This month luxury hotel group Dorchester Collection joined the modern age with the launch of a new online shop, complete with a Bitcoin payment option.
Although major online booking platforms such as Expedia and CheapAir allow customers to book hotel stays with Bitcoin, very few hospitality groups offer it direct.
It is potentially a major milestone for Bitcoin acceptance in the industry for one very simple reason: Dorchester Collection is hardly at the forefront of innovation. The Dorchester brand is unashamedly all about history and timeless elegance – a place for old school aristocrats rather than the new breed of Silicon Valley movers and shakers.
Bitcoin payments can be made for a variety of ‘signature experiences,’ hotel stays and luxury gifts such as a 60-minute Caviar Massage or Champagne Brunch at the Beverley Hills Hotel.
A notable benefit, Dorchester Collection says, is the ability to purchase a mixed basket of items in a one-time transaction, such as a deluxe weekend stay at Hotel Bel Air, dinner for two in the hotel’s Wolfgang Puck signature restaurant and a branded bath robe to take home as a souvenir.
While taken in isolation, it is just one hotel group with 10 properties climbing aboard the Bitcoin bandwagon, Dorchester is nevertheless a well known brand with prestige (despite a damaging LGBT boycott last year) and will surely create a positive buzz for further Bitcoin adoption in the hospitality industry.
