Bitcoin Integrated Hotel Booking Engine "Guestleader" Launched

Revpar Guru and BitPay have joined forces to launch Guestleader, allowing hotels to incorporate Bitcoin Payments into their online booking system, without the need to invest in a direct infrastructure.

Guestleader, which is claimed to be "the world’s first and only bitcoin-compatible booking engine", gives potential clients the ability to reserve a room, just like any other traditional booking system does (via Revpar Guru's engine), before presenting the client with an option to pay for the room(s) with Bitcoin (via Bitpay's engine).

Revpar Guru, a Miami based hotel revenue management provider, mentioned,

“Hotels of any size will have the ability to accept payment in bitcoins (and by doing so, attract a new and emerging customer) without having a great deal of technical knowledge.”

With BitPay, an Atlanta-based bitcoin payment processing company, expanding,

“With this revolutionary financial technology, hotel properties have the ability to reach new customers in emerging markets as bitcoins are a borderless digital currency. Using REVPAR GURU’s GuestLeader booking engine, guests can select Bitcoins as the method of payment during checkout.”

As DC Magnates reported in March, Bitpay have opened two more offices in New York and San Francisco; this latest partnership with Revpar Guru is another sign of their burgeoning impetus.

Post checkout, hotels will be given the choice to be paid through bitcoin, i.e. to their bitcoin wallet, or through one of nine fiat currencies, i.e. direct to their business bank account.

So whilst this solution doesn't give hotels the direct ability to accept Bitcoins, it's a very useful indirect alternative, requiring little technical expertise to implement.