How to be a hotel without a reception desk and not die trying

Be for convenience or for health-related reasons, purely digital check-ins are here to stay!

Checking-in is the process of announcing one’s arrival. Nowadays, we see them increasing on social media platforms where people virtually check-in at locations voluntarily, i.e. via Geo Tagging. However, there are numerous instances where checking-in is mandatory, at hotels, airports, hospitals and other events. Typically at hotels, guests are required to check-in to claim their booked reservation, make necessary payments and most importantly provide documents for personal identification. The specific requirements can vary based on the hotel’s policies and the local law, but every hotel has its own form of check-in process before the guest is given access to a hotel room.

At limehome, we have digitized the entire process that a hotel typically has and it also includes the check-in step which can be completed online. The online check-in method has been pretty popular in the airline industry, almost all major airlines offer this option nowadays and some of its benefits can be directly translated to the hospitality industry.

What are the challenges with a traditional check-in in hotels?

There is a lot to say about checking-in into a hotel in person at the reception desk. Some people like the feeling of being taken care of by an actual receptionist who can answer questions and guide you through the process. Although this can be true in some cases, if the person checking-in is not a proficient speaker of the language or the reception staff is backed up on work, the experience can be very much different.

Here are some of the most common problems:

• Communication: Dealing with people can lead to potential communication problems or rude staff, not to mention that doing anything face to face during a global pandemic is a problem.
• Double the effort: Most hotel chains also provide an app where people can book rooms. To do this guests have to enter all their information, information that is then asked again at the reception on arrival in most cases. This can be frustrating for the guests.
• Cleaning: There are also operational issues at stake for conducting check-ins in person. As an example, it can present a challenge in scheduling cleaning tasks. In many cases, guests have to wait for their room to be ready, even if they arrived past standard check-in time.
• Waiting: Of course, the most annoying thing for guests with traditional check-in procedures is dealing with queues. People want a fast check-in and check-out without having to wait. They want more time for themselves, to enjoy their vacations or make the best use of time during a business trip.

All of these issues can be addressed by implementing digital solutions that take care of not only the guests but help with the operational tasks as well.

Ok, I’m sold… but how do I go about replacing the physical desks at hotels?

limehome sets out to revolutionise the Hospitality industry by providing a completely digitised customer journey from start to finish. The goal was to substitute a physical reception that needs to be manned 24/7 with a digital reception. This saves on operational costs which then can be reinvested into providing our #sosuite experience for guests staying at a limehome.

But how do you bring about this significant divergence from an age-old traditional form of check-in to this new-age digital automation without compromising the guest experience?

The key is to start small, develop an MVP that works and solves all basic needs and expectations of the guests:

1. A UX friendly data form that collates guest information needed for a personalized stay at limehome
2. Ability to either snap or upload guest identification from any and all device
3. The capability of collecting a digital authentication or signature for the guest to sign in
4. Automated Email & SMS communication informing guest of all relevant information. From check-in & check-out times to access codes needed by the guest to enter the limehome that they booked

The purpose of this experiment was to build a basic stand-alone Check-In App that provides a functional digital reception without overt UI beautifications. This was Step 0 for us and given our limited parameters it worked very well for the guest experience at limehome … but this is just beginning!

Keep up to date with our articles to learn more about how we continue to improve and innovate our online check-in process and so much more! Follow our page for more updates!