A&O allows group bookings without pre-payment

A&O is introducing the new GROUPPay payment tool by mamooble to allow group travellers to book without one of them paying the bill in advance

This makes A&O the first hostel group to roll out the GROUPPay payment tool: The trip organiser books group travel on the A&O website. But there's no need for any kind of pre-payment, as the embedded tool automatically opens a virtual piggy bank into which the participants deposit their shares. The booking is confirmed, but payment is made incrementally. 

"We already allow travellers to use the A&O website to track group bookings in real time. So even now we are pioneers in this field. But the new payment option makes direct bookings on our website even easier – from the first click to the last payment", says a visibly delighted Phillip Winter, Chief Marketing Officer at the A&O Hotel Group. "The real advantage? Organisers of group travel are no longer asked to settle the whole bill or go to the effort of laboriously collecting the money from each member. It's all about convenience at A&O – from booking to check-out", adds Winter.

Easy payment in a virtual piggy bank 
The tool couldn't be easier to use: The booker selects the GROUPPay payment option. A&O holds the booking for a maximum of 14 days, and the booking tool collects the individual payments from the group members until the total bill is settled. 

Organisationally, the booker is directed to the GROUPPay website, registers there and enters the e-mail addresses of the other group members. The tool automatically splits the bill into equal amounts, which it requests from the individual members. It is also possible to adjust the amounts afterwards. The group members immediately receive a message – several if necessary – which directs them straight to the booking platform, where they transfer their dues online (by MasterCard, Visa, Cardbleue, Giropay, SOFORT Überweisung or bank transfer). The booker can always see who has settled up, as all incoming payments are marked immediately in the booking overview. 

Overall, more than half of A&O bookings are made online and above all directly via aohostels.com. Around 19,600 school and group trips put their trust in the A&O service each year.