Luxury hospitality company Soneva is now accepting Bitcoin and Ethereum cryptocurrencies across each of its resorts in the Maldives and Thailand, offering guests the flexibility to choose the best payment option to suit their needs.
The payment channel is designed to make the transaction process easier and offer the utmost peace of mind so that guests can now confidently make secure international payments at Soneva Fushi, Soneva Jani and Soneva in Aqua in the Maldives, and Soneva Kiri in Thailand. Both Bitcoin and Ethereum can also be used for Soneva Villa Ownership, the first and only scheme that offers real estate to foreign buyers in the Maldives, with all appropriate controls and compliance in place.
Soneva has partnered with cryptocurrency payments solutions provider TripleA and payment platform provider Pomelo Pay to expand its payment options and remove barriers to luxury travel. As a licensed cryptocurrency payments solutions provider, TripleA enables Soneva’s guests to make crypto payments without any risk of price volatility, offering instant confirmation, locked-in exchange rates, real-time conversions and no chargebacks. Used in conjunction with Pomelo Pay, a single frictionless payment platform, it facilitates cryptocurrency payments using secure QR code and payment link technology.
Bookings can be made directly with Soneva’s reservations department and payment links can be arranged securely, from anywhere in the world. While any payments made using Bitcoin or Ethereum are 100% non-refundable, credits can apply in line with Soneva’s flexible Payment and Cancellation Policy, which was introduced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to help guests book their stay with confidence.
“At Soneva, we have always endeavoured to be a pioneer in the hospitality industry, hence accepting cryptocurrencies as a payment method is another example of enabling our international guests to easily make payments from anywhere in the world,” said Bruce Bromley, Chief Financial Officer, and Deputy CEO of Soneva.
Cryptocurrency payments are becoming increasingly popular among travellers across the world, with the global crypto market projected to reach US$4.94 billion by 2030.
When originally questioned by LATTE about travel advisor commissions, the response was no commission was offered on cryptocurrency transactions. Since then however, Soneva has told altered its view, informing LATTE “We now accept with the trade if the guests pay directly in crypto with us then the agent will get the commission in Fiat currency and as per the rules.”
Lead image: Soneva Kiri, 2-bedroom Pool Retreat