At Mews, we’re delighted to announce our latest integration with online payment provider iDEAL, a much-anticipated connection for our Dutch hoteliers that will enable guests to make payments seamlessly.

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What are iDEAL payments? 

iDEAL is an online payment method that lets consumers pay for goods or services online – in our case, it allows your guests to pay for their stay at a property. It connects the vendor directly to the customer's own bank, enabling fast and secure transactions. iDEAL is the most popular payment method in the Netherlands, with over 50 million payments processed every month.  

Although iDEAL is most commonly used in the Netherlands, there’s no reason why any hotel around the world can’t benefit from it. For instance, properties that see a high number of Dutch guests also stand to benefit. 

 

How do iDEAL payments work with Mews? 

The new Mews Marketplace iDEAL integration allows guests to make easy online payments at multiple stages during the guest journey: at booking in the Mews Booking Engine, during online check-out, and through Mews payment requests. 

The process is very similar for check-out transactions and payment requests. Once a guest has selected their bank and completed two-factor authentication, the payment will be authorized immediately.  

The integration is unique because it’s fully embedded into Mews guest experience software. Once a guest uses iDEAL, either with the booking engine, for a payment request, or in the guest portal as part of Online Guest Services, the transactions and reconciliation are done exactly on the same way as credit cards. Transactions clearly presented in each guest's payment profile and payment report, so you can easily view and analyze payment preferences. 

 

The benefits of iDEAL payments 

Enabling the iDEAL integration is great news for guests and for hoteliers. First of all, it makes for a smoother guest experience. A customer can now book and pay with iDEAL directly in the Mews Booking Engine, instead of choosing an alternative payment method of booking via another channel such as an OTA. The high level of security and hassle-free authentication happens in the familiar environment of the guest’s own bank, ensuring they feel confident when making a payment. 

The knock-on benefits for hoteliers are obvious: your direct website booking engine should see an increase in conversion, which also means better profit margins by cutting out the travel agency middlemen. There’s no need for a third-party payment solution and there’s absolutely no manual work required on behalf of your team. Everything’s smooth, automated, and instant.  

When it’s time for guests to depart, they can now settle their bills with iDEAL during online check-out. This will increase uptake of online check-out, meaning more guests can skip the queues at reception if they need to leave in a hurry. It also gives your front desk team more time to focus on the guests that need them. 

Another benefit is that iDEAL transactions are cheaper when compared to payment cards, so that will help the bottom line too. Oh, and did we mention no chargebacks? Any payment made via iDEAL can’t be disputed, so that’s one less thing to worry about. 

 

How to enable iDEAL payments with Mews 

So how do you actually get everything set up? It’s as simple as a few clicks. Here are the steps you need to follow:

  1. In Mews, go to Main Menu > Marketplace
  2. In the search bar, type iDEAL or look in the Payments section
  3. Find the Mews Alternative Payment Methods (iDEAL) add-on
  4. Click See more
  5. Click Subscribe
  6. Accept the terms and conditions, and click Purchase

There’s no need for a separate contract or anything complicated. Once you’ve purchased iDEAL you can enable it straight away. Please note iDEAL can only be used by properties using Stripe to process payments, and only works for rates that are paid in full when the reservation is created (non-refundable rates, for example).

Remember, if you’re currently using a third-party payment method in order to support iDEAL payments, you no longer need it. So once you’ve enabled your new integration, remember to cancel the old one.

To purchase the Mews iDEAL integration, go to the marketplace and follow the steps above. You can also find more detailed information in our help center about how to enable iDEAL.
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Tom Brown

When Tom isn't creating outstanding marketing content for Mews, he writes fiction for himself. Either way, he only uses the best words.