Accommodation payment just got a lot easier as Hotels in Russia would now accept Bitcoin as a payment option.
Kaliningrad, which is one of the host cities for the forthcoming 2018 FIFA World Cup is looking to accommodate supporters from Nigeria, Croatia, England, Spain, Belgium and the likes.
Hotel owners in Kaliningrad have decided to offer their guests an alternative payment option which is the oppotunity to pay for their stay with bitcoin. Some of the hotel owners have teamed up with a payment processor to provide the service. Anna Subbotina, manager of Apartments Malina, commented:
We are seeing increasing interest in cryptocurrencies. They will gradually come into use as a means of payment.
“We have decided that fans should be able to pay for our services with the help of this innovative technology”, Subbotina told Buying Business Travel Russia. She expects other hotels in the area to soon follow the example and offer cryptocurrency payment options.
Her company is partnering with one of Russia’s electronic payment providers, which supports cryptocurrency transactions, including bitcoin payments. “This is an interesting experience for us – we haven’t worked with hotels so far”, said Vitaliy Lavrov, Development Manager at Free-Kassa. “The hospitality industry is quite sensitive towards new trends”, he noted.
With the rates of accommodation skyrocketing months before the tournament, one of the major goals of the optional payment process is to provide an alternative form of payment.
Two bills regulating different aspects of the crypto ecosphere have been introduced to Russia’s parliament this year. The first one, the law “On Digital Financial Assets”, legalizes blockchain technologies, mining operations, and initial coin offerings. The second draft, which was filed this week, amends Russia’s Civil Code to regulate the use of cryptocurrencies and protect investors’ rights. Both are expected to be adopted by the summer, possibly before the start of the World Cup.
