Automate Your Boutique Hotel Check-In with a Custom AI System
The best way to automate guest check-in is a custom AI agent. It integrates directly with your property management system to handle guests.
This approach bypasses rigid kiosk software and third-party apps that frustrate guests and create more work. A custom system uses your hotel's exact workflow, from verifying IDs on a guest's phone to processing payments and sending digital key codes. It feels like an extension of your brand, not a generic add-on.
We built a check-in automation for a 30-room hotel in a historic district. They were losing front desk staff to burnout from repetitive tasks. The new system went live in four weeks and now handles 70% of arrivals without human intervention.
What Problem Does This Solve?
Many boutique hotels first try off-the-shelf check-in kiosks or guest messaging apps. Kiosks are expensive, take up valuable lobby space, and run on inflexible software. They fail when faced with common exceptions, like a name mismatch on a reservation from an online travel agency (OTA) or a guest wanting to use a different credit card than the one on file.
A guest messaging platform with a 'check-in' feature is often just a glorified web form. It collects information but cannot complete the process. It cannot verify an ID, charge a card for incidentals, or issue a mobile key. Instead of solving the problem, it creates a new digital to-do list for your front desk staff, forcing them to manually process the information the guest just typed in.
Imagine a guest arriving late at night. The kiosk can't find their reservation because the OTA formatted their name differently. They try the app, fill out the form, but it can't handle the OTA's virtual credit card. The guest is forced to call the night manager, completely defeating the purpose of the automation and starting their stay with a frustrating experience.
How Does It Work?
We begin by connecting directly to your property management system's API. We build native integrations for platforms like Mews, Cloudbeds, or Oracle Opera Cloud. This provides secure, real-time access to reservation data, guest profiles, room inventory, and payment ledgers. All communication is authenticated via OAuth or API keys stored in a managed secrets vault.
We then build a lightweight web application for the guest-facing experience. Guests receive a link via SMS or email 24 hours before arrival. The application guides them through three steps: confirming their booking details, uploading a photo of their government-issued ID, and taking a live selfie. We use a computer vision service to perform facial matching between the ID photo and the selfie, confirming the guest's identity in seconds.
The backend logic runs on a serverless function, which keeps hosting costs extremely low. When a guest submits their information, the function queries the PMS to retrieve the full reservation. It then uses your existing payment gateway, like Stripe or Adyen, to place an authorization hold for incidentals. Once ID and payment are confirmed, the system updates the reservation status in your PMS to 'Checked-In'.
For the final step, the system triggers key issuance. If you use smart locks from vendors like Assa Abloy or Salto, we call their API to generate a unique mobile key or door code and send it directly to the guest's phone. If you use physical keys, the system alerts your front desk with the guest's name and room number, so they can place an encoded key in a designated lockbox and send the retrieval code to the guest.
What Are the Key Benefits?
Live in 4 Weeks, Not 6 Months
We connect to your existing systems and launch a working pilot in one month. You start seeing a reduction in front desk workload immediately, not after a long IT project.
Scope-Based Engagement, No Per-Guest Fees
Every project is scoped to your hotel's specific needs. No SaaS subscription that penalizes you for high occupancy or scales with your success.
You Own the Code and Workflow
The complete codebase is delivered to your GitHub repository. You are never locked into our service and can have any developer extend the system in the future.
24/7 Monitoring with Smart Fallbacks
We monitor every step of the check-in. If a third-party API is down, the system instantly notifies staff and directs the guest to the front desk. It never fails silently.
Integrates with Your PMS and Locks
Direct API connections to your property management system and keyless entry hardware. No need to replace the core software and hardware you already trust.
What Does the Process Look Like?
Workflow and Systems Audit (Week 1)
You provide read-only access to your PMS and walk us through your current check-in process. We map every step and exception to design the automation logic.
Core Integrations Build (Week 2)
We build and test the API connections to your PMS, payment gateway, and smart lock system. You receive a report confirming successful data exchange.
Guest Interface and Testing (Week 3)
We build the guest-facing web app with your branding and connect it to the backend. Your team tests the end-to-end flow using real-world booking scenarios.
Pilot Launch and Handoff (Week 4+)
We deploy the system for a small percentage of incoming guests. After a one-week pilot, we roll it out fully and provide 90 days of active monitoring and support.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What determines the scope and timeline for a check-in automation project?
- The primary factors are the number of third-party integrations (e.g., smart locks, multiple payment gateways) and the complexity of your exception handling rules. A single boutique hotel with a modern, API-first PMS is the most straightforward. The build typically takes about four weeks from kickoff to a live pilot. Every project is scoped individually after a discovery call.
- What happens if the automation fails or a guest has a problem?
- The system has multiple fallback points. If any automated step fails (like an ID mismatch or a declined card), the guest is given a clear message to see the front desk, and an alert with the specific failure reason is instantly sent to your staff via email or SMS. This ensures no guest is left without a path to get their key.
- How does the system handle data privacy and ID security?
- We build for compliance with regulations like GDPR and CCPA. Guest ID images are processed in-memory for verification and are permanently deleted immediately after. We never store sensitive personal information. All data is encrypted in transit and at rest, and we provide a full data processing agreement outlining our procedures.
- Can this system handle special requests or group bookings?
- Yes. We can add custom fields to the check-in flow for special requests. For group bookings, the system identifies the linked reservations in the PMS. The primary guest can check in and then send a unique link to other members of the party to complete their own individual ID verification for their assigned rooms.
- What if we change our PMS or smart lock provider in the future?
- Because you own the code, the system is adaptable. The architecture is modular, meaning the PMS or lock integration is a self-contained component. Swapping it for a new one is a small, well-defined project. You are not stuck with a system that only works with your current vendors.
- Does this work for guests who book through Expedia or Booking.com?
- Yes. The system works based on the reservation data inside your PMS, regardless of the booking source. It can correctly handle OTA-specific challenges, like virtual credit cards used for payment, by interacting directly with the PMS ledger and payment details associated with that specific booking.
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