WeChat tapping hospitality niche in digital push

While paying for meals and ordering taxis via WeChat is old news in China, the all-in-one app is now elbowing its way into an asset-intensive industry: hospitality.

Tencent's iconic messaging app signed a strategic partnership on Tuesday with InterContinental Shanghai Wonderland, the world's first underground hotel built out of a decommissioned quarry, in its latest bid to make hotel-staying a more intelligent experience.

The tie-up allows customers to book rooms, pre-check-in, order room service and conduct payment in real time, with a few taps on the smart phone, through certain WeChat functionalities.