Last June we introduced the Open Payment Alliance (OPA) Early Adopters Program (EAP). 4 months and 20 companies later, we think it is appropriate to make an update on how the implementation of this payment standard – which will revolutionize our sector – is progressing. This is why the EAP was the main topic of the last baVel Digital Summit session.
The EAP is a program led by Voxel with the collaboration of Mastercard whose objective is to promote the adoption of the Open Payment Alliance. Currently, more than 20 companies have already joined this initiative and some of them have explained their experience in the digital event.
In the current situation, the Open Payment Alliance makes more sense than ever. As explained by Xavier Ginesta, President of Voxel, in the session, initially, the OPA was conceived as a B2B payment channel to eliminate inefficiencies and frictions in this process. Also as a channel to introduce new payment methods, optimize payment processes and associated costs. In the midst of the pandemic, the OPA has emerged as an instrument to mitigate the risk of non-payment and generate trust among the players in the sector, thanks to the traceability, automation and optimization of all processes related to payment.
Open Payment Alliance, a standard with the HTNG stamp
David Sjolander, COO at HTNG, provided the technical side of the event and updated the status of the developments. “The standards are already finished and we are running some pilots. We are one step away from seeing the Open Payment Alliance become a real solution for the travel industry.”
Mike Carlo, board member at HEDNA, explained that the adoption of the Open Payment Alliance and the implementation of the baVel Payment Manager – the centerpiece of the OPA – will help hotels and other players in the sector to have more control over their money. “We should be able to reduce the cost of a hotel by 1-4% just by implementing efficient payments”.
This Summit session also featured the participation of Livia Vité, Head of Airline Partnerships at eNett. In her opinion, the travel industry faces several challenges: protection against on-payments, choice of payment methods, flexibility, user experience … And the Open Payment Alliance is positioned as a good solution for all of them.
The first “adopters” experience
In the second part of the session, we had the opportunity to listen to the real protagonists of the Early Adopters Program: the companies that are part of it.
Juniper is a booking engine that has seen the difficulties its customers have in dealing with B2B payments. “It is very common for a client to require several connections to manage their B2B payments and collections”, explained Alfonso Pérez, Head of Product Management. Juniper has found a solution to this problem in the Open Payment Alliance and that is why the company is connecting with the baVel Payment Manager.
Something similar said Wilco de Weerd, Director of Partnerships at PMS Protel. “Our main objective is to find the best solutions so that our clients can benefit from technology. When we finalize the connection with the baVel Payment Manager, we will include this new service in our Marketplace so that any hotel can connect with just one click, saving time and money“.
Mastercard did not want to miss the opportunity to participate in this session. Mastercard was very active in the Early Adopters Program by sponsoring the integration costs. “At Mastercard we are aware that the industry needs a system to automate the management and reconciliation of payments. We believe that VCCs will be very important in the future, but we also support other payment methods,” explained Chiara Quaia, Vice President Travel at Mastercard.
Early Adopters Program, second edition
Following the success of the Early Adopters Program, Voxel Group has decided to release a second edition of the program according to what Ginesta said at the end of the session. The companies that join the EAP in this second edition will also have a discount on integration costs, in addition to the competitive advantage of being one of the first companies to use the Open Payment Alliance baVel Payment Manager.
If you want to join the Early Adopters Program, contact us!
Watch again the last session of the baVel Digital Summit:
