Corporate lodging platform HRS has signed a global
partnership with Citi to integrate Citi's virtual payment product in HRS'
travel booking processes and help their corporate customers automate the
lodging payment process.
Per the agreement, HRS is embedding Citi's Virtual Card
Account offering in 46 markets—including Brazil, China, India and Russia—into
its travel booking processing, making virtual cards available to accommodation
providers worldwide for payment. HRS can then collect, audit and provide hotel
invoices to corporate clients with Level 3 data, which includes line-item data
from the stay for ancillaries and other charges beyond the gross total and
basic hotel information. Citi is providing billing and data capabilities to
ease integration with accounting processes.
With the integration, joint customers of HRS and Citi will
have access to detailed metrics on their program. For example, they can monitor
onsite costs such as parking, food and beverage and resort fees and also get
VAT data for reclaiming purposes.
"Ultimately, from a technology perspective being the
enabler here, this is about ensuring there are minimal touchpoints which results
in fewer issues and less chance for error and less pushback for users with the
system," said HRS payment solutions chief growth officer Kurt Knackstedt.
"Our goal is to make the elements of the [payment] workflow as minimally
invasive to the traveler as possible. But also from the finance department
perspective, we want to reduce work for them and the quality of the information
submitted through the travel process is increasing and it's being done with
less effort." Formalizing the partnership with Citi, he said, allows HRS
to offer this seamless workflow to more clients globally.
The partnership builds on collaboration that Citi and HRS
already have been doing together with their mutual clients around the world.
"Payment efficiencies drive an easier, more seamless experience for
everyday business travelers while also advancing lodging program priorities
that are vital to the C-suite," HRS CEO Tobias Ragge said in a statement.
Virtual payment capabilities for hotel have taken a
heightened priority during the pandemic, as they cut down on guest interactions
with the front desk, limiting potential exposure points with close, in-person
interactions, according to HRS.