Multinational hospitality company Accor has teamed up with Stripe to enhance customer experience across its 5,600 establishments in Australia and worldwide with an upgraded payment processes.

The partnership comes at a time when Australia's tourism sector is expected to rebound beyond pre-pandemic levels by next year.

Previously, Accor's multiple disparate payment systems were causing inconsistencies between different payment methods. The partnership with Stripe is set to unify these systems, improving management and financial data, enhancing inventory distribution, and creating a user experience that extends beyond just booking rooms.

"This partnership transforms the payment experience for hotels and guests alike, enabling the deployment of new payment methods at scale," said Accor's senior vice president of product management, Jean Noël Lau Keng Lun. "This improves conversion rates and also unlocks new business opportunities."

The partnership will also enable Accor to proactively combat fraud with Stripe Radar and offer more payment methods to meet the needs of guests from around the world. It will simplify transactions between hotels and customers on the brand's sales platforms by leveraging Stripe Connect.

"Anyone who's booked a hotel room knows the frustration when the payment doesn't work as it should," said chief revenue officer at Stripe, Eileen O'Mara. "Accor is putting guests at the heart of its payments experience. And we're thrilled to play a part in its strategy which benefits both the hotels and their customers."

Accor is implementing a single centralised system across all its hospitality properties for online bookings with Stripe. The company has already seen a significant net conversion rate gain at the checkout step for prepaid bookings on its commerce channels compared to previous systems.

Accor's ambition is to establish a comprehensive e-commerce platform offering a variety of services beyond rooms, including spa services and restaurants.