World Travel Market is showcasing a world first with Palladium Hotel Group’s innovative biometric and Facebook initiatives throughout the 2012 event.

Palladium Hotel Group has become the first hotel group worldwide to offer Paytouch, which allows visitors to its Ushuaïa Ibiza Beach Hotel to make purchases with the touch of their fingertips though biometric technology giving guests and partygoers a secure, cash-free holiday experience.

In 2011 Palladium Hotel Group successfully pioneered a live Facebook sharing experience. A first of its kind in the hotel, music and travel market, visitors to Ushuaïa Ibiza Beach Hotel were able to share their holiday experiences on Facebook in real time using RFID bracelets and totems distributed across the hotel. 

In just over two months, Ushuaïa Ibiza Beach Hotel had in excess of 70,000 Facebook ‘likes’, and more than 2,000 registered users of the new RFID wristbands, of which approximately 90 per cent became Facebook ‘fans’.

Today Ushuaïa Ibiza Beach Hotel has over 176,000 Facebook followers and more than 32,000 followers on Twitter.

For WTM 2012, Palladium Hotel Group in collaboration with Paytouch is bringing a combination of the two technologies to WTM 2012.

World Travel Market delegates will be able to log in to Facebook using their fingertips at the four Palladium Facebook Pods placed around ExCeL – London.

From the pods, users will be able to update their status and upload pictures taken directly from the camera totems.

Alfonso Giménez, associate director of marketing said: “Palladium Hotel Group is proud to be leading the way in technology and looks forward to demonstrating the practical applications of Facebook for the hotel and travel industry.

The biometric technology developed by Paytouch, twinned with the existing Facebook sharing options mark a significant advancement for technology and WTM is the ideal platform to launch this exciting initiative.”