Hotel Mobile Check-in: Why Is It Important and How To Achieve?

Introduction

Hotel mobile check-in is a feature many hotels use, and it’s becoming more common daily. It works like this: when you book a hotel room at the right hotel, you can choose whether or not you want to use mobile check-in when you arrive.

When you arrive at the hotel, you must walk up to your room door and unlock your hotel room with your phone. That’s it! It’s simple, easy, and very convenient. But there are also some things people don’t know about mobile check-ins that they should know. They’ll be surprised at how much they can save by using them!

So in this article, we will introduce why hotel mobile check-in is important for modern hotels and how to achieve hotel mobile check-in in detail.

What is hotel mobile check-in?

What is hotel mobile check-in

What is hotel mobile check-in? If you’re unfamiliar with the term, it’s a way to check into a hotel without waiting in line or filling out a form. This convenient service lets you use your smartphone to access some of the same features as regular check-in—including making reservations, finding nearby attractions and restaurants, and getting directions—but without stopping by the front desk first.

Hotel mobile check-in allows you to use your smartphone or tablet to book rooms, request upgrades, and skip the lines when you arrive at the hotel.

How does hotel mobile check-in work?

After you book a hotel that supports mobile check-in, the hotel will send a text message to your phone with a room number and the name of the person staying in the room. You can use this to check in online using your phone.

Hotel Mobile Check-in: Why Is It Important and How To Achieve? 2

Hotel mobile check-in works by email, sending your booking information to the hotel. When checking in at a hotel that offers this service, you only need to provide your name and email address—you don’t even have to show up at the front desk!

The hotel will send an email with a barcode that allows guests access to their room (and access can also be granted for late check-out). You can also use this barcode when checking out of the hotel; scan it at check-out and leave without ever going through the front desk again!

What hotels are using mobile check-in?

What hotels are using mobile check-in

While the concept of mobile check-in is new, it’s a smart way to streamline the process of checking into a hotel and ensure you get everything you want from your stay. This feature is currently available in a few best hotels, including:

Excalibur Hotel: This Hotel in Las Vegas offers its guests the chance to use their smartphone or tablet device as their room key when arriving at the resort. All guests need to do is download an app from either Google Play or iTunes and sign in with their email addresses before arriving at the hotel.
LUXOR HOTEL: The Luxor Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas use mobile check-in to allow guests to skip the line. Once you’ve arrived at the hotel, you must scan your phone at the kiosk and follow the directions on your screen. The process takes about 15 seconds and lets guests go straight from their car or taxi into their rooms without waiting in line for anything.
MARRIOTT HOTELS: Marriott offers mobile check-in across its entire suite of brands, including Courtyard by Marriott®, Renaissance Hotels®, Residence Inn®, SpringHill Suites® by Marriott®, TownePlace Suites® by Marriott®, and many more! The Marriott app lets you check in and unlock your room with your smartphone (if you’re staying at a select property). You can also use the app to explore the hotel, request in-room dining, and more.
Universal Hotels: The Universal Hotel app allows guests to check in on their phones before arriving at their hotel room; they’ll have access to special offers and other perks while on the property.

Why should hotels use mobile hotel check-in?

Why should hotels use mobile hotel check-in

Mobile check-in is the future of the hospitality industry. It offers many hotel benefits, and it’s time you start using this increasingly popular service. Here are just a few reasons why your hotel should be offering mobile check-in:

Save Time, Effort, and Money for Both Guests and Hoteliers: Mobile apps allow instant booking and payment so guests can make reservations anytime. This also helps with reducing wait times at the front desk during check-in.
Reduce Check-In Lines: With mobile check-in applications available on smartphones or tablets, guests can skip long lines at reception desks by checking in from home before arriving at their destination hotel. This reduces wait times significantly and improves guest satisfaction levels by providing convenience when it comes time for them to be checked into their rooms after arrival!
Increase Customer Loyalty: Mobile apps allow repeat business since there’s no need to reenter credit card information each time. You book a room online using an app versus doing so over phone calls or emails, which could lead to one not wanting to give out personal info.
It is collecting more data on guests who stay at your property. This will allow you to reach out and target them with marketing campaigns that offer exclusive hotel experiences, special deals, or other incentives.
Increasing guest satisfaction. Guests will likely be happier with their stay if they don’t have to wait hours before checking in; plus, it saves you money on staffing costs!
Improving brand awareness by displaying the logo or name of your hotel next to the mobile check-in process when shown on the screen of someone’s phone or tablet device.
Increasing occupancy rates due to increased demand from guests looking for convenience. Boost sales opportunities through advanced reservation systems that allow customers to book directly from their devices instead of calling an agent over the phone.
Increase Hotel Revenue – Mobile check-in allows guests to speed through the process of checking in at their hotel, meaning they spend less time waiting in line and more time enjoying their vacation. This means your hotel can increase its revenue without hiring more people or investing in faster computers; just by offering mobile check-in, you will significantly increase your profits!
Increase Hotel Brand Awareness – Mobile apps are becoming more popular every single day, with millions being downloaded every minute around the world! When allowed to download an app (which takes up very little memory), many consumers will take advantage of it because they want their phones to have everything possible.
Pronounced Sales and Marketing Opportunities – Using Hotel Mobile Check-In increases your chance of getting more bookings as it gives a better experience to customers. It also helps you build trust with your customer because they will know that their information is secure when they make bookings via this platform.
Increase occupancy rates: Mobile check-in is the ultimate tool for increasing your hotel’s occupancy rate. Guests can now book a room at a hotel and have their room key waiting for them at the front desk when they arrive, which means they don’t have to worry about keeping track of their key cards or forgetting where they put them so that they can make sure everything else goes smoothly during their stay.
Safe and Secure: When you offer mobile check-in services, you give your customers peace of mind by assuring them that their personal information will remain confidential no matter what kind of device they use or how secure it may seem from an outsider’s perspective.
Ensuring Future Bookings – Your guests are more likely to book another stay if they had a positive experience during their last visit. You can keep them coming back by providing an easy way for them to check in again (and rate their holiday)!
Boosting Online Presence – People are increasingly turning away from traditional media sources like newspapers and TV shows in favor of social media networks like Facebook, where they spend most of their time daily! So why not make it easier for people who want more info about what’s happening at your place by posting updates directly onto these platforms?
Hotel benefits. Mobile check-in allows hotels to cut down on the costs associated with printing and mailing room keys, which means they can save money on operational expenses and thus pass those savings along to guests in the form of lower rates.
Hotel guest benefits. Guests who opt for mobile check-in will have an easier time finding their rooms since they don’t have to stand around at the front desk waiting for their keys (and then worry about misplacing them when they look for them).
Hotel staff benefits. It’s no secret that many people despise working at hotels—it has one of the lowest employee satisfaction ratings among all industries, according to Glassdoor. But mobile check-in could help alleviate some of that discontentment by reducing wait times and improving service efficiency behind the scenes—plus, it makes employees’ jobs less stressful if guests can do more on their own without needing help from staff members every step of the way!

What is the downside of mobile hotel check-in?

What is the downside of hotel mobile check-in

While mobile check-in is an excellent option for many, there are a few downsides.

Privacy: The biggest concern with mobile check-in is privacy. Hotels can access your phone number and email address when using this service. They can use these two pieces of information to track you at their hotel, offer special promotions on future visits, or even send promotional emails to other businesses (such as restaurants and attractions in the area).
Identity theft: Besides collecting personal information from guests who use their mobile app, some hotels rely on third-party services that contain credit card numbers and other sensitive financial data when purchasing through the app store or Google Play Store (for Android devices). This increases the risk of identity theft if someone hacks into these databases!
Low phone batteries. If your phone runs out of battery and you’ve already checked in, you will be stuck with a missed reservation and no way to contact the hotel. And what do you do if your phone dies in the middle of checking in?
Internet issues. It’s possible that there could be an internet outage when you make your reservation online or when you go to pick up your room keys at the front desk—so if that happens, I hope it doesn’t delay any other plans!
Less person-to-person interaction. With mobile check-in, hotels won’t need as many employees at hotel reception desks or concierge stations; instead, they’ll rely more on technology like tablets and computers.
Hotel mobile check-in requires new software for hotels to implement. This technology is expensive and not always available or affordable for smaller hotels.
A power outage can cause significant disruptions in your travel plans—and nobody wants that!
Implementing mobile check-in will require updated front desk policies to handle situations such as guests arriving early or late with their phones already charged up (or not).

How do hotels achieve Hotel mobile check-in?

How do hotels achieve Hotel mobile check-in

Most hotels achieve mobile hotel check-in by using one of the following methods:

Buying hotel mobile check-in software. This is an excellent option if you don’t have an IT department and need to get started quickly, but consider that it comes with a learning curve and costs money to implement and maintain a hotel.
Buying a hotel lock system supports mobile in. If you already have a hotel door lock system installed, this could be an excellent way for guests to use their phones to check themselves into hotel rooms. However, some older systems may not allow this feature or require costly upgrades before adding it. You can review our ShineACS TThotel Bluetooth hotel lock system for mobile hotel check-in.
Have your mobile check-in app that allows guests to use their phone as a room key. This is called “hotel mobile check-in” or “m-key,” and it’s prevalent because it removes the need for guests to carry their room key card after checking in. It also cuts down on time spent checking in at reception, meaning that information about the guest is automatically pulled from their booking when they arrive.
Make your mobile hotel check-in system online. This means that the app will be available for users to download and use without needing to access an internet browser. Once downloaded, they’ll easily access all the features while on the go.
Promote your hotel mobile check-in service so that people know about it before arriving at your hotel.

How to use mobile check-in?

How to use mobile check-in

Mobile check-in is easy to use but unclear for the first time. The most important thing to remember is that you need a reservation at the hotel where you’re staying—if you don’t have one, mobile check-in won’t work for you. Here’s what you need to do:

Book a hotel support mobile check-in and receive your mobile hotel check-in login details. This is available on most sites and apps (including ours). After booking, you’ll get all the information you need to use the feature.
Download the app and log in using your phone number, email address, and password provided by the hotel.
Once everything is ready, open up our app when it’s time for check-in and tap “I have arrived” inside the Hotel Mobile Check-In section at the bottom left corner of the screen (if there aren’t any problems with the network connection).
Once at the hotel, use your phone as a key to enter your room!

Once you’re inside your hotel room and have opened the mobile check-in app on your phone (or tablet), follow these steps:

Select “Check In”
Enter a valid credit card number to charge for any incidentals incurred during your stay (this is not required if paying cash)
Enter personal information such as name, address, and birthdate

After completing these steps, a message will appear: “You checked into [hotel name].” Your reservation has been registered with them!

How do I know if my hotel has mobile check-in?

How do I know if my hotel has mobile check-in

If you want to find out whether your hotel offers mobile check-in, the easiest way is to check its website. Look for “mobile check-in” or similar language on the reservation page. If you’re still unsure, call the front desk before booking your room and ask if this feature is available.

You may also find that some hotels offer different levels of mobile check-in based on availability; for example, you might be able to use the feature at any time if no other guests are checking in at that moment or only during certain hours of the day. Ask about these restrictions when making your reservation to know what to expect when arriving at the hotel.

Do you need an app for mobile hotel check-in?

Do you need an app for mobile hotel check-in

The short answer is yes! You’ll need an app to use any of the services listed above.

If you’d prefer to use your phone’s browser, it can work—but it will be a bit more complicated. Most hotels can download apps from the App Store or Google Play. Once installed on your device, open the app and enter your information, as usual, to get started with mobile check-in.

Is it safe to use mobile hotel check-in?

Is it safe to use hotel mobile check-in

If you’re staying in a reputable hotel and using a phone from an approved network provider, there should be no reason to worry about stolen personal information. All hotels will use encrypted connections for their mobile check-in services, and most will also have other security measures, such as fingerprint scans or facial recognition software.

It’s also important to note that if your phone is stolen before or during your stay at the hotel, it’s likely that any personal information stored on it has already been accessed by whoever stole it.

This means that even if someone got hold of your details while logged into the hotel’s mobile check-in service, they couldn’t do anything with them unless they had access to all other parts of your device, too (e.g., email account login details).

Can you check out of a hotel over the phone?

Can you check out of a hotel over the phone

Yes, you can check out of a hotel over the phone.

If you’re staying at a hotel that offers mobile check-in and the ability to check out of your room remotely, it’s easy to do so from anywhere in the world. Call their main number, tell them you want to end your stay early, and they will process your request for early departure.

You may still be charged for another day if no one can stay in your room after that point or if it has been booked for another guest on an earlier date (so make sure to get rid of any belongings).

Do I need to show my id for hotel mobile check-in?

The good news is that you don’t need to show your ID for mobile hotel check-in. Most hotels are happy to accept a credit or debit card over the phone, so as long as you have your card on hand, you have to call the front desk and give them all your information (name, address).

The staff will confirm everything and let you know when your room is ready. Some hotels may request one form of identification and other verification methods, such as answering secret questions about your account; however, this isn’t always necessary for simple mobile check-ins.

Can you check in at a hotel over the phone?

Can you check in at a hotel over the phone

You can certainly check in or out of a hotel over the phone. The process is the same as checking into a hotel by email or online. If you prefer to send in your reservation via email, this is easy enough to do—attach a copy of your confirmation number and printed confirmation form (if applicable).

All that’s left to do now is get ready for opening night!

Conclusion

The best way to ensure you get the most out of your mobile check-in experience is to ask questions and be informed. Don’t let a bad experience ruin this new technology for you! With mobile hotel check-ins, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Vincent Zhu

Vincent Zhu has 10 years of smart lock system experience and specializes in offering hotel door lock systems and home door lock system solutions from design, configuration, installation, and troubleshooting. Whether you want to install an RFID keyless door lock for your hotel, a keyless keypad door lock for your home door, or have any other questions and troubleshooting requests about smart door locks, don't hesitate to contact me at any time.

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