By Nila Kartika Wati 
In an era where the hospitality industry faces a "perfect storm" of rising operational costs, chronic staff shortages, and the aggressive commission structures of Online Travel Agencies (OTAs), hotels are searching for a technological lifeline. A breakthrough in fintech and artificial intelligence now promises to tip the scales back in favor of the property owner.
Gala Technology, the UK-based fintech innovator behind the acclaimed SOTpay secure payment platform, has officially launched "Chloe by SOTpay," an AI-powered Booking Concierge integrated directly into their Securafone app. This solution is designed to act as a tireless, 24/7 digital front desk agent that not only manages inquiries but also secures payments, effectively capturing the "direct booking recovery moment."
The Core Innovation: What is Chloe by SOTpay?
Chloe represents a significant leap forward in how boutique hotels and large chains alike interact with prospective guests. Unlike standard chatbots that operate within the confines of a website browser, Chloe is a sophisticated AI Booking Concierge built into the Securafone ecosystem. Her primary purpose is to bridge the gap between initial guest discovery and final transaction.
The system is designed to perform a series of complex tasks that typically strain front-desk resources:
- Intelligent Call Handling: Answering booking inquiries and understanding guest intent in real-time.
- Reservation Support: Guiding guests through the booking process, confirming details, and ensuring data accuracy.
- Secure Payment Orchestration: Providing a frictionless, PCI-compliant payment journey for deposits, full balances, and pre-authorizations.
- Omnichannel Integration: Accepting a wide array of payment methods, including Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Pay by Bank, while maintaining 3D Secure verification.
A Chronology of the Pilot: Success at The Empress Building
The journey of Chloe from concept to commercial reality was not born in a vacuum. It was rigorously tested and validated at The Empress Building, a historic boutique hotel and event venue in Mexborough.
Phase 1: Tracking and Observation
The initial phase involved a deep-dive analysis of guest behavior. Gala Technology tracked the "digital path" of potential guests, observing how they moved from discovery on platforms like Booking.com, Expedia, or Airbnb to the hotel’s own direct website. The data confirmed a long-suspected industry trend: a significant portion of guests visit a hotel’s direct website to verify details—such as room quality, location, and reviews—before returning to the OTA to finalize their booking.
Phase 2: The Intervention
Once the behavior was mapped, the team at SOTpay implemented direct-booking prompts. These were strategically placed on the website to capture the user’s attention at the moment of peak interest. Phrases such as "Book direct for priority room allocation" or "Call now for secure, instant confirmation" were introduced.
Phase 3: Validation and Results
The integration of Chloe at The Empress Building provided the necessary empirical data to justify the technology’s deployment. By offering a direct, secure, and helpful path to reservation, the hotel witnessed a transformation in conversion rates. Specifically, SOTpay identified that up to 40% of OTA-influenced website visitors could be converted into direct bookings when prompted correctly and supported by a seamless AI-led journey.
Supporting Data and the "Direct Booking Recovery" Concept
The hospitality industry is currently suffering from a dependency on OTAs, which often charge commissions ranging from 15% to 25% per booking. For a hotel, this represents a significant erosion of the bottom line.
SOTpay describes the "Direct Booking Recovery Moment" as the critical window of time when a guest is browsing the hotel’s website. This is the only point in the customer journey where the hotel has a chance to compete with the OTA’s user experience.
Key Metrics for Hotels:
- Reduced Acquisition Costs: By converting a visitor who was already "discovered" via an OTA, the hotel avoids the commission fee, effectively increasing the margin on every room sold.
- Automated Administrative Efficiency: With Chloe handling routine inquiries, staff can focus on the "human touch" elements of hospitality, such as concierge services or guest relationship management, rather than data entry.
- Payment Security: By utilizing Securafone, hotels remove sensitive card data from their internal environment, significantly reducing the scope of PCI compliance and minimizing the risk of fraud.
Official Perspectives: The Leadership Vision
The launch of Chloe is backed by a clear strategic vision from Gala Technology’s leadership team, who view this as a necessary evolution for the survival and profitability of modern hotels.
Jason Mace, CEO of Gala Technology:
"Hotels do not always need more occupancy. In many cases, they need better systems that help them keep more of the revenue from the bookings they already generate," says Mace. He argues that the industry has been too passive in allowing OTAs to dictate the terms of the relationship. "Chloe by SOTpay has been built to help hotels capture that moment, support the guest and convert more direct bookings with secure payment built in. This is not simply about AI answering the phone. It is about creating a complete commercial journey, from booking call to secure payment, confirmation, pre-authorisation, card-on-file and guest access."
David Pyper, Business Development Manager:
Focusing on the scalability of the product, Pyper emphasizes the needs of enterprise-level hotel groups. "Large hotel groups need technology that is scalable, secure and operationally practical across multiple properties," he notes. For these larger entities, the value lies in standardization—ensuring that every property in the group offers the same secure, professional, and efficient booking experience.
Kris Ball, Business Development Manager:
For the boutique sector, Ball highlights the competitive advantage. "Boutique hotels often do not have the same resources as large groups, but they still face the same guest expectations. Guests want fast answers, simple booking options, secure payments and instant confirmation. Chloe helps smaller hotels deliver a more professional and automated experience while keeping the personal service that makes boutique hospitality special."
The Broader Implications for the Hospitality Sector
The introduction of Chloe by SOTpay has several long-term implications for the industry:
1. Reclaiming the Guest Relationship
When a guest books through an OTA, the OTA "owns" the data. The hotel is often left without the ability to communicate directly with the guest before arrival. By converting these users into direct bookings, hotels regain ownership of the guest data, allowing for more effective loyalty marketing and personalized pre-arrival communication.
2. Bridging the Labor Gap
With the global hospitality industry struggling with staff shortages, the ability to automate the "administrative" side of the front desk is a game-changer. Chloe acts as an extension of the team, ensuring that no phone call goes unanswered—even during peak check-in times or overnight hours.
3. Modernizing the Payment Landscape
The move toward digital-first payments (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Pay by Bank) is no longer a luxury; it is a requirement for the modern traveler. By integrating these methods into the booking flow, Chloe helps hotels meet the expectations of a younger, tech-savvy demographic that expects the same ease of payment in a hotel as they experience in e-commerce.
4. Financial Sustainability
The cumulative effect of reducing OTA commissions while simultaneously increasing the volume of direct bookings is a healthier, more robust P&L (Profit and Loss) statement. In a market where profit margins are razor-thin, the ability to "recover" revenue that would otherwise be lost to third-party commissions is perhaps the most significant benefit of the technology.
Conclusion: A New Era of Direct Engagement
As hotels continue to navigate a post-pandemic landscape defined by shifting travel habits and economic uncertainty, the integration of AI-driven tools like Chloe is likely to become standard practice. By combining the efficiency of AI with the security of the SOTpay platform, Gala Technology has provided a bridge between the high-traffic discovery of OTAs and the profitability of direct bookings.
The success at The Empress Building serves as a blueprint for the industry: when you make it easier for a guest to book directly, they will choose the direct route. By removing the friction from the reservation and payment process, hotels are finally empowered to reclaim their margins and focus on what matters most—delivering exceptional hospitality.
For hoteliers looking to modernize their operations and reduce their reliance on third-party intermediaries, the "direct booking recovery" movement is not just a trend—it is a critical business strategy.
About Gala Technology
Gala Technology is a pioneering UK fintech company recognized for its SOTpay platform. Specializing in secure payment solutions, the company empowers businesses to process transactions across multiple channels—including telephone, web, and social media—while maintaining the highest standards of security. By removing sensitive data from business environments and providing innovative, automated payment journeys, Gala Technology continues to set the benchmark for payment security and efficiency in the global marketplace.
For more information on implementing the Securafone AI Booking Concierge, visit www.sotpay.co.uk.
Nana 
Asep Darmawan 