PayPal is partnering with hotel payment provider Selfbook to enable users to search for and book hotels directly within the PayPal app. This new feature allows users to pay through PayPal at checkout and access exclusive discounts available only in the app.
Users will be able to find hotels by browsing the Offers section, using filters such as travel dates and number of guests via an in-app browser. Selected hotels supporting Selfbook’s payment system will appear, although it remains unclear whether the full Selfbook hotel catalog will be accessible through PayPal.
Payment Options and Future Plans
PayPal also supports its Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) option for certain hotels that have enabled this payment method. Beyond the app, Selfbook plans to integrate PayPal’s payment checkout products into its own workflow, while also leveraging PayPal’s enterprise payment suite to handle credit card payments for its hotel partners.
According to PayPal, the addition aligns with observed trends, as the company has noted an 84% increase in travel-related online payments among its users.
Alex Chriss, president and CEO of PayPal, expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration: “We’re excited to go big in travel with Selfbook and help PayPal customers discover new merchants and save money through unique rewards and discounts.”
Simplifying Hotel Payments with AI Integration
Selfbook also utilizes PayPal as a payment partner within Perplexity, a platform that recently launched a feature allowing users to discover and book hotels via chat interactions.
Khalid Meniri, Selfbook’s co-founder and CEO, highlighted the traditional complexity of hotel payments: searching, booking, and paying are often fragmented processes. With PayPal, Meniri said, “We’re collapsing all of that into a single flow embedded directly into AI-powered experiences like Perplexity.” This integration not only streamlines convenience for travelers but also offers hotels a direct connection to guests, eliminates commission fees for better margins, and grants more control over branding.
Author’s Opinion
The integration of hotel booking into the PayPal app, powered by Selfbook, represents a meaningful step toward unifying the fragmented travel payment experience. By combining search, booking, and payment into one seamless flow, travelers gain convenience, and hotels benefit from reduced costs and better customer engagement. As AI continues to enhance booking platforms like Perplexity, we may soon see a shift where technology not only simplifies transactions but also strengthens the connection between guests and hotels in unprecedented ways.
Featured image credit: Donoclip
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