6 Benefits and Advantages of Hotel Online Check-In

May 2, 2022 Nicky. M
Home > Technology > 6 Benefits and Advantages of Hotel Online Check-In
Share this post

More and more hotel guests are skipping the front desk and heading straight to their rooms. Corporate travelers expect this convenience, but now even leisure travelers follow suit. And this is all possible with online check-in technology for hotels. A survey in 2020 found that 80% of travelers prefer to check-in before their arrival.

If you’re interested in providing this safe and convenient option to your guests, keep reading to find out how online check-in can fit in with your standard operating procedure (SOP) and the 6 benefits of online check-in that you can look forward to.

How does online check-in work for hotels?

As the name suggests, online check-in lets hotel guests conveniently complete the check-in process on their mobile phones, tablets, or laptops before arrival.

The online check-in process can be fairly simple if you use a Property Management System (PMS) that supports this function. Here’s how it works:

A post-stay email is automatically sent from the PMS to the guest. The guest can then click on the link in the email that redirects them to an online page where they then fill out their personal details like ID number and home address and provide a digital signature – all the typical guest information that usually takes front desk managers up to 10 minutes to enter into the system manually.

To let guests completely skip the front desk, you can include a digital hotel key like a door code or bar code in the online check-in email.

1. Promote safety and social distancing

This is not news. We are amid a global pandemic, after all. Travelers, especially those coming from abroad, want to stay at hotels that prioritize their safety.

The silver lining is that online check-in is not only a convenient option for tired guests who travel from far and want to kick up their feet sooner rather than later, but it’s the ultimate contactless experience. Guests don’t have to exchange documents or sign papers at the front desk. Better yet, there will be no need for guests to wait in a queue purely because you can only allow a maximum of five people in your hotel lobby according to COVID protocols.

2. The most opportune time to upsell

No one enjoys being bombarded with offers when they arrive at their destination. And chances are, your front desk manager doesn’t have the best sales skills. That’s why online check-in has been identified as the most opportune time to upsell, particularly to millennials who don’t like to make snap decisions but rather make buying decisions in their own time and collaboratively, according to Forbes.

But how do you upsell during online check-in? Easy, you can activate an automated upselling list to appear on the online page in your PMS that allows guests to purchase in-room extras, experiences, and room upgrades before checking in. This way, you can increase your hotel revenue without lifting a finger.

3. Balancing staff workload

Many hotel businesses had to deliver the same if not better quality of service with less staff during the pandemic. As a result, hotels have started to use hotel technology to automate guest communication and provide guests with in-room self-service options.

Now that the self-check-in process is popular among travelers, you’ll have more time to focus on your customers. And when your staff is no longer tied up by checking in guests during busy periods, they can focus on greeting guests, giving them tours of the property, and answering any questions they may have.

4. Identity card scanner

We didn’t think it could be more efficient than online check-in, but now guests can scan their identity documents with OCR technology that auto-populates their information into the correct fields. This includes passports, and other forms of ID. 

In the future, hotels may no longer have to ask guests for identification. This makes everything more convenient for the guests and helps hotels save a lot of time and money.

5. Self-service meets personalization

The great paradox. Millennials, the largest generation of travelers between 24-39 years of age, demand self-service solutions but also crave true, authentic, and personalized experiences. This is where hotel online check-in lends itself as the perfect middle ground between the two strong preferences.

It’s both a self-service solution, and hotel managers can add the human factor with personalized welcome emails and targeted upsell lists.

6. Better guest experience

It’s no secret that a great guest experience is the key to success, and providing an exceptional experience starts long before guests arrive. Offering online check-in services is one surefire way to meet guest expectations and maintain a flexible business in a hyper volatile industry.

Wrapping up

Online check-in is one of the most sought-after features in hotels. It’s convenient, quick, and best of all? It can be used in clever ways to increase your revenue. If you’re interested in providing this service to your guests, simply book a demo with a local member of our team.

Author Image

Nicky. M

Nicky is RoomRaccoon's Senior Content Manager, combining a love for travel with a practical approach to improving hotel performance through tech and insightful tips. Join her journey where travel, hospitality, and technology meet.

Related Posts