Since COVID, contactless technologies have been embraced by all market segments. This includes guest self-check-in. Criton’s 2020 research found that 80% of hotel customers would download an app that would allow them to check in, check out, and receive information about the hotel. Guests are increasingly looking for self-check-in, which is a good thing during the pandemic. It also makes sense after it has passed. Modern hotel management software makes it easy to implement a contactless check-in (with or without an application). Still, there are some important things to remember to ensure that your guests have a safe and seamless self-check-in experience.

Make sure guests know that you offer a contactless check-in.

Contactless check-in is a major selling point for most guests when selecting a hotel. However, some guests prefer to register at the front desk upon arrival. In either case, guests should be informed in advance about contactless check-in to increase bookings and make sure they feel comfortable with the self-check-in process.

Your hotel website should promote your property’s contactless checkout experience. It should include a step-by-step explanation of the process so that potential guests can understand how easy it is. Advertise contactless check-in on social media channels, OTA listings, email campaigns, and booking confirmations to ensure everyone sees the message.

Get the information that you need.

Hotels need consistent and accurate guest information to provide seamless contactless check-in. A mobile self-check-in process that uses mobile phones and emails to communicate check-in instructions with guests and deliver the key code or mobile key to them is possible.

Both bookings are made online by guests, and those booked by front desk staff make it mandatory to include mobile phone and email information on the booking form. This ensures that this important data is stored in the PMS and retrieved when communications are sent.

If you are creating group bookings, it is good to get contact information for each reservation separately. Instead of using the same contact information for all reservations, this will ensure that everyone within the group has access to check-in information.

Find out the payment and identity verification requirements.

It is important to define payment and identity verification requirements to self-check-in. This helps avoid security problems and administrative headaches. Online self-check-in will be offered to all guests, whether repeat guests or guests who have booked directly. Self-check-in can be restricted to guests who are already registered. This will help reduce the chance of fraud. This decision will be affected by your property’s policies, operational systems, and for example, whether your property receives guest contact details for OTA bookings before arrival.

While requiring guests to upload a photo of their credit cards and photo ID online helps protect customers from identity theft and credit card fraud. Additionally, requiring credit card information and payment online can help protect your business from revenue loss. Your online check-in form can require this information. You can make sure your property is paid online using a PCI-compliant payment portal integration.

You can send check-in instructions right on time.

When guests are not notified of their check-in status in time for their arrival, contactless check-in is a disaster! This can lead to guest dissatisfaction or confusion, particularly if they expect to check-in themselves. Your PMS can automate self-check-in messaging so that every guest knows what to expect and feels confident during the check-in process.

Pre-check-in emails or texts should be sent to guests the day before arrival or on the morning of check-in. They should contain a link to an online registration or check-in form that allows them to complete the necessary information (including photo ID and payment information) and accept the terms and conditions.

After the guest has submitted their online registration, an email confirming their check-in should be sent. It should contain step-by-step instructions to access their room upon arrival. This should include the room number, digital key code, instructions to download the key (or where they can pick up their physical key), and other relevant information like your COVID protocols.

You can create custom email templates to allow online registration and approval. This will automatically pull the reservation data to send personalized communications to each guest. You can ensure timely communication by setting up trigger messages based upon the reservation check-in date and time. These messages can be sent from your PMS or a third-party contactless check-in application integrated with your PMS.

If payment is required for guests checking in online, the message delivery should be timed to match your property’s deposit/payment policies to ensure that automatic payments are made. If the payment policy attached is to the booking requires payment on the date of arrival, then the online check-in form should be sent to the guest on that check-in date. If the guest does not check-in online before their arrival date, the system will not recognize the payment, and they can complete check-in with no additional charges.