PaySelect introduces a smarter way for hotels and restaurants to collect payments

By Web Desk / January 14, 2026

Dubai, December 2025 – As the UAE’s hospitality sector continues to attract international travellers, tour operators, and global partners, many hotels are rethinking a part of their operations that often goes unnoticed: how they collect payments from overseas.
While room rates and occupancy remain key performance drivers, international payment fees, slow settlements, and unfavourable exchange rates continue to quietly erode hotel margins. This is where PaySelect, a new UAE-based payments comparison and consulting platform, is helping hospitality businesses simplify and improve how money flows into the country.

“Many hotels don’t realise how much they lose each year simply through inefficient international payment methods,” said Sissel Nielsen, Founder & CEO of PaySelect. “We aim to work with hotels to reduce unnecessary fees, speed up settlement times, and give them greater visibility over their cash flow — without changing how they do business commercially.”

Hotels working with international tour operators, travel agencies, and overseas partners often rely on traditional bank transfers. These can be slow, expensive, and difficult to track, especially when dealing with multiple currencies.
Through PaySelect, hotels are matched with regulated payment and FX partners that allow them to collect international payments as if they were local. Instead of receiving costly international transfers, hotels can use local collection accounts in key source markets such as Europe, the UK, and the US. Overseas partners pay via familiar domestic methods, while funds are consolidated and settled into the UAE — often within one business day.
The result is faster access to funds, lower fees, and far greater predictability, particularly important during peak travel seasons.
“For hotels, cash flow timing matters just as much as pricing,” added Nielsen. “When funds arrive faster and with fewer deductions, finance teams can plan more confidently, manage suppliers more efficiently, and reduce reliance on short-term credit.”

Protecting margins in a competitive market
International payments often come with hidden costs, particularly through exchange rates applied by banks. For hotels operating on tight margins, these costs can add up quickly. By comparing multiple payment and FX partners through PaySelect, hotels can access more competitive exchange rates, reduce unnecessary charges, and choose the most efficient setup for each market they operate in — helping protect margins without renegotiating commercial agreements. For certain markets and use cases, PaySelect can also support faster settlement options, helping hotels manage last-minute bookings, group payments, or time-sensitive collections more effectively.

One platform, multiple solutions
Rather than maintaining multiple international banking relationships, PaySelect acts as a single access point to a curated network of payment and FX partners. Hotels can optimise their setup by country, simplify reconciliation, and scale internationally without added operational complexity. PaySelect is designed specifically for UAE-based hospitality businesses, supporting hotels, resort groups, and operators with global exposure.

How restaurants benefit
Beyond hotels, restaurants and hospitality groups are also benefiting from PaySelect’s services as payment journeys become increasingly diverse — spanning dine-in, delivery, reservations, events, and international guests. Through PaySelect, restaurant operators can compare POS systems, payment gateways, and payment link providers based on how they actually operate. This includes selecting solutions that support table-side payments, online reservations and deposits, event bookings, group dining, and advance payments from international customers. Rather than being tied to a single provider or navigating multiple sales pitches, restaurants gain a clear overview of which payment solutions best suit their size, transaction volumes, and service model. This allows F&B operators to reduce transaction costs, streamline checkout experiences, and ensure reliable settlement, while maintaining flexibility as their business evolves. “Restaurants today need more than just a card machine,” said Sissel Nielsen, Founder & CEO of PaySelect. “They need payment solutions that support reservations, prepayments, events, and international guests — without unnecessary fees or operational friction. PaySelect helps restaurant owners choose the right setup from the start, so payments work seamlessly in the background.” For multi-venue groups or brands expanding across locations, PaySelect also helps standardise payment infrastructure while allowing flexibility per venue — supporting growth without added complexity.

By simplifying how hospitality businesses collect and manage payments, PaySelect is helping hotels and restaurants focus on what matters most: delivering exceptional guest experiences and growing their international footprint. While PaySelect currently serves businesses, the platform is built with a longer-term vision in mind. As international travel continues to rebound, PaySelect plans to expand its solutions over time to support customers and travellers directly, creating more seamless and transparent payment experiences across the hospitality journey — from booking and dining to travel and settlement.