BirchStreet Publishes New Survey Report on Top Hospitality Accounts Payable Priorities and Challenges for 2025

LAS VEGAS -- BirchStreet Systems, a leading hospitality operations platform, has announced the release of a survey report demonstrating why embedded payments represent the future of hotel accounts payable processes. Developed in collaboration with Hotel Management magazine, “Hotel AP in 2025” leverages feedback from hoteliers to uncover the industry’s leading finance and accounting challenges, while outlining how technology is transforming accounts payable into a driver of profitability and streamlined efficiency.

Conducted among key hotel finance decision-makers across ownership, operations and C-suite levels, the new survey report highlights a hospitality sector at a crossroads and under increasing pressure. Faced with rising costs, fraud risks and a growing number of deadlines, hotels are re-evaluating legacy systems and manual processes. Priorities are now centering on solutions capable of optimizing data accuracy, saving time and minimizing costs through automation, while providing actionable insights that yield higher profit margins and enhanced productivity.

Key trends uncovered by the report include:

• Ensuring control is top of mind – 64.5% of AP leaders keep payments in-house for greater oversight, yet many overlook how embedded solutions can actually strengthen visibility and vendor relationships.
• Cost efficiency is key – Rebate capture and reduced processing costs are top 2025 business goals, with many hoteliers seeking solutions that deliver measurable ROI.
• Automation is a strategic imperative – 37.5% cited lack of automation as a major challenge with current systems, underscoring the need for streamlined, digitized processes to boost scalability.
• Security cannot be ignored – with 65% of B2B fraud occurring via checks, hotels are prioritizing digital payments to protect sensitive financial and guest data.

Hotel finance leaders are loudly and clearly stating that the traditional way of managing AP is no longer sustainable in an industry where efficiency, cost control and security are absolutely critical. This newly published report provides a blueprint for how hotels can modernize payment processes and gain the visibility they are seeking, so they can shift their attention to delivering the best possible guest experiences and ensuring maximum profitability. Phil Beck, GM Payments at BirchStreet Systems

The report further underscores how embedded payments are reshaping financial operations in hospitality by integrating directly into the procure-to-pay workflow, eliminating manual inefficiencies, and empowering hoteliers with data-driven financial control.

To download a full copy of BirchStreet’s latest survey report, please click here.

For more information on BirchStreet Systems and its range of procurement-based solutions, please visit www.birchstreetsystems.com.