Who is the provider of the payment gateway services for the Crowne Plaza Next-Gen Payments Solution?
Crowne_Plaza Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
Hotel acknowledges that FreedomPay is the provider of the payment gateway services provided to Hotel through the Next-Gen Payments Solution. Hotel agrees to the following Third Party Terms required by FreedomPay:
1. WARRANTIES.
- 1.1.
Relationship of Hotel, IHG, and FreedomPay.
Hotel acknowledges that, although IHG will process the on-boarding of Hotel, administer payments related to the Next-Gen Payments Solution, and facilitate support for Hotel, FreedomPay is the provider of the payment gateway services.
Hotel will be accessing a single hosted environment configured for IHG, and Hotel does not have the right or ability to customize the hosted environment for its individual needs.
The payment of fees and requests for service, and other interaction with FreedomPay will be routed through IHG, acting as a facilitator.
Hotel will direct requests for service to IHG.
- 1.2.
PIM Compliance: Hotel shall be responsible for procuring and maintaining, at its sole cost, all hardware, software and data communication and connectivity required to connect to the FreedomPay system and services (the "FreedomPay Solution").
Delivery of PCI-Validated Point-to-Point Encryption Secure Switching is subject to Hotel's compliance with the FreedomPay P2PE Instruction Manual (the "PIM") and Hotel's acknowledgement of such compliance in the form set forth on Exhibit 1 to Attachment 1 (PIM Acknowledgement) to this Attachment.
In the event Hotel does not comply with any obligation under the PIM, IHG may, but shall not be obligated, to perform any such obligation or otherwise mitigate such non-compliance, in which event IHG may charge Hotel reasonable fees to compensate IHG for such mitigation, including, without limitation, charging the then current list price for the applicable IHG services.
Further, a failure to comply with the PIM or the requirements of Section 3 below will result in the disallowance of the benefits to Hotel described in the PIM.
- 1.3.
Third Party Services.
Source: Item 23 — Receipts (FDD pages 100–424)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to the 2025 Crowne Plaza Franchise Disclosure Document, FreedomPay is the provider of the payment gateway services for the Next-Gen Payments Solution. While IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) handles the onboarding, payment administration, and support for the Next-Gen Payments Solution, FreedomPay is the actual provider of the gateway services.
As a Crowne Plaza franchisee, you will be accessing a hosted environment configured specifically for IHG, and you won't have the ability to customize it for your individual hotel's needs. All payment of fees and service requests related to FreedomPay will be managed through IHG, which acts as a facilitator between the hotel and FreedomPay. Therefore, any requests for service must be directed to IHG, not directly to FreedomPay.
The franchisee is responsible for ensuring they have all the necessary hardware, software, data communication, and connectivity to link to the FreedomPay system. Compliance with FreedomPay's P2PE Instruction Manual (PIM) is mandatory for secure switching, and failure to comply may result in IHG charging the franchisee for any mitigation efforts they undertake.
Crowne Plaza franchisees should be aware that IHG disclaims all warranties on third-party solutions, including FreedomPay's services. Franchisees must rely solely on any warranties provided directly by FreedomPay. This highlights the importance of understanding the terms and conditions set forth by FreedomPay in Attachment 1 of the franchise agreement.