Baywood Hotels Selects eTip to Power Digital Tipping at its Properties

eTip's digital tipping solution provides a seamless guest experience while enhancing satisfaction and retention among Baywood Hotels' 5,000+ employees

COLUMBIA, Md., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Baywood Hotels, one of the nation's fastest-growing, privately owned hotel companies, announces today that it chooses eTip, a leader in cashless tipping, as its partner in offering a digital tipping solution at its properties. The new solution, powered by eTip and offered through the Visa network, creates a digital tipping experience allowing guests to easily and securely express gratitude to hotel associates. eTip will be available at properties within the Baywood Hotels portfolio – including Hilton, Marriott, IHG, and Choice branded hotels.

With the growth of digital payment technologies, fewer Americans carry cash, particularly when they visit hotels. Now, 40 percent of guests at US hotels report carrying significantly less cash than they did five years ago. And while some tipping solutions exist today, they often come with frictions and complexities that diminish the overall guest experience. eTip solves this problem with a digital platform that is designed to be user-friendly, fast, and integrated with a hotel's overall brand.

"We pride ourselves on seeking innovative solutions to best serve the needs of our employees," says Ryan Lee, Chief Operating Officer, Baywood Hotels. "With eTip's solution, we're proud to not only modernize a time-honored tradition of allowing guests to express their appreciation but also thrilled to offer a method for employees to more quickly and efficiently enjoy the benefits of their dedicated work."

eTip requires no mobile app download or login credentials. All guests need to do is scan a QR code using the camera on their mobile phone, tap the banner that appears on their screen, and then securely tip using their preferred payment method. eTip also offers "tap to tip," which gives users the ability to pay through an NFC-enabled QR-code. The feature is activated by a user tapping their smartphone on the QR code, automatically opening the profile of the associate or department the guest wishes to tip. Once the guest leaves a tip electronically, associates can quickly receive the tip in their bank account through Visa Direct, eliminating the need to wait for a tip to be paid through the weekly or bi-weekly payroll process. eTip makes digital tipping easier and faster for guests and associates.

"We are seeing an increase in market demand for a fast, reliable, and fully digitized tipping experience for hotel guests and employees in the hospitality industry," said Yanilsa Gonzalez-Ore, Senior Vice President of Visa Direct. "eTip now offers a digital tipping solution, enabled by Visa Direct, to Baywood Hotels, helping to modernize that process for their guests and employees."

Key Capabilities of eTip:

• No app required. Guests don't need to download yet another app on their phone. eTip opens directly in their phone's browser.
• Flexible and secure payment options. Guests can tip with their preferred payment method such as debit/credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and more.
• Automatic tip disbursements. eTip's collaboration with Visa allows tip disbursement in real-time* to any bank account with an eligible Visa card via Visa Direct.
• Individual and/or pooled tipping. Managers can allocate tips to individual associates or pool tips by team/department.
• White labeling. The white label design enables Baywood Hotels to easily integrate the system with their brand image.
• Easy to use. eTip does all the heavy lifting, including onboarding, payment processing, tip payouts and reporting.

We're thrilled Baywood Hotels sees the value in our mission of revolutionizing the 160-year-old cash tradition with digital tipping," says Nicolas Cassis, cofounder and CEO of eTip. "Together, we address pain points from every side: the hoteliers, the associates, and the guests. We look forward to continuing to offer cutting-edge technology simplifying the guest experience and financial reconciliation while also helping to deliver the high-touch, personalized experience guests have come to expect when they stay at one of these properties."

About eTip

eTip is a digital tipping and financial benefits platform tailored to service sector businesses, including hotels, restaurants, gaming, and more. eTip is trusted by global hospitality, leisure, and retail brands to drive operational efficiency, foster customer loyalty, and engage workers with digital financial benefits. eTip leverages technology, payments innovations, and the power of gratitude to build solutions to solve customers' service-level challenges and address industry-specific needs. eTip's mission is to empower the services economy with a holistic platform that digitizes cash-heavy operations, centralizes on-bill and off-bill tipping, and offers workers financial wellness tools, including emergency savings, credit building, and now, on-demand payout of tips to achieve their long-term financial goals.

About Baywood Hotels

Established in 1975, Baywood Hotels, Inc. is a fast-growing hospitality management and development company, operating over $1 billion in assets and employing over 5,000 associates nationwide. The company is headquartered in Columbia, MD and has regional offices in Denver, CO; Miami, FL; Rochester, NY, San Antonio, TX and Northern VA. In each of its regions, the private hotel ownership company is consistently recognized as an innovative leader in the hotel industry, focusing on product concept and development and the outstanding management of its assets. The focused vision, strong values, and aggressive long-range strategy of Baywood Hotels has helped the company develop reputable and well-branded hotels in areas where Baywood has competitive expertise and partnerships. Baywood Hotels' portfolio includes well-known brands, such as Marriott, Hilton, and InterContinental Hotels Group, as well as several independent brands.

About Visa

Visa is the world's leader in digital payments. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable, and secure payment network - enabling individuals, businesses, and economies to thrive. Our advanced global processing network, VisaNet, provides secure and reliable payments around the world and is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second. The company's relentless focus on innovation is a catalyst for the rapid growth of digital commerce on any device for everyone, everywhere. As the world moves from analog to digital, Visa is applying our brand, products, people, network, and scale to reshape the future of commerce. For more information, visit About Visa, visa.com/blog and @VisaNews.

Media Contact:
Nicholas Cassis,
[email protected]

SOURCE eTip