Why hotel check-in still takes forever – but doesn’t have to

July 13, 2026 — 5:00am

Why does it take so long to check into some hotels? Not always, but all you want is to get into your room, have a shower and blob out, but now you’re standing at the reception desk on pause while the receptionist furrows their brow, taps a keyboard and … nothing.

At least that’s the way it looks, but there’s a lot going on. Have you pre-paid for your room and if so, how? Was the booking made via the hotel’s own website or an online travel agency? It might have come from any one of many different platforms, Booking.com, your airline, or Mr and Mrs Smith, and older or poorly integrated property management systems can make this clunkier than it should be. Are you a loyal customer? If you’ve built up points you might deserve a room upgrade, better Wi-Fi, a late check-out or a free meal.

The hotel will probably want a pre-authorisation to cover any expenses you might incur for food and beverages, and that involves a credit card, another 30 seconds. If it’s a hotel in another country, passport please, to be scanned, because that’s a legal requirement.

When that’s all done, they need to find you a room in the category you’re entitled to. That depends on what’s available, and housekeeping is the key.

Housekeeping typically starts slowly, around breakfast time, stripping, cleaning and restocking the rooms of early morning check-outs, then moves into high gear when most guests depart, usually between 11am–noon. From then until check-in opens, usually between 3-4pm, housekeepers are working like bees.

The time of day when you check in matters. Arrive smack on the hour when check-in opens and housekeeping staff are probably still flat out. The receptionist might have to hunt to find a room in the category you’ve booked.

The ideal time to arrive is around 4pm. Housekeeping will have finished most of their work and front desk staff have the widest choice of available rooms. Special requests – a view, a quiet room – are most likely to find favour at this time.

If it’s a hotel used mainly by business travellers, they’ll usually roll in between 5.30-6.30pm. Competition gets heavy. There might be a queue forming at the check-in desk, and your chances of snaring a preferred room are bottoming since many have already been allocated.

Regardless of when you arrive, the receptionist has some discretion. If you’re calm and well-mannered, if you haven’t made their job harder, you’re probably going to get the best room available, and it doesn’t hurt to ask.

Technology is changing the face of hotel check-ins

The good news is hotel check-ins are getting easier as hotels move away from human interaction at the reception desk. DIY check-ins at kiosks or even via apps are becoming common at some of the big chains such as Marriott and Hilton, along with digital smartphone keys.

The app-based check-in has become the dominant model. The guest receives a link or QR code that lets them upload their ID, confirm details and sometimes select room preferences before they reach the lobby. No need to head for reception – the guest can go directly to their room and gain access via a digital key or QR code.

The Hilton group recently logged more than 14 million digital key downloads in an eight-month span, with internal surveys showing the majority of guests prefer a digital key option. Another variation is the movement of digital room keys to Apple and Google wallets, currently one of the big shifts in the hotel industry.

For guests who prefer not to have another app on their smartphone or another card in their digital wallet, check-in kiosks now handle the whole job. Just like a DIY flight check-in at a terminal, you enter your reservation details, scan an ID or QR code, tap your credit card if required and the kiosk prints a plastic room key, all within about one minute.

Some kiosks will handle automatic room reassignment if the booked room isn’t available, and even try and upsell you with a room upgrade. Hilton is one of the leaders in kiosk check-ins, with the system now available in almost 1000 of the group’s hotels.

Next to come, facial recognition technology. This is in its infancy in hotels but the biometric technology exists, offering another check-in path that lets guests skip physical interaction with staff. Some kiosks already feature biometric authentication as an ID-verification layer.

Driving the change is the double-edged sword of labour costs and the availability of experienced employees. Many staff who were made redundant during the pandemic haven’t returned to the industry, and what hotelier is going to pass up a chance to replace a staff member with a digital interface that can do the same job?

Airport hotels

The worst check-ins, in my experience, happen in airport hotels. Almost without exception guests are only staying for one night. Book in for any longer and you’ve made a serious blunder.

The daily turnover is enormous, front desk staff are constantly busy with check-ins and check-outs, with plenty of late arrivals off incoming flights arriving tense and irritable.

I recently had a one-nighter at the Mercure Rome Leonardo da Vinci Airport. The receptionist at check-in was doing her best but before I could step up to the desk I was body checked by an irate guest with a complaint about his room. A manager intervened, calm was eventually restored, and I finally got to check in.

Sometimes, it’s not the staff or the technology that’s the problem. They’re dealing with the public – that’s you and me – and we’re not always polite, co-operative or rational.