority. More than half (51%) of hospitality executives surveyed by Stripe said failed or blocked transactions negatively impact customer experience and brand perception.

Journey's Hospitality Performance Platform is used by more than 750 hotel and spa properties worldwide, helping hotels sell rooms, experiences and ancillary services through a connected booking and payments ecosystem. Last year alone, Journey's hospitality partners generated more than 62 million bookings through the platform.