Ibiza Hotel Allows Fingerprints as a Form of Payment

by  Zoë Mintz | Jul 18, 2012
Ibiza
Ibiza / Mariusz Stanosz/iStock

Getting fingerprinted on vacation usually comes after a night of bad decisions. But at the Ushuaïa Ibiza Beach Hotel in Ibiza, Spain, it’s commonplace. The 236-room hotel located on Playa d’en Bossa, now lets its guests pay with their fingerprints. Using the free PayTouch system, guests register their prints and credit card information at kiosks throughout the resort and then use their sun-kissed digits to pay for their pina coladas, spa treatments, siesta snacks, and any other tempting treats. If they pre-registered for PayTouch before their trip, members can use the Fast Pass lane for concert tickets – a popular activity at the hotel, which also hosts a music venue.

This high tech service may sound like a novelty now but it may be a sign of the future hospitality industry. According to Tripl.com 72 percent of all social network users access their accounts daily when they travel. Ushuaïa takes advantage of its guests’ growing need to stay connected. At concerts hosted by the resort’s music venue, guests can wear wristbands linked to their Facebook profiles where they can check-in, take pictures, or post status updates from kiosks set up throughout the concert. Whether it’s seen as a marketing ploy or amenity, chances are guests will give it a ton of “likes.”

Ushuaïa isn’t the only resort offering James Bond biometrics for its guests. At Paris’ Murano Resort guests use their fingerprints to enter their rooms, while at Boston’s Nine Zero Hotel, the penthouse Cloud Nine suite uses iris recognition technology to open its doors. For the latter, guests of the plush suite have shots of their baby blues (or greens or browns) taken at the front desk which are stored until checkout. Cue the smoke, robotic doors, and red flashing lights.

See our Ibiza destination guide for general trip-planning information, then use our Travel Search price comparison tool to find the lowest rates on flights, hotels, vacation packages, and more travel deals.

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