Why are we in the check-in kiosk business? This is the question we asked ourselves when writing the white paper presented in this post. Yes, this question alone triggers a sea of reasoning and reflections that we wanted to collect and organize, to share them with all those hotel business managers who are not sure what system to invest in to automate the reception desk. The starting question is fundamental because we are a technology company and we could have dedicated ourselves to creating any other type of product. But no, for many years now, we have been using self-service check-in machines to automate the check-in and check-out process for hotel guests. While we’re at it, let’s tell you how it all started. It was 2004 and, at that time, we were programming automatons mainly for the automotive industry and carrying out home and building automation projects for different types of installations. Suddenly, a potential customer presented us with a very interesting project: to automate a motel in Oporto, Portugal, very close to our offices, which are located in Vigo, Spain. We loved that project and got down to work. There were two essential requirements: To assist in the automated management of the business. To reduce as much as possible the necessary personnel and also to control all processes, registering all operations in an automatic system. To maintain customer privacy. Privacy yes, but always maintaining control and being able to intervene if necessary. And so, our first check-in kiosk was born, fully operational since 2005. Once this project was finished, we thought: “wait a minute, this could work very well for all types of hotels, right? what if we propose an automatic reception for any hotel?” And we put it into practice, we started to design standard models to offer to different types of establishments: hotels, tourist apartments, hostels, pensions, rural houses, camping sites… Well, after so many years, we are increasingly convinced that a check-in kiosk is the ideal solution to automate the reception of a hotel establishment. And this is what we wanted to capture in the article we share. Click here to download the article P.D. If you are wondering what happened to that first kiosk installed in 2005? It was fully operational until 2020, when the establishment changed owners and they decided to reform the entrance and exit circuit. We have just installed one of our current kiosks, with more equipment than the previous one, and we continue to collaborate with the new ownership. If you are interested in finding out more, please feel free to contact us through our mail or phone: [email protected], (+34)986262230
The typical application of our check-in kiosks is the issuance of keys in card format or even conventional key fobs. However, there are many establishments where it is more convenient to handle wristbands, as for example at: Thermal resorts Vacation resorts Museums or exhibition halls Show or concert halls For all these applications, we have developed kiosks that deliver disposable wristbands, so that users can pick up their wristband, use it and then throw it away. How does it work? In addition to typical check-in applications such as locating the reservation, identifying each guest and charging for the stay, our kiosks can do much more when it comes to thermal centers or vacation resorts: Issuance of proximity wristbands compatible with lockers, turnstiles and/or rooms. Several types of wristbands on the same machine. For example, one color for adults and another color for children. Sale of complementary services such as massages or treatments, reservations at the resort’s own restaurants or excursions. This information can be printed on the wristband, as well as encoded in the proximity chip. Offering discounts or coupons from collaborating establishments Collection of all contracted services by credit card and/or cash. Identification of the reservation through a QR code that has been sent before arrival. All integrated with the ERP, PMS or management program of the center, so that the process is fully automated. Success story: Caldea, in Andorra Our kiosks have been installed at the Caldea thermal center in Andorra for years. There the application is very complete: Two types of wristbands are issued, children and adults. The wristbands are compatible with the access turnstiles and also with the lockers, so the user doesn’t have to wear anything other than their wristband to gain access. The system is integrated with your management software. There are several kiosks, some of them with cash and credit card payment. The reservation is identified by presenting a QR code at the kiosk. After its installation, it has managed to completely streamline the entry of visitors, being the access through the machines today the preferred way for its users. You can learn more about Caldea at their website: https://www.caldea.com/ We leave you the link to their video explaining the entry process through Roommatik kiosks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkZo-ugCezQ&feature=youtu.be If you are interested in finding out more, please feel free to contact us through our mail or phone: [email protected], (+34)986262230
More and more caravan sites are relying on Roommatik products to automate their installations. We have exclusive functionalities for this type of establishments, so that the management is as autonomous as possible. There are different configurations, depending on the characteristics of each installation, the input, activation of services and output are carried out in a different way. Check-in kiosk at the entrance The administrative management of a caravan site is very similar to that of a hotel establishment: it is necessary to identify customers, charge for the stay and services and give access to the facilities. In short, a Roommatik kiosk performs all these functions automatically, just like any other establishment in the hospitality sector. What makes the difference in this type of business is that there are more processes that need to be automated, not just data collection at the entrance. Our interface is very intuitive and allows the customer to choose the place where they will park their caravan. Registration pick-up We can collect the license plate of the caravan to enable access through license plate cameras located at the entrance and exit of the area. This makes entry and exit very smooth because the license plate is recognized and the barrier opens automatically when the caravan is allowed access. Electricity activation in the square Different services can be activated depending on the type of pitch chosen or simply if it has been contracted at the time of booking or when entering. For example, the service of offering electricity in each pitch can be optional and can be controlled by time of consumption or can remain activated for the entire duration of the stay of the caravan. Management with or without cards The control system can be implemented with coin cards, so that a card is handed out at the time of check-in. This card can be loaded with the desired amount and can then be spent in the different zones of the area: In electricity consumption in the square Shower time for common use In use of common machines such as washing machines In water change service The use of wallet cards is a possibility, but it is also possible to activate online the services contracted at the Roommatik kiosk. If you are interested in finding out more, please feel free to contact us through our mail or phone: [email protected], (+34)986262230
One more M-101 ready to ship. We could not continue without dedicating a post to our most legendary model of check-in kiosk. Since our beginnings we have been accompanied by this characteristic concept of kiosk adaptable to multiple configurations, with front opening for greater versatility and with the possibility of embedded or surface installation. We have photographed this check-in kiosk in our facilities, just before preparing it to be shipped to France, a country where we have an increasing presence. In this case, the customer has ordered us a kiosk for flush mounting, with a special RAL and with the following components: Touch screen Credit card payment Ticket printer Issuance of proximity cards compatible with the Onity brand As you can see in the image, this model is very versatile since all the covers that can be seen are used to house different components that can be installed in the future if desired. In this case, it is striking, for example, that it does not have a document scanner. This is precisely because in France it is not mandatory to register travelers, unlike other countries such as Spain. So, in this case, the customer has preferred to save the investment in this component, having the possibility of installing it in the future. Another issue to note is the slot cover below the touch screen: it is for conventional keys. Yes, this model supports conventional keys and card keys at the same time or separately, as in the case of the image. Our new skin, i.e. the new wallpaper design, cannot go unnoticed. This new user interface is specially designed to be very intuitive so that users of Roommatik check-in kiosks, mainly hotel or tourist apartment guests, make their entry without any doubts, on the first time they use the kiosk. For its design, we wanted to use fresh colors and a coherent layout so that the finger does not have to move from one place to another on the screen to complete all the steps. But best of all, this design is only one option, as there are several skins to choose from, and we can even custom design the user interface! If you are interested in finding out more, please feel free to contact us through our mail or phone: [email protected], (+34)986262230