Success story
PortAventura World: hundreds of check-ins per hour, no waiting
How the seven themed hotels of one of Europe’s major leisure destinations went from waits of over an hour to check-ins in minutes with kiosks, key dispensers and digital signature.
The challenge: eliminating waits at reception
PortAventura World is a first-class leisure destination: two theme parks, a water park, a golf course and seven themed hotels — six 4-star and one 5-star. In its hotels, the big challenge is the peak arrival hour, when most guests turn up at the same time.
Despite offering online check-in, most guests still arrived without having completed it, and those who had done so still had to wait to collect their key. The result: waiting times that exceeded an hour.
The goal was clear: cut waits of over an hour down to a check-in of just minutes, with several coordinated solutions to absorb peak demand.
- Compatibility with the access control system: the solution had to issue keys valid for every access point in the resort, fully integrated with the existing system.
- Reliability and speed: in such a high-volume environment there is no margin for error; each check-in had to be resolved in a matter of seconds.
- Automation at the staffed front desk too: beyond self check-in and online check-in, staff needed tools to speed up the process and manage the flow of guests more efficiently.
The solution: kiosks, key and towel dispensers, and digital signature
The first step was to install self check-in kiosks in every hotel, with staff on hand to assist guests. Different models were chosen to suit each property — desktop or totem — all fully integrated with the PMS.
Self check-in kiosks
Guests identify their booking, scan their ID documents and sign at the kiosk itself. The data is sent to the PMS and check-in is completed in seconds, without assigning the room just yet.
Guests can enjoy the facilities while their rooms are prepared: bookings are held in the PMS and rooms are assigned automatically as they become available.
Roommatik key dispensers
Once the room is ready, the guest simply walks up to a Roommatik key dispenser and collects their key without stopping at the desk.
The dispenser encodes the key and prints a card with the guest’s details and the park access codes.
Pool towel dispensers
In 2025, PortAventura World added towel dispensers at the hotel pools. The operation is simple and fully autonomous: guests scan a QR code to get a clean towel and scan the same code to return it. In a second phase of the project, the dispensers will connect to the PMS for full control of the service.
Traditional reception desks were also equipped with signature digitisation tablets. Signed guest registration forms are stored in a centralised document manager, whichever way the document arrives: issued from the PMS, signed at the kiosks or signed during online check-in.
Results: mass arrivals, resolved in minutes
Since its implementation in 2021, the system has supported the daily operation of the resort’s hotels:
From over an hour to minutes
The system handles hundreds of check-ins per hour with virtually no waiting at reception, noticeably improving the guest experience.
Higher scores on booking portals
Thanks to the smoother arrival process, the hotels’ ratings on the main booking portals have increased significantly.
A resort-scale rollout
Over 15 self check-in kiosks, 40 signature digitisation tablets and 10 key collection points turn reception into a fast, efficient experience.
Towels without going through reception
With the towel dispensers added in 2025, the towel service is decoupled from the front desk, removing a common friction point for guests.
PortAventura World turns the simultaneous arrival of hundreds of guests into a process of minutes: reception stops being a wait and becomes a welcome again.
Products in this story
Self check-in kiosks
Booking identification, document scanning and signature in seconds. Desktop or totem models, integrated with the PMS.
Roommatik key dispensers
Autonomous key collection once the room is ready: key encoding and a printed card with guest details and access codes.
Towel dispenser
Pool towels with a QR code scan to take and return them, without going through reception.
Want an arrival without waiting like PortAventura World’s?
We will show you the full flow — from kiosk to key — in a demo tailored to your operation. No commitment.