Hotels, hospitality businesses and event venues across the UK are facing a sharp rise in operating costs, and many are responding by fixing the payment processes that sit behind every booking, deposit and guest transaction. Increases in business rates, employer National Insurance contributions and the National Living Wage have all landed within a short space of time, and operators are looking beyond price rises for ways to protect their margins. Payment technology has become one of the most practical places to start.
That shift is driving increased demand for SOTpay across the hotel, hospitality and events sectors, as operators look for smarter ways to reduce payment friction, improve visibility and regain control of the customer payment journey.
Cost pressure in hospitality is coming from every direction at once. Rates, wages, supplier costs and third-party booking commissions are all climbing, and some operators are reporting steep increases in their day-to-day running costs. Passing every increase on to guests carries its own risk, so attention is turning to the systems, processes and payment flows inside the business, where inefficiency has been absorbed for years.
For many hospitality businesses, payments have historically been spread across separate platforms with little connection between them. Secure telephone payments, event deposits, balance payments, pre-authorisations, recurring payments, parking transactions and online bookings often live in different systems, each with its own admin overhead.
The result is friction for front-of-house teams, finance departments and customers alike. Visibility suffers, processes vary from one department to the next, and exposure to payment security risk grows with every workaround. Reconciliation becomes a manual chore, and revenue leaks through inefficient workflows and inconsistent payment handling.
"Hospitality businesses are being squeezed from every direction. Rates, wages, National Insurance, supplier costs and third-party booking commissions are all placing pressure on margins. The answer cannot simply be to absorb the cost or keep increasing prices. Operators need to look at where revenue is leaking, where processes are slowing teams down, and where technology can give them better control."
Jason Mace, CEO of SOTpay
"The technology challenge in hospitality is not just about adding more payment methods. It is about connecting the right payment journey to the right customer scenario while maintaining security, compliance and operational simplicity. SOTpay has been built to support omnichannel workflows, reduce PCI exposure and give businesses the flexibility to manage payments securely across multiple departments and use cases."
Steve Biggs, CTO of SOTpay
SOTpay brings multiple payment journeys together into one controlled environment. Hotels and venues can manage secure telephone payments, Pay by Bank, QR payments, deposits, recurring payments, parking technology, pre-authorisation, card vault payments and omnichannel workflows through a single streamlined approach.
For operators under cost pressure, that level of control delivers in several practical ways:
One of the biggest commercial challenges for the sector remains reliance on online travel agents such as Booking.com, Airbnb and Expedia. With a significant proportion of booking value diverted through OTA channels and their commissions, many hotel operators are now prioritising direct booking journeys to retain more revenue within the business.
A direct booking only converts when the payment step feels effortless and trustworthy. SOTpay enables hospitality teams to take payments securely across every customer touchpoint, including telephone bookings, email, SMS, QR codes, online journeys and in-person workflows. Guests pay through trusted, branded payment journeys, while operators reduce risk and keep the booking, and the revenue, in house.
The impact shows up in ordinary hospitality moments. A guest booking directly over the phone is guided through a secure payment journey without reading card details aloud to staff. A wedding venue taking a high-value deposit offers Pay by Bank as a secure, low-cost option. A hotel group running multiple properties gains consistent payment processes, clearer reconciliation and better reporting across the whole estate.
Finance teams gain visibility across all payment activity. Reservations, front-of-house and events teams collect payments in a more professional way. Guests get a smoother, more trusted experience from enquiry through to final balance.
As Jason Mace concludes:
"The future of hospitality payments is not about giving customers one way to pay. It is about giving them the right way to pay, securely and conveniently, while giving the business control, visibility and confidence. That is where SOTpay is making a real difference."
You can read more about where guest payment expectations are heading in our guide to the modern hospitality payment experience.
Rising costs demand a smarter response than price increases alone. If your payment processes are fragmented across systems and departments, a payments review is one of the fastest ways to find recoverable margin. Book a no obligation demonstration and see how SOTpay brings every payment journey under one roof.
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