Caesars Entertainment Launches the First WeChat Digital Payment Program in Las Vegas

By: Aug. 09, 2017
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Leveraging its longstanding relationship with the world's 10th biggest public corporation Tencent, Caesars Entertainment Corporation (Caesars Entertainment) launches WeChat Pay at 16 select locations inside Caesars Palace, Paris Las Vegas and The LINQ Promenade, becoming the first in the hospitality industry to offer this prominent Chinese digital payment method in Las Vegas.

The initial pilot phase of Caesars Entertainment's WeChat Pay program began Aug. 8 in the Las Vegas market, echoing Tencent's month-long global campaign of "wallet-free shopping spree." The 16 participating Las Vegas locations include the award-winning Bacchanal Buffet, Beijing Noodle No. 9, and 11 retail shops inside Caesars Palace; box offices for the High Roller, the world's tallest observation wheel, and the Eiffel Tower Experience at Paris Las Vegas; and the Center Strip box office at The LINQ Promenade, which offers tickets for more than 50 Caesars Entertainment shows, including resident headliners Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Céline Dion, Elton John, Jennifer Lopez and more. WeChat Pay customers can receive a 10-percent-off instant rebate when making purchases at these select outlets at Caesars Entertainment Las Vegas resorts in August.

In 2018, Caesars Entertainment will continue to roll out WeChat Pay to all outlets in Caesars Palace and to additional resorts within its portfolio.

"Our continued marketing relationship with Tencent and WeChat has been essential to our efforts to welcome Chinese guests to our resorts and directly engage with this valuable audience to meet their needs," said Bruce C. Bommarito, corporate vice president of international marketing for Caesars Entertainment. "Caesars Entertainment is well positioned as the only U.S. company to offer WeChat hotel booking and now digital payment, allowing us to capture a larger share of the growing Chinese leisure travel market, which is accustomed to digital payments."

As one of the top two mobile payment apps in China, WeChat Pay has become a part of daily life due to its widespread availability, ranging from taxis to supermarkets to hospitals. Now, Chinese guests can make purchases with WeChat Pay just as easily at Caesars Entertainment Las Vegas resorts. The currency will automatically settle into USD at the point of sale at a dynamic exchange rate.

In September 2016, Caesars Entertainment launched WeChat Booking, connecting nearly 24,000 rooms across its nine Las Vegas resorts to its official account on WeChat. Caesars Entertainment is the first and only U.S. company of its kind to market its resorts to Chinese tourists through the app. By the end of 2017, Caesars Entertainment plans to add 10 more U.S. resorts to WeChat Booking.

WeChat currently boasts 938 million monthly active user accounts globally, and WeChat Pay has 600 million active users around the world. According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), international tourism expenditure in China increased to USD $261 billion in 2016, and the U.S. was ranked as the No. 2 outbound travel destination for Chinese travelers as of May 2017.

Follow Caesars Entertainment on WeChat:

WeChat ID: kaisaguanfang

About Caesars Entertainment Corporation

Caesars Entertainment Corporation ("CEC") is the world's most diversified entertainment provider and the most geographically diverse U.S. entertainment company. CEC is mainly comprised of the following three entities: the majority owned operating subsidiary Caesars Entertainment Operating Company, Inc. ("CEOC"), wholly owned CERP and Caesars Growth Properties, LLC, in which we hold a variable economic interest. Since its beginning in Reno, Nevada, 79 years ago, CEC has grown through development of new resorts, expansions and acquisitions and its portfolio of subsidiaries now operate 47 properties in 13 U.S. states and five countries. CEC's resorts operate primarily under the Caesars, Harrah's and Horseshoe brand names. CEC's portfolio also includes the London Clubs International family of properties. CEC is focused on building loyalty and value with its guests through a unique combination of great service, excellent products, unsurpassed distribution, operational excellence and technology leadership. CEC is committed to environmental sustainability and energy conservation and recognizes the importance of being a responsible steward of the environment. For more information, please visit www.caesars.com.

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