Zurich’s 1899 grand architectural monument, the Dolder Grand, has just got transported into the 21st century by accepting bitcoin payments. The Swiss hotel, whose rooms have welcomed statesmen, celebrities and royalty, including Henry Kissinger, John Wayne, Sophia Loren and Prince Charles, is also opening its doors to cryptopayments.
After a series of renovations and challenges, the Dolder Grand has decided to make a significant investment by adopting cryptobilling and strengthening its position as top class in the international luxury hotel industry.
André Meier, the hotel’s finance director said: “Many of the improvements in our service in recent years were made possible by advances in technology. As we believe Bitcoin is here to stay, it only seems natural to offer more choices in the payment process.”
Inacta AG, which is the technology company behind the cryptocurrency solution, announced that Bitcoin payments will be available on May 1, allowing visitors to pay for their accommodation, food and entertainment at the hotel with bitcoin.
The hotel will use Inacta AG’s mobile app Inapay to accept cryptopayments and to instantly convert Swiss Franc or Euro without fees or chargebacks. According to the technology company’s website, inapay is a mobile app “which lets you accept payments in cryptocurrencies in your store and restaurant. It’s easy to use and doesn’t need any tech-knowledge: just enter the outstanding amount in your local currency, the customer sends Bitcoin or other currencies, the cryptocurrencies get instantly exchanged to Swiss Francs and sent to your bank account.”
Inacta’s blockchain advisory head, Roger Darlin, explained that the app is targeting ‘hodlers’: “It is aimed at customers who have built up legitimate cryptocurrency holdings and who don’t want to convert them into traditional currencies, such as Swiss francs. This also allows vendors, who may be cautious about handling cryptocurrencies directly, to accept payments from these clients.”
The news comes after Switzerland’s online department store Digitec Galaxus started accepting cryptopayments in a variety of cryptos: Bitcoin, Ether, OmiseGo, NEO, TRON, Litecoin, Binance Coin, XRP, Bitcoin Satoshi Vision and Bitcoin Cash.