Guest app - Set up digital check-in for guests

Lorena Pamplona

Updated August 06, 2024 12:45

The Guest app page now features a dedicated Digital Check-In section to configure an electronic digital check-in process for guests. This guide will walk you through the settings and functionalities of the digital check-in feature.

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Things to note before getting started

Guests will still be required to visit the Front Desk for the issuance of physical keys. The digital check-in will collect in advance all the necessary information for check-in.
Properties must continue to mark guests as checked-in within the Cloudbeds PMS if you do not use the Housekeeping feature to enable the auto check-in.
Guests can revisit the check-in flow if incomplete.
The flow becomes unavailable after a guest is marked as checked-in on Cloudbeds PMS.
Guests see their total number of accommodations in the Reservation Summary view.
Multiple reservations:
- Guests with multiple reservations will have each one displayed dynamically on the Guest app main page when accessed.
- Clicking on a reservation launches the check-in flow for that specific reservation.
- Multi-reservation messaging sends guests to the same destination for streamlined communication.

Configure the digital check-in flow

Access the Digital Check-in Configuration
Step 1- Set up the check-in steps
Step 2 - Set up the check-in button in the home page
Step 3 - Set up the auto check-in
Additional Information

Access the Digital Check-in Configuration

Go to the Company page
Open the Guest app section
Click on the Guest app to be configured or a new one
Open the Digital Check-in configuration in the left side setup menu:

Step 1- Set up the check-in steps

In the Digital Check-in page, you will find steps to include in the Guest App. These sections are the steps a guest will follow in the app to complete the electronic digital check-in flow.

Primary guest details
Additional guests
Registration Agreement
Identity verification
Upsells
Payment step
Confirmation

Configuration Options

Configure each section according to the settings below:

Description of the step to your guest
Add more required fields, if desired
Enable/disable the field displayed in the app
Indicate whether this is a mandatory field by checking the box required.
Check the preview option displaying how the section will look like in the app
Add translations to your Digital Check-In page
Always click to save all updates.

Check below for more information about each step to be added.

Configuration Details

1 - Primary Guest Details

The information that guests add or edit here will be updated/reflected on Cloudbeds PMS.
First Name, Last Name, Email will be mandatory requirements.
Last Minute Requests are updated in Reservation Notes.
Primary guest fields are pulled from custom fields in Cloudbeds PMS; new fields cannot be added within Whistle.

2 - Additional Guests

Similar to primary guest details, additional guest information is updated on Cloudbeds PMS. Mandatory fields include First Name, Last Name, and Email.

Only the number of additional guests matching the reservation can be added.
Secondary guests can only see/update their details.

3 - Registration Agreement

You can select which Digital Registration(s) to include in the digital check-in flow. To learn how to configure Digital Registrations, click here.

4 - Identity Verification

You can verify the identity and documents of your guests with two options: Automated or manual.

The automated Identity Verification (IDV) is done through the integration with Stripe Identity.

Using biometrics and document databases, Stripe analyzes guest's selfies and documents to determine validity or flag them as fraudulent.
This is a paid method and the costs per verification will be debited on your credit drawer system. Once you enable this option, you will be required to accept the pricing terms per verification.
The verification is suspended if you reach -20 credits; It resumes again when you boost credits to a positive amount in the credit drawer.
You can use a test mode for internal testing, if you want to try the flow out without incurring any costs:

If you opt for the manual verification, your can choose if guests must take a self ID and/or images of their document (e.g., Drivers License, Passport).

The property is responsible for verifying the documents.
Images are stored in Cloudbeds PMS in Guest Documents and Reservation Documents.

Automated Verification Steps for Guests

Once guests reach the identity verification step, they have to:

Accept Stripe verification conditions
Take a picture of their document
Take a selfie
Submit the verification.

If a guest's verification fails, they will be allowed a maximum of two (2) retries. Each attempt will be charged from the credit drawer.

Verification Results

The guest's identity verification attempt is listed in right sidebar/guest profile in Whistle for Cloudbeds.

The reservation details will either display ✅ verified or ⚠️ error, along with the error reason.

Find the error codes and their meaning below:

abandoned - The user began the verification but didn’t submit it.
consent_declined - The user declined to be verified by Stripe. Check with your legal counsel to see if you have an obligation to offer an alternative, non-biometric means to verify, such as through a manual review.
country_not_supported - Stripe does not verify users from the provided country.
device_not_supported - The user’s device didn’t have a camera or they declined to grant Stripe permission to access it.
document_expired - The provided identity document has expired.
document_type_not_supported - The provided identity document isn’t one of the session’s allowed document types.
document_unverified_other - Stripe couldn’t verify the provided identity document. See list of supported document types.
id_number_insufficient_document_data - The provided document didn’t contain enough data to match against the ID number.
id_number_mismatch - The information provided couldn’t be matched against global databases.
id_number_unverified_other - The information provided couldn’t be verified. See list of supported ID numbers.
selfie_document_missing_photo - The provided identity document didn’t contain a picture of a face.
selfie_face_mismatch - The captured face image didn’t match with the document’s face.
selfie_manipulated - The captured face image was manipulated.
selfie_unverified_other - Stripe couldn’t verify the provided selfie.
under_supported_age - Stripe does not verify users under the age of majority.

5 - Upsells

You can enable Upsells to display products and services on the Guest App during the check-in flow.

The guest can skip this step, no purchase is mandatory.

All the Upsells configurations are done directly in the Upsells feature.

6- Payment Step

If you have Cloudbeds Payments, you can opt to have guests add a credit card to their reservation.

This is for credit card collection only, not payment processing.

Add Exceptions to the payment step

In the digital check-in flow, you have the flexibility to add exceptions to the payment step.

Typically, all guests go through the regular payment process unless they meet certain exception criteria. For example, the payment step can be required for all guests, but be optional or hidden for Airbnb guests only. Check below how to add exceptions:

While creating the digital check-in flow,

In the payment step, click to Add new exceptions

Create the exception name
Select the field name that will be the base information to know if the guest meets that criteria
Select the condition of this exception
Write the value
Select if in that case the payment step will be:
- Required
- Optional
- Hidden
Save

In this example, the source name (Airbnb) is the matching criteria; the condition is if it matches exactly the value written (Airbnb). In that case, the payment step should be "hidden".

7 - Confirmation

You can configure the image and message that guests see upon completing the check-in flow.

Step 2 - Set up the check-in button in the home page

In the Home page configuration, you need to set up when the Check-In button becomes visible to guests based on arrival date preferences.

In the Guest app page,

Open the Home page sections
Enable the Check-in button
Select when the button will be visible to guests

Options include:

Day of arrival
Day before arrival
X days before arrival (insert number of days)

The Check-In button will be displayed only for authenticated guests within the specified window.

If not authenticated, the button does not show.
If authenticated but outside the window, the button will be greyed out with a corresponding message.

The component also displays a list of reservations for guests with more than one active reservation.

Step 3 - Set up the auto check-in

Within the Digital Check-In flow, there is an option to automatically check guests in on Cloudbeds PMS if you use the Housekeeping feature. Follow the steps below to enable it:

In the Home Page sections options,

Switch the toggle on to mark guest as checked-in upon completion of Digital Check-in and select the check-in option you prefer:
Enable this option if you want to allow the guest to check-in as soon as the room is ready on the date of arrival, or
Enable this option if you want to allow the guest to check-in as soon as the room is ready, but no earlier than a certain time (am/pm).

You can also add an Automated message to send a message to the guest informing them that the check-in flow is complete, and they will be checked-in as soon as the room is ready.

Additional Information

Identify when the guest has completed the digital check-in

In a conversation: A notification will be displayed in the conversation activity when the guest completed the pre check-in steps: In the Reservation Status: In Whistle for Cloudbeds reservations page, a column will be added for Check-in. If a guest completed the check-in flow it will indicate 1/1 done.