4 Reasons Why Hotels are Going to a Self-Check-In Model

If you’re in the hotel industry, you know that satisfying the guests is the number one priority.

11:26 23 February 2021

If your guests aren’t happy, then you’re not either, since they’ll soon go with one of your competitors.

 

The pandemic has certainly made things hard for many different industries, but with vaccines out now and the rollout underway, it seems likely that the world will return to normal at some point. In the meantime, many hotels are looking at their business model from the top down to determine whether they can improve so that they can come back stronger than ever.

 

Many hotels feel like adding self-check-in kiosks is the right way to go if they don’t have any yet. Let’s look at four of the reasons why guests and hotels seem to like this new technology.

 

You Can Run Your Hotel with a Skeleton Crew

 

When you look at the self-check-in hotel model, one thing that you’ll quickly realize is that when you automate in this way, you don’t need as many employees. You might have a front desk where you have a single staff member, but then you have some self-check-in kiosks as well. If so, an individual or family can walk up and check in without needing to talk to them.

 

This means that even if you have a rush of people all come in at once, you probably don’t need any more than one person there. If multiple guests want to speak to a live person, your staff member can always radio for backup, but in the meantime, you only need one worker to cover the desk. That can definitely save you from having to pay some overtime hours, even during the busiest seasons.

 

Some People Prefer Not to Talk to Anyone

 

You also might have noticed that some people are simply antisocial. They would prefer not to speak to someone in person if they can avoid it.

 

That is certainly their prerogative, and if they come to a hotel with a self-check-in kiosk, they’ll probably love it. It’s just the same as having self-check-outs at the grocery store or a department store. You can have a staff member standing by if need be, but the antisocial guest can often check in and go about their business without them.

 

This is an Easier Way to Upsell

 

You also might have kiosks at your hotel that offer all kinds of upselling possibilities. It’s similar to having impulse items by the checkout line.

 

A guest might arrive and think to themselves that they can upgrade to a king-size bed or a fancier suite for fifty dollars more. There’s the option on the kiosk, and all they have to do is press the button.

 

Of course, they might also accept an upgrade if a live person suggested it, but some guests don’t like that because they think it’s too pushy. If a desk clerk asks them if they want to upgrade, that puts them on the spot. They’re not as likely to go for it that way.

 

You’ll often find that if a machine suggests it, they’re more amenable to it. They can easily say no, but you might manage an upsell this way that you wouldn’t have accomplished otherwise.

 

They Can Check Out Much Faster and Easier

 

Some guests also love hotel living so much that they want to stay until the last possible moment. They might lounge around in bed watching TV until they realize they have only a few minutes to get to the airport to catch their flight.

 

In this scenario, they probably don’t want to have to deal with a live person. If you have a self-check-in kiosk where a guest can check out as well, they can drop off their key or keycard in the slot and tap a couple of buttons. They can get a printed receipt, if they want one, and dash out the door to flag down a cab within a few seconds.

 

Many guests like this better because they never have to be rude to a staff member. They like a kiosk’s impersonality.

 

Many hotels have gone to this model, and they’re doing great with it. If you don’t have this option yet, you’ll know that you’re falling behind your competitors, and your guests will know it too.

 

It’s not a huge thing, but every commodity that another hotel has that you don’t makes it less likely that a guest will stay with you again.