Chinese tourists visiting the U.S. and Canada will be able to use Alipay at HMSHost-operated restaurants in most major airports.
The first integrations stemming from the partnership between Ant Financial's Alipay and restaurant technology provider HMSHost should go live late this year.
The partnership represents another step in
"This is a key strategic partnership for Alipay as we grow our North American presence and help extend the Alipay experience to Chinese consumers visiting North America," Yulei Wang, general manager of Alipay North America, said in a Wednesday press release. "We are thrilled to partner with HMSHost to provide Chinese consumers with a more familiar way to pay while dining at airports,"
Alipay is a major digital payment provider in China and the primary means of online and mobile payment for many Chinese consumers. HMSHost operates a variety of proprietary and branded licensed restaurants in most major North American airports.
"We are very excited about partnering with Alipay to expand the service we offer and to continue providing all consumers with their preferred payment options," Joy Butler, treasurer at HMSHost, said in the release.
HMSHost operates in more than 120 airports around the globe and at more than 100 travel plazas in North America. The company is a part of Autogrill Group, a food and beverage services provider.
