Your front desk shouldn’t be the only place you can settle a bill. Whether you’re welcoming a guest at the garden gate or serving a sundowner on the deck, you need a payment solution that moves with you.
NightsBridge Tap turns your Android phone or tablet into a secure, portable card machine. This allows you to take payments anywhere, anytime, without the need for extra hardware. Guests can pay in the way that suits them best — whether they tap a physical card, a phone, or even a smart watch or ring.
Why this is a game-changer for your property.
1. It goes where you go.
You don’t need to walk back to the office to settle a bill for a bottle of wine or a late check-out. Consequently, your “card machine” is always in your pocket and ready for tap payments.
2. No more “Hardware Headaches.”
Traditional card machines (point-of-sale devices) come with monthly rental fees, bulky charging cables, and the constant need for thermal paper rolls. Furthermore, they often reboot exactly when a guest is in a rush. With NightsBridge Tap, however, you are open for business as long as your phone or tablet is charged.
3. The “Integrated” Advantage.
This is the real NightsBridge difference. Because Tap is part of our all-in-one system, the payment doesn’t just go into your bank account. Instead, the system instantly records the payment against the guest’s room bill.
This is something a standalone bank app or most other gateways simply cannot do. While other systems leave you to manually update your records later, NightsBridge handles the bookkeeping the moment the guest taps their card. This eliminates manual typing, forgotten charges, and messy reconciliation at the end of the month.
Furthermore, this integration makes the “back-end” admin just as simple:
- Built-In Reversals & Refunds: You can process same-day reversals directly on the booking. Consequently, you have clear visibility of fees and refund status without switching between different bank portals.
- Secure & Compliant: NightsBridge Tap operates within South African regulatory requirements and PCI security standards. Specifically, this ensures you handle card data safely and responsibly without any extra effort on your part.
Case Study: Modernising the Arrival at Carmichael House Boutique Hotel.
Carmichael House in Cape Town runs as a modern, mostly keyless operation. Guests arrive with phones in hand, ready to tap and go. But payments at the gate didn’t always match that experience.
The Challenge: A modern guest journey, held back by “old school” payments.
Late arrivals often meant extra follow-up the next day. Owner Yves Ducommun found himself chasing outstanding payments and setting reminders instead of focusing on guests.
There was also a clear disconnect at the front door. “Guests would hold up their phones, expecting to tap, but we didn’t have the right solution ready for them,” says Yves.
The Solution: Meeting the “Tap” Expectation.
Yves wanted a payment process that felt as modern as the rest of the stay — mobile, simple, and professional.
By switching to NightsBridge Tap, the team turned a standard Android phone into their payment terminal. They no longer rely on a dedicated card machine or a fixed front desk. Payments happen at the gate, in the hallway, or wherever the guest arrives.
Because Tap links straight into the NightsBridge booking, each payment automatically allocates to the correct reservation. The team doesn’t have to capture amounts by hand or reconcile later.
The Result: Less admin, more confidence.
The change was immediate:
- No more chasing payments. Payments are taken on the spot, so there’s no follow-up admin the next day.
- A better first impression. Guests pay the way they expect to — by tapping their phone or card.
- Instant certainty. The team knows right away whether a payment is successful, which gives everyone peace of mind.
The verdict:
For Carmichael House, NightsBridge Tap finally brought the payment process in line with the high standard of hospitality their brand stands for.
How to get started with NightsBridge Tap.
Because NightsBridge Tap is hard-wired into our property management system, we offer it exclusively to NightsBridge clients. To start taking “on-the-spot” payments, you will need:
- A NightsBridge Subscription: This feature is a built-in part of our software. If you aren’t a client yet, click here to see how we help you do better business online.
- An active NightsBridge Pay account: This ensures your payments are secure, 3D Secure compliant, and linked to your bank.
- An Android Phone: Specifically, you need a device running Android 11 or higher with NFC (Near Field Communication) capabilities.
Ready to ditch the desk?
If you’re already a NightsBridge client, you don’t need to wait for a technician or a new piece of hardware. Instead, you can get in touch with our team right now and start wowing your guests at their next check-in. It is the simplest upgrade you will make to your guest experience this year.
Not a NightsBridge client yet?
If you’re still tethered to a desk by a charging cable, or spending your mornings chasing “proof of payment” emails, there is a better way to work.
By joining the NightsBridge family, you aren’t just getting a payment link. Instead, you get a smart system that handles the “money stuff” automatically. From the first deposit to the final “tap” for a bottle of wine, we ensure you get paid faster, more securely, and with zero manual admin.
Stop chasing payments and start hosting.
Join Yves and thousands of other professional properties who have moved their entire business — and their bank — into their pocket.
Get in touch today to find out how NightsBridge (and NightsBridge Tap) can transform your check-in.