P3, a hotel software solutions provider, has
rolled out a new service that allows hotel guests who check-in
online to collect their room key at a kiosk rather than join a
queue at the front desk.
The company is now expanding the ‘collect your key’ kiosk service
after it was successfully integrated into self-service kiosks at select
properties in the UK and Ireland.
“Online check-in has proven increasingly popular
with hotels and hotel guests in recent years. Yet while it vastly
reduces the amount of time an individual guest has to spend at
reception when they arrive, they can still be delayed by other
guests,” said P3 CTO, Peter Hinds. “P3’s new ‘collect your key’
kiosk functionality completes the contactless check-in process for
hotels and their guests by connecting the digital and physical
experience. Travelers who choose to check-in online no longer need
be at the mercy of front desk queues, they can head straight for a
self-service kiosk, issue their own keys and be on the way to
their room in less than a minute. This happens using existing
technology that people are familiar with, making it easy to use for
guests and cost efficient for hotel operators who also get to free
up staff for greater value interactions with other customers.”
Prior to arrival, guests click on a
button in their online check-in email and are directed to a
check-in page on the hotel website where they can select their
estimated time of arrival.
The P3 system finds a suitable room for each
booking and sends an email to the guests notifying them that their
room is ready.
Upon arrival at the hotel, the guest can go
straight to the kiosk and collect their key using the four-digit
code provided in the email.
P3’s ‘collect your key’ kiosk functionality is
fully automated and integrated with Oracle Hospitality Opera property management systems.
“Hotels are on a path which will most likely lead
to guests using their mobile phone for keyless entry into their
hotel rooms – but that technology isn’t quite there yet, and it
will also come with a significant price tag,” added Hinds. “A
hotel operator could end up paying for expensive new locks for
every room in their hotel and find that guests don’t want to
download the app required for use. Our ‘collect your key’ kiosk
functionality is a great way to bridge the gap while waiting for
seamless mobile technology to improve to facilitate mobile keys.
We’re really excited about this new feature and believe it
provides a convenient and affordable solution for hotels and their
guests.”
