Self check-in for motels and hotels: guests let themselves in, at any hour
With HotelOne, the booking itself produces the guest’s way in. Send a door code before they arrive, let them collect a key card at the kiosk, or open the door remotely — and know as soon as they drop the card on the way out.
- Ways in
- Door code, key card or unlock link
- Door-code validity
- From the booking’s check-in time to its check-out time
- Kiosk
- ID scanning, payment and key-card dispensing
- Departures
- The card return box tells the front desk
- Locks
- LockOne and TTLock-compatible locks
- Cost
- Lock management included in the PMS price
Three ways to get a late guest through the door
A door code before they arrive
Issue a PIN code from the booking and text or email it to the guest. It opens their door from the check-in time to the check-out time, and stops working after that. If the lock is offline, an offline code works without a connection.
A key card from the kiosk
HotelOne’s own kiosk scans the guest’s ID, takes payment and dispenses a key card written for their room and dates. A guest who turns up before their check-in day can be given a code that starts working at check-in time.
An unlock link, or a remote unlock
Send a link the guest opens on their phone to unlock the door, limited to the stay and optionally to within 500 m of the property. Or open the door yourself from the PMS on your phone when someone is stuck.
How it works, step by step
- 1
The booking lands
Direct, by phone or from an OTA — it goes onto the calendar with its room and dates.
- 2
You issue the credential
From the booking, the calendar or the card station: a code, a card or a link. Issuing a key never checks the guest in by itself, and checking in never issues a key — each is your call.
- 3
The message goes out
The door-code template fills in the guest’s name, room, dates and code; send it by SMS or email.
- 4
The guest lets themselves in
Every unlock is recorded against the room: who, when, and with what.
- 5
The guest leaves
They drop the card in the return box or at the kiosk; the front desk is notified and a cleaning task can be raised. You confirm the check-out.
The self check-in kiosk
The kiosk is HotelOne’s own product, connected to the PMS: ID scanning, payment and key-card dispensing in the lobby or at the entrance. It is paired with the property from the PMS with an enrolment code, and each build is configured to the site — which is why we quote it rather than list a price.
The card return box
A guest leaving early in the morning or late at night drops the key card into the box. The PMS records the drop and tells the front desk — which room, where the card was dropped and how many days early — and can create the cleaning task straight away. The booking stays as it is until you mark it checked-out, so nothing changes without you.
What stays under your control
- Checking in and issuing keys are separate steps, done in either order — or only one of them
- Nothing is revoked automatically at check-out: you choose what to clean up — the cloud credentials, the card, everything — or let them expire
- Extending a stay shows which credentials can be extended remotely and which need reissuing
- Lost cards are blacklisted on every lock
What you need
- Locks: LockOne hotel locks or existing TTLock-compatible locks, bound to rooms in the PMS
- A gateway or Wi-Fi locks for online codes and remote unlock; offline codes and key cards work without one
- A card encoder on the front-desk computer, if you use key cards
- Optional: an Android phone as the SMS gateway, so door-code texts cost nothing
- Optional: the kiosk and the card return box
Frequently asked questions
- Can a guest get their way in before the arrival day?
- Yes. Send the door code in advance — it simply starts working at the check-in time. At the kiosk, a guest who turns up before their check-in day can be given a code that becomes valid at check-in time.
- What if the lock is offline?
- Issue an offline code: it is generated for that lock and works without a connection for the stay. Key cards keep working too, because the lock checks them itself.
- Do we need the kiosk?
- No. Door codes sent by SMS or email are enough to let guests in on their own; the kiosk adds ID scanning, payment and key cards at the door.
- Does self check-in cost extra?
- Lock management, door codes and unlock links are included in the PMS price. The locks, the kiosk and the card return box are hardware, bought or quoted separately.
- How much do the door-code texts cost?
- Nothing, if they go through the HotelOne phone app — an Android phone can send them automatically as the property’s SMS gateway. Cloud SMS through a provider is charged per message.
Stop waiting up for late arrivals
Tell us about your doors and how your guests arrive; we’ll set up the arrival flow with you.