PayPal is adding hotel booking within its app, powered by Selfbook

PayPal has announced an exciting collaboration with Selfbook, a hotel payment provider, enabling users to search and book hotels directly within the PayPal app. This new feature is designed to streamline the booking process, allowing users to pay easily through PayPal at checkout while enjoying exclusive discounts available only within the app. In addition to traditional payment methods, users will have the option to utilize PayPal's Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) service for selected hotels that opt into this feature. The app's Offers section will allow travelers to filter hotel searches by travel dates and the number of guests, showcasing properties that utilize Selfbook’s payment suite. However, it remains unclear whether Selfbook will provide its full range of hotel listings to PayPal users. This initiative represents a strategic effort by PayPal to enhance user engagement by offering more services within its app. The company has noted a significant 84% increase in online travel payments among users of its payment products. Furthermore, Selfbook is set to incorporate PayPal’s enterprise payment suite to facilitate credit card transactions for hotels. Selfbook is also integrating PayPal as a payment partner within its new feature on Perplexity, which allows users to discover and book hotels through chat interactions. Khalid Meniri, co-founder and CEO of Selfbook, shared his insights on the partnership, emphasizing the historical fragmentation of hotel payments. "This collaboration with PayPal simplifies the entire process, merging search, booking, and payment into one seamless flow within AI-driven experiences like Perplexity," he stated. Meniri highlighted the benefits for both travelers and hotels, noting how it provides hotels with direct access to guests, improved profit margins by eliminating commissions, and greater brand control.