Faster check-in: customer convenience, efficiency and higher turnover at hotel reception

It is a challenge for every hotel operator. How do you ensure that labour market scarcity does not put pressure on the quality of your own service? For example, through a shortage of receptionists. According to Reinier Smulders of Rabobank, the digitalisation of the check-in process offers hotels huge opportunities.

Online verification services are the order of the day. And that makes sense: businesses need them. "Certainly the hotel industry. After all, they want to know who is in the house," says Reinier Smulders, responsible for Business Development Identity Services at Rabobank. "Apart from legal identification obligations, there is also a quest for convenience. Or rather: for speed. Because if check-in is more efficient, this leads to less waiting time for other guests and higher turnover. After all, the checked-in guest can go to the bar earlier to order a drink, or immediately join the restaurant. In short, the conversion ratio increases. This efficiency - using Rabo Identity Services' technology - ultimately means higher sales."

Smarter onboarding

The technology has already proven itself: a major hotel group in the Netherlands already successfully works with Rabo Identity Services for its own 'Exclusive Members'. "They see this as part of optimising the customer journey," says Reinier. "Moreover, it allows the hotel to ensure that customer data is up-to-date. At check-in, they no longer need to check everything. The system does that. So I see it as a one-stop-solution. Customer onboarding goes smarter."

High on the agenda

Reinier expects this type of identity service to boom in the coming years. "Any hotel chain or hotel manager who stands for digitalisation will be interested in this. We hear it from innovation or compliance managers at hotels, but also from facility managers or chief financial officers in other sectors. Achieving greater efficiency is high on everyone's agenda. Only, not every organisation has the technical capabilities and financial resources to develop its own onboarding system."

Personal contact

Incidentally, Rabo Identity Services does not ensure that personal contact with customers is lost, Reinier stresses. "On the contrary. It speeds up the organisation of routine processes, freeing up time for personal contact. Besides, there are different levels within these services: ultimately, the hotels themselves decide at which level they want to set up guest onboarding."

Privacy guaranteed

Rabo Identity Services (RIS) is a collaboration between European technology company Signicat and Rabobank. "Together we provide secure digital identification and a lot of customer convenience," concludes Reinier. "And let's not forget that of course all privacy is guaranteed. Data is treated confidentially. The guest does not have to worry about that at all. Moreover, RIS works through the guest's own bank account number."
Furthermore, we are of course exploring the possibilities of being able to integrate with hotels' PMS systems in the future. The user will then start to experience even more convenience when booking a room."