LONG BEACH, N.Y. and HONG KONG, Dec. 20, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Planet Payment, Inc. (LSE:PPT) (LSE: PPTR) (OTCQX:PLPM), a leading provider of international and multi-currency payment processing services, and The Bank of East Asia (BEA), the largest independent local bank in Hong Kong, today announced the implementation of the MICROS Payment Gateway at Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, Sha Tin , and Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, Tsim Sha Tsui. The MICROS Payment Gateway is a payment solution designed to specifically facilitate integrated payment support for the MICROS suite of enterprise hospitality products currently utilized at Hyatt Regency hotels in Hong Kong. In addition, the MICROS Payment Gateway will support Planet Payment's Pay in Your Currency® (PYC) solution, also referred to in the industry as Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC). With PYC, hotels can provide an enhanced level of customer service by offering international guests the choice to pay in their home currency.
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, Sha Tin is the first property to go live with the Planet Payment's hosted MICROS Payment Gateway in Hong Kong. "Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, Sha Tin provides urban resort luxury with authentic hospitality and sincere service. We are now able to offer international guests the choice to pay in their home currency which is an added convenience for our guests, ensuring an even more delightful stay," says Robert Hamer, General Manager of the hotel.
"Our Bank is always looking for innovative ways to make banking easier and more convenient for our customers," said Simon Lau, General Manager & Head of BEA's Personal Banking Division. "By partnering with Planet Payment we are able to provide our hospitality customers with a way to transform their existing payment process with the added benefits of lower costs and greater customer satisfaction. By settling payments in their home currency, customers will understand how much they are spending more readily, and be able to budget more effectively. It truly is a winning solution for merchants and customers alike."
"Prior to the implementation of Planet Payment's hosted MICROS Payment Gateway, Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, Sha Tin was utilizing stand-alone POS terminals for day-to-day transactions," said Kevin King, Managing Director of MICROS-Fidelio Information Systems (Shanghai) Co. Limited. "The MICROS Payment Gateway is a payment solution designed to specifically facilitate integrated payment support for the MICROS suite of enterprise hospitality products, including OPERA, MICROS 3700, MICROS 9700 and Simphony. The seamless integration of the MICROS Payment Gateway means international guests enjoy the same purchase experience across the property, while the hotelier benefits from operating efficiencies from the same POS infrastructure and business processes."
"Planet Payment is excited to be working with BEA and MICROS Systems to bring a single end-to-end payment solution for hotels," said Philip Beck, chairman and chief executive officer of Planet Payment. "Both organizations are known as leaders in their respective industries and we look forward to continuing these valued partnerships in bringing our innovative payment solutions for the hospitality sector."
About Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, Sha Tin
Located at University MTR station, Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, Sha Tin offers urban resort luxury in 567 guestrooms and suites. The hotel features five restaurants and bars, 13 event venues catering to different needs, Melo Spa with nine private treatment suites, an outdoor swimming pool and whirlpool, Fitness Centre with steam and sauna, tennis court and Camp Hyatt for children.
About Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, Tsim Sha Tsui
Situated in the heart of Tsim Sha Tsui business and tourist district with direct access to the subway stations, Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, Tsim Sha Tsui offers 381 guestrooms and suites, state-of-the-art meeting and private dining facilities including a pillarless ballroom accommodating up to 400 persons and 5 meeting venues with varying sizes, authentic cuisines with 3 restaurants and a bar, as well as a 24-hour fitness centre and an outdoor heated swimming pool.
www.hongkong.tsimshatsui.hyatt.com
About The Bank of East Asia
Incorporated in Hong Kong in 1918, BEA is dedicated to providing comprehensive retail banking, commercial banking, wealth management, and investment services to its customers in Hong Kong and other major markets around the world. BEA is the largest independent local bank in Hong Kong, with total consolidated assets of HK$598.9 billion (US$77.0 billion) as of 30th June, 2011. The Bank is listed on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong and is one of the constituent stocks of the Hang Seng Index.
With more than 210 outlets worldwide, BEA operates an extensive international network covering Hong Kong and the rest of Greater China, North America, the United Kingdom, and Southeast Asia. For more information on BEA, please visit any BEA branch or the Bank's homepage at www.hkbea.com.
About MICROS Systems, Inc.
MICROS Systems, Inc. provides enterprise applications for the hospitality and retail industries worldwide. Over 330,000 MICROS systems are currently installed in table and quick service restaurants, hotels, motels, casinos, leisure and entertainment, and retail operations in more than 130 countries, and on all seven continents. In addition, MICROS provides property management systems, central reservation and customer information solutions under the brand MICROS-Fidelio for more than 26,000 hotels worldwide, as well as point-of-sale, loss prevention, and cross-channel functionality through its MICROS-Retail division for more than 100,000 retail stores worldwide. MICROS stock is traded through NASDAQ under the symbol MCRS.
About Planet Payment
Planet Payment is a leading provider of international payment processing and multi-currency processing services. We provide our services in 16 countries and territories across the Asia Pacific region, North America, the Middle East, Africa and Europe, primarily through our more than 45 acquiring bank and processor customers. Our point-of-sale and e-commerce services help merchants sell more goods and services to consumers, and are integrated within the payment card transaction flow enabling our acquiring customers to process and reconcile payment transactions in multiple currencies, geographies and channels. We are a registered third party processor with the major card associations and operate in accordance with industry standards, including the Payment Card Industry, or PCI, Security Council's Data Security Standards.
Planet Payment is headquartered in New York and has offices in Atlanta, Beijing, Bermuda, Delaware, Dubai, London, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore. Visit www.planetpayment.com for more information on the Company and its services. For up-to-date information follow Planet Payment on Twitter at @PlanetPayment or join Planet Payment's page on Facebook.
Planet Payment's Common shares trade in the UK on AIM under the symbols PPT for unrestricted Common shares and PPTR for Reg S Common shares and in the United States on the OTCQX under the symbol PLPM.