by Matt Rej
Visual Matrix is a cloud-based hotel management software that includes tools for front desk operations, housekeeping, bookings management, and more. While many features are built in, others require third-party integrations (and credit card processing is one of them).
Visual Matrix doesn’t do payment processing in house. The software just supports an API connection to one of three processors:
- Elavon
- Fortis
- Shift4
This is good news if your hotel already uses one of these providers. If not, you’ll need to make a decision on whether it’s worth switching processors or finding an alternative solution (which you can potentially get from one of these options).
I’ll compare each of these providers below so you understand the key differences between them.
Elavon
Elavon operates as both an acquiring bank and a payment processor. And they’re one of the largest providers in the world with this setup for credit card processing.
The best part about using Elavon with Visual Matrix PMS is that you have a direct agreement with the provider, which means you have access to lower rates without other parties involved.
You can negotiate a really good rate with Elavon, particularly if your property does a lot of volume.
The only drawback is that Elavon does raise rates more often than we’d like to see (typically once per year). And they have a bunch of other random fees on top of their base markup that can be especially expensive for hotels. If your property has lots of guests coming from other countries and using foreign-issued cards, Elavon can hit you with pricey international card handling fees.
So while good deals are available, you need to watch your statements closely and work hard to identify the negotiable fees that can be removed. Otherwise, Elavon is solid.
Shift4
Similar to Elavon, Shift4 is also a major processor/acquirer. So the same perks of having a direct agreement apply here.
One standout of Shift4 is that the hospitality industry is one of their primary areas of focus. Even more so for enterprise properties, large hotels, resorts, and casinos (though they’re still happy to serve smaller, boutique, and independent properties).
If you’re using Shift4 you can also gain access to Lighthouse for business management tools. The reason I’m calling this out specifically is because Visual Matrix also integrates with a separate Lighthouse tool for revenue management (mylighthouse.com). But this is a completely different solution from Shift4’s platform, despite sharing the same name.
It’s also worth noting that you’ll have to approach Shift4 in a similar way that you do Elavon in the sense that they’ll try to add in extra fees for different services. And for Visual Matrix properties that have been using Shift4 for a while, there’s a really good chance that rate creep has caused your effective rate to increase significantly since you first signed up.
Just know that your current rates aren’t set in stone. You can always renegotiate, get fees removed, and get yourself a good deal while sticking with Shift4.
Fortis
Fortis is notably different from both Shift4 and Elavon. It’s primarily a payments platform that operates as a PayFac rather than a classic standalone acquirer.
There are pros and cons to this setup.
On the positive side, they have several different acquiring partnerships that they use on the backend. Which theoretically means they can shop around to secure the best possible rates when setting up your account.
The drawback is that by sitting in the middle of you and the backend acquirer means your rates need to be marked up more so they’re compensated accordingly and everyone profits.
Interestingly enough, Elavon is actually one of the backend partners that Fortis has an ISO relationship with. But we typically see Fortis rely heavily on Fiserv for the statements we audit.
Processing with Fortis is the most flexible of the three options, but it will likely be the most expensive no matter which way you slice it.
What if Your Current Processor Doesn’t Integrate With Visual Matrix?
It’s typically not worth it for hotels to switch processors just so they can integrate with Visual Matrix PMS. Ideally, you want to look for ways to keep your current processor at all costs and negotiate better terms directly with them (even if that means using a different property management software).
But if you’re set on Visual Matrix and you’re using a credit card processor other than Elavon, Shift4, or Fortis, you do have a couple of options.
The first is just keeping your processing setup separate from the PMS platform. While it’s often ideal to have this data synced, it’s definitely not a dealbreaker and plenty of properties do this. You can look for other ways to simplify reconciliation and keep costs low, even if you’re not integrated. And non-integrated processing setups are typically going to be much cheaper overall.
Alternatively, you can look to Fortis.
Since Fortis works with several backend processors, they may offer you a processor-agnostic gateway solution while keeping your existing merchant account in place.