official market leader in Germany

Online check-in solutions and check-in kiosks enable hotels to meet the growing demand of the modern guest for self-service options. Regardless of the type of device, solutions that categorize into online check-in & check-in kiosks are those that cover the historic core steps of a hotel check-in/out. In the most classic sense, hotel check-in is defined by the combination of capturing the registration form and paper signature, as well as billing information and handing over the room key. Since the long-awaited January
2020 amendment to the Federal Registration Act allowing for digital registration, this process can be fully automated through the Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) or eID process. For the check-out process, the combination of payment, invoice sending and key reproduction must be covered by the tool. A distinction must be made between providers offering online registration forms, bring your own device (BYOD) check-in/out solutions, and fixed kiosks at the reception desk.

BYOD and kiosk solutions qualify for the full definition of the category, whereas online registration form solutions merely enable hoteliers to gradually speed up the process at the front desk, but should not be confused with fully automated check-in/out solutions that can also automate the handover of the room key and payment processing. In addition, it must be checked whether the providers of online registration forms or online check-in solutions offer handling of the digital registration form that is compliant in Germany or whether the registration form still has to be printed out and signed by the guest.

From the diverse system landscape of a hotel, it can be deduced that such software providers offer greater added value by ensuring extensive automation through so-called two-way interfaces. Only through this extensive integration can processes be mapped without manual activities by employees. The necessary interfaces for fully automated processes therefore include the PMS, the door locking system and the payment service provider.

The most important results

Digitization of the check-in and registration slip has been a hot topic this year, especially in Germany, as the new regulation was passed in January and most hotels are forced to offer contactless guest travel. Tools in this category have a market penetration of around 10% for hotels with more than 30 rooms. However, it is important to note that most tools do not provide a compliant and comprehensive solution to
completely automate the check-in process, but only help to streamline the data entry process of the registration form (or registration slip).