Tacoma, Wash. — Provenance Hotels has partnered with TipYo to make the company’s Hotel Murano in Tacoma the first U.S. hotel to offer guests a mobile tipping option. The hotel’s guests can download the app and share a gratuity with valet, concierge, and housekeeping teams without an extra ATM run or tracking down someone to break a twenty.
“When it comes to travel, you can do just about everything on your phone and, there’s no reason tipping shouldn’t be one of those things,” said Bashar Wali, president of Provenance Hotels. “It’s all too easy, in our cashless culture, to be caught short when you want to leave a gratuity. Tipping is not just about the money. It’s about being seen. Valued. Offering mobile tipping with TipYo will make it easy for guests to recognize great service. Hotel Murano is committed that 100 percent of the tips given via the app go right to the people on the front line. It’s a win-win-win.”
TipYo is a secure mobile payment solution that enables travelers to tip hotel room attendants, concierge, and valets. Travelers can download the app for free in the Apple App Store. Once installed, guests can open the app, select the amount they want to leave, select the hotel they’re visiting, choose the staff to tip, and enter their room number before they confirm the tip. TipYo reporting integrates with the hotel’s payroll system, and the tip is passed along to the employee or employees in their next paycheck.
The TipYo app and business model was developed by FinTech entrepreneur Brian Walsh. After years of travel, Walsh found that not carrying cash was the major impediment to his ability to tip. “We are confident TipYo will help hotels meet their guest’s expectations,” Walsh said. “TipYo is simple, safe, and completely integrated with our hospitality partners’ HR and payroll system. Mobile tipping has arrived.”
