Managing payments has long been a challenge for hotels. To streamline the process, Sertifi helps hotels and event planners complete contracts and process payments faster and more efficiently.
Recently, the company caught the attention of Flywire, a global payments platform, which acquired the business in a move to reshape how hotels handle payments and enhance operations.
Sertifi, cofounded by brothers John and Nick Stojka, launched the company with the goal of speeding up the contract signing and payment process for businesses.
“We wanted to help people get contracts signed and paid faster,” said John Stojka, who now serves as a co-CEO of Sertifi under Flywire’s umbrella. “Initially, we worked with major hotel brands like Hyatt, Hilton and Marriott to streamline their sales and catering systems, as well as third-party payment authorizations.”
The company provides tools to digitize contracts, making them easier to sign electronically and significantly reducing the time spent on administrative tasks.
“We help facilitate the entire process, whether it’s for a wedding, corporate event or guestroom booking,” he added.
For events like weddings or business meetings, the system simplifies payment processing by generating payment links that can be shared with multiple parties. This ensures deposits and final payments are processed quickly, without the need for manual tracking or multiple communication steps, Stojka noted. The solutions expedite operations by reducing the number of manual touchpoints involved in payment processing, such as from sending credit card authorization forms and back-office reconciliation.
“With events like weddings, you might have multiple people contributing payments—the groom, bride’s family, etc.,” he said. “Our solution enables each person to pay their share quickly and efficiently, while also automatically updating the hotel’s system to reflect the payment status.”
Sertifi’s electronic third-party payment authorization system also addresses a significant security concern many hotels have. Traditionally, hotels store sensitive customer information, including credit card details, on paper forms.
“I once saw an employee at a hotel flipping through a folder with guests’ sensitive credit card details,” said Stojka. “It became clear that this manual process was putting hotels at risk, both in terms of security and compliance.”
By converting this process to an electronic format, the solution eliminates the need for physical paperwork and provides hotels with secure, tokenized credit card information. This not only enhances security but also helps hotels comply with PCI (payment card industry) regulations, lowering their risk and insurance costs.
“The less friction there is in the process, the better the experience for both the customer and the hotel,” said Stojka.
The acquisition by Flywire comes as both companies look to expand their reach and capabilities. “What attracted us was their deep integration into hotel workflows and the tremendous value they bring by streamlining the payment process,” said Colin Smyth, SVP/GM, travel, Flywire.
Flywire, known for its global payment network, sees the acquisition as an opportunity to enhance its service offerings and integrate software and payment systems even further. The collaboration aims to ensure hotels can efficiently accept payments across borders, in multiple currencies and via various methods.
Smyth highlighted the long-standing relationship between the two companies, noting that the acquisition was a natural progression. He added, “We’re excited to support their growth and help expand their capabilities.”
The combined technology will simplify workflows for hotel employees, reducing manual data entry, decreasing the likelihood of errors and enabling properties to focus on improving the guest experience. Additionally, Flywire’s global reach will allow hotels to handle international payments more easily, whether dealing with clients in Europe, Asia or the Americas.
“There’s enormous opportunity for growth in global markets,” said Smyth. “With Flywire’s international reach and Sertifi’s expertise in hotel payments, we can provide the tools to seamlessly manage payments from around the world.”
With the acquisition complete, the focus shifts toward expanding the footprint of both companies. International growth is a key area, as hotels worldwide seek solutions for managing cross-border payments more efficiently.
Stojka views this as a significant opportunity, adding, “By integrating Flywire’s global payment infrastructure with our software, we’ll provide a seamless experience for hotels around the world.”
The partnership promises to introduce a unified payment solution for a global market. This development will lead to a consistent experience for hotels and guests, no matter their location. Smyth reiterated this point, emphasizing that the combination of Flywire’s global payment network and the company’s software will offer considerable value to the hospitality industry.
“Whether it’s a hotel in Spain or one in New York, it wants to get paid quickly, in its local currency—and efficiently,” he said. “By connecting payment with software, we make the process more streamlined for everyone involved.”
