The latest technological developments are redefining the hotel industry, particularly in check-in. Digital solutions are improving the experience of hotel guests by allowing them to check in through their smartphones or kiosks, thereby reducing wait times and improving satisfaction.
The competition in the industry is fierce, and hoteliers are trying new and creative ways of improving the guest experience, which, if done right, brings higher customer loyalty and occupancy rates.
Guests are becoming increasingly tech-savvy, expecting instant gratification – from the few clicks necessary to make a booking to the check-in and quick checkout. This is why it is no surprise that hotel kiosks are the next big thing in the industry.
The hotel challenges
Long waiting times at the front desk are one of the most common frustrations for guests, particularly after a long trip. The traditional check-in process can feel outdated and inconvenient without self-service kiosks or online check-in options. Guests must rely entirely on the availability of reception staff for tasks like identity verification, issuing room keys, and processing reservations, often leading to delays, errors, and possible dissatisfaction when it takes longer than it should.
For the hotel staff, the challenges are just as significant. Front desk employees are frequently stretched thin, juggling tasks like processing tourist taxes, managing checks, and handling special booking requests. This creates inefficiencies, limits personalized service, and reduces the flexibility that modern travellers expect, such as using their smartphones to pay, adjust reservations, or access their rooms.
Without kiosks or hotel management software to handle routine tasks, hotels miss opportunities to streamline operations and enhance the guest experience. Guests cannot manage their stay independently, while hotels face lost revenue, wasted resources, and possible drops in customer loyalty. These inefficiencies can make it difficult to stand out and meet the expectations of today’s tech-savvy travellers.
Benefits of hotel kiosks
1. Simplify the check-in process with online check-in
Waiting in a queue at the reception on arrival is far from the perfect beginning of the holiday. If possible, everyone would like to skip this boring part of the stay, making check-ins more efficient and pleasant. What if guests could use their smartphones to complete the check-in process or give them a hotel kiosk that helps guests do just that?
A digital check-in process would make it hassle-free and convenient. Using the intuitive interface, you can quickly complete the online check-in and get your room key card issued. Eliminating the stop at the front desk brings a speedy digital check-in and simplifies the whole process, with personalisation and guest data intact — the guest can even pay in the kiosk.
2. Boost revenue
More and more guests choose to use self-service kiosks due to the benefits that come with them. Besides skipping the waiting line at the reception desk, the guest receives the option to decide how often and when to use the kiosk. It is very convenient for making inquiries about amenities, various extra services, room upgrades, special promotions for regulars and various other hotel products.
Effective guest communication through the kiosk ensures that customers are well-informed about these offerings. This is how hotels can use the kiosk capabilities, integrated with comprehensive hotel management software, to promote upsell upgrades and extra services, significantly improving business bottom line.
3. Reduce costs
Another serious advantage of hotel kiosks is the business cost reduction they bring. A user-friendly interface simplifies hotel operations, making it easier for staff to manage tasks efficiently. Many routine tasks otherwise performed by the reception desk may be left to a self-service kiosk — check-in, completion of guest registration cards, digital registration form submission, and key card issuing.
A key moment here is that your kiosk is to be well-integrated with the hotel’s property management system. As a result, the hotel staff may focus their efforts on more important matters requiring personal attention, thus considerably improving the customer stay experience.
4. Prevent errors
Forget misspelt guest names and wrongly allocated rooms. With the kiosk’s automated online check-in system, you can avoid all these errors and duplicated profiles. Additionally, using a digital signature ensures that all documents are accurately and securely signed. Digital check-out options also offer convenience and efficiency, allowing guests to manage their check-ins and check-outs independently.
Letting guests themselves type in their personal details and preferences as part of the online check-in and check-out reduces human errors to a minimum. The entered data is directly sent to your PMS and information can easily be retrieved. For example, next time a regular guest stays at your hotel, they can use the fast online check-in option based on already stored guest profile data. You can even go a step further and make a nice surprise for the guest based on the data of their preferences. Everybody likes the personal touch.
5. Better digital guest journey and loyalty
Hardly is there any better foundation for building guest loyalty than creating an incredible experience. A kiosk connected to the whole property management system can take guest engagement to the next level, creating a seamless digital guest journey.
Kiosks can enhance the experience across various types of tourist accommodation, including hotels and vacation rentals, by streamlining operations and improving guest interactions. This is why a growing number of guests expect to find a kiosk in the hotel lobby and be able to control various aspects of their stay, like check-in, extra services, payments, etc., from start to finish.
Summary
Hotel kiosks are a modern way to improve stay experiences and simplify operations. These self-service kiosks simplify the check-in and check-out processes by allowing customers to use their smartphones and kiosks for faster service, reduced waiting times, and even features like personal data identity verification and door opening.
Hotels benefit greatly from these kiosks as they integrate seamlessly with hotel management software like property management systems, giving hoteliers the benefit of upselling services, reducing operational costs, and minimising errors in guest check or reservation documentation — including giving hoteliers and staff access to reservation and guest data that can also be saved and used in the future.
With smoother access and a more personalised experience, taking care of things like booking and advance payments to tourist tax collection, kiosks cater to the growing demand for digital convenience. Adopting digital solutions like kiosks improves the business side like revenue growth and resource optimization, including customer satisfaction, making it a worthwhile business investment for hotels all around the world.
Article updated January 2025.