Hotel executives, Internet travel bookers and global payment providers debated whether there are too many players in the online travel value chain during a session at the World Travel Market. The issue is becoming more pronounced as various third parties continue to push the onus of processing online payments to hoteliers, said David Cabreza, director of international distribution services at Hilton Worldwide.   Cabreza said there are 70 to 80 different types of online payment worldwide at present. The situation is creating headaches for hoteliers and consumers, as they are bombarded with multiple payment methods and service providers.

“We all need to be PCI complaint or moving toward that. It’s quite a challenge, and the more (layers of players in the payment process), the more challenging it is,” he said. “I think it is probably going to get harder with all this consolidation of agencies we are seeing—and the cost will be passed on to the consumer. On the other hand, they will get a lot more choice and variety—and safety and security.”

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