SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--eTip, the digital tipping and financial benefits platform tailored to service sector businesses, is now the chosen digital tipping provider of Schulte Hospitality Group. This partnership enables associates across Schulte’s renowned portfolio of more than 200 properties worldwide to access eTip's modern contactless tipping technology. This partnership empowers Schulte's diverse range of properties, including Marriott, Hilton, IHG, and Hyatt brands, to offer guests a seamless and secure cashless tipping experience, enabling them to express gratitude to hotel staff easily and conveniently. Powered by eTip and exclusively available through the Visa network, this innovative solution aims to enhance the guest experience while promoting greater staff satisfaction.
In recent years, certain industries, like restaurants, have seen substantial benefits from digital tipping as customers continue to embrace the practice through easy-to-integrate point-of-sale systems. Until now, the hotel industry faced challenges in providing cashless tipping options to guests. Despite this, nearly 95 percent of guests in a recent survey conducted by eTip reported they would have left a tip for hotel staff during their last stay if there had been a digital option for them to do so. These trends underscore a dual- demand in the industry – not only for increased travel and entertainment but also for hotel stays that prioritize convenience and seamless integration with the technologies guests use daily (ex. contactless check-in). eTip addresses this issue by offering a user-friendly, fast, and seamlessly integrated digital platform that aligns with each hotel's unique brand.
“At Schulte, the foundation of our success is our team of associates,” says Jason Jackson, VP Operational Strategy & Integrations, Schulte Hospitality Group. “Recognition and feedback are critical to a more motivated workforce and in elevating our service and product, of which our team takes great pride. In today’s digital world, there is an increasingly cashless trend amongst travelers. Therefore, we sought out the platform that best fit our needs, enabling me to curate a charismatic digital tipping program across the portfolio. After exploring a variety of platforms, eTip thoroughly impressed us with their unwavering commitment to success and dedication to innovation. In the spirit of the aforementioned recognition and feedback, I want to sincerely offer appreciation to Robert and the phenomenal eTip Partnership Success Team for their professionalism, incredible contributions, talent, and unending support. Through our collaboration, this initiative was able to become a reality.”
The eTip solution requires no mobile app download or login credentials. Guests can simply scan a QR code using their mobile phone's camera, tap the banner that appears on their screen, and securely tip using their preferred payment method. Additionally, eTip offers a "tap to tip" feature, enabling users to pay through an NFC-enabled QR code. By tapping their smartphone on the QR code, the guest's preferred associate or department's profile opens, allowing for quick and hassle-free tipping. The tips are swiftly delivered to associates' bank accounts through Visa Direct, eliminating any waiting periods associated with weekly or bi-weekly payroll processes. eTip streamlines the digital tipping process, making it faster and more convenient for guests and associates alike.
“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, Head of Money Movement Solutions, North America, Visa. “eTip now offers a digital tipping solution, enabled by Visa Direct, to Schulte Hospitality Group, helping to modernize that process for their guests and employees.”
Key Capabilities of eTip:
- No app required: Guests can access eTip directly through their phone's browser, eliminating the need for additional app downloads.
- Flexible and secure payment options: Guests can tip using their preferred methods, including debit/credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and more.
- Automatic tip disbursements: eTip's partnership with Visa allows for real-time1 tip disbursements to eligible bank accounts with Visa cards through 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 seamless integration with each hotel's brand image.
- Easy to use: eTip handles onboarding, payment processing, tip payouts, and reporting, making the entire process hassle-free for everyone involved.
“It’s an absolute privilege to deliver eTip’s proven impact within a portfolio as premiere as that of Schulte Hospitality Group, which also employs many of the most hardworking, innovative, and lovely associates we’ve had the pleasure to welcome into the eTip network,” says Robert Petteruti, Co-Founder of eTip. “We’re thrilled they’ve entrusted eTip as the enabler of the enterprise-grade technology that will bring guests’ tipping experiences into the modern era while also meaningfully empowering deserving teams. I’d also be remiss to not sincerely thank the expertise of Jason Jackson and his team, who from a corporate level devised and sorted the many logistics to make such a broad rollout possible. This partnership is a truly special one, and I’m so excited to see it evolve across the many use cases as we continue to build eTip in service of every Schulte property.”
Interested in enabling digital tipping for your business? Schedule a demo today.
About eTip
eTip is hospitality’s leading 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, payment 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 Schulte Hospitality Group
Schulte Hospitality Group is a full-service professional hotel management and development company managing over 200+ hotels in 32 states under brands from Marriott, Hilton, IHG, Hyatt, and Graduate Hotels, as well as several independent, lifestyle, and boutique properties.
1 Actual fund availability depends on receiving financial institution and region.
