Many hotels still use manual registration of guests: paper cards, signatures, copying documents, and storing them in archives. This seems like a familiar and inexpensive solution, but in reality, such a practice can imperceptibly consume tens of thousands of dollars per year.
From the point of view of operational efficiency, guest comfort, and compliance with security requirements, manual registration is not only outdated but also unprofitable. Let’s look at what the hidden costs are and why it’s worth switching to a digital model using modern management software solutions.
1. Time is a Direct Expense
One employee spends 3–5 minutes processing one guest, from issuing a card to manually logging in. With 150 check-ins per day, this is more than 7 hours, practically a shift of one administrator. These hours could be used for more valuable tasks, such as upselling or handling complaints.
With digital registration via mobile check in hotels, the guest downloads the documents themselves, and the data is automatically transferred to the hotel PMS software, without the participation of an employee.
2. The Cost of Paper, Printing, and Storage
Each registration card costs the hotel an average of $0.30–$0.50, including paper, ink, printer maintenance, and manual labor. With tens of thousands of registrations annually, the costs range from $20,000 to $25,000.
Let’s add it here:
- Storage of paper documents (up to 3 years)
- Rent or maintenance of archiving facilities
- Destruction after the expiration date
- Data access control
Digital systems with paperless check in hotel eliminate these costs completely by transferring data to encrypted cloud storage.
3. Errors and Inaccuracies in The Data
Manual data entry is a source of errors: 12% of profiles contain typos, missing fields, or incorrect IDs. This affects the quality of analytics and hinders personalization through business intelligence software solutions.
Errors are transferred to CRM, leading to:
- Duplication of guests
- Incorrect mailing lists
- Problems with earning loyalty points
Integration with passport scanner and automatic ID verification eliminates the human factor and improves data accuracy.
4. Risks of Non-Compliance with the Law
According to GDPR standards and local legislation, hotels are required to:
- Check documents
- Keep personal data safe
- Provide them at the request of regulators
With hand-held cards, it is easy to allow loss, unauthorized access, or late reporting. Violations can result in fines of up to $50,000, and in some cases, loss of a license.
Using mobile ID verification and ID scanner for hotels eliminates these risks: data is read, encrypted, and stored in an access-controlled system, such as Opera Cloud PMS.
5. Impact on The Guest Experience
Today’s guest expects convenience, speed and minimal contact. Manual forms seem outdated and tedious. Filling out paper cards, waiting in line, and re-entering data all spoil the first impression.
According to statistics, hotels with the hotel mobile check in app receive 20% higher ratings in online reviews. Guests appreciate the possibility of contactless check-in via the hotel digital key, especially after a flight.
6. Scalability and The Future
The larger the hotel or chain, the more difficult it is to manage manual processes. Paper methods do not scale and do not allow centralized data management.
Digital registration using hotel kiosk software, self check in hotel and iPad check in kiosk allows you to:
- Reduce the reception staff
- Increase the speed of guest processing
- Provide a single standard of service
Thanks to property management software for hotels, hotels can integrate digital check-in, restaurant reservation (hotel table reservation), food ordering system (hotel food ordering system), and guest behavior analysis into a single platform.
Financial Breakdown
For a 100-room hotel using paper registration, the annual costs may look like this:
- Labor costs: $18,000–$30,000
- Errors and inaccuracies: $8,000–$15,000
- Paper and printing: $3,000–$4,000
- Storage and security: $2,000–$3,000
- Risks of non-compliance with the law: $5,000–$50,000
Loss of loyalty and reviews: difficult to assess, but has a significant impact on revenue.
Total: $36,000–$102,000+ per year
This does not take into account reputational losses, reduced repeat bookings, or low ratings on aggregators.
Conclusion
Manual registration is expensive, slow, and risky. Modern solutions like hotel check in kiosk, hotel PMS systems, and hotel self check in kiosk provide a higher level of service, data accuracy, and compliance with legislation.
In the era of digitalization, every hotel should strive for contactless in-hotel check, fast document verification via driving license scanner, and the introduction of hotel self service kiosk, especially within network facilities.
Automation is not a luxury, but a necessity. The sooner you give up paper, the sooner you will start saving.
I am an Administrative Assistant with eight years of experience working alongside the executive team of a Fortune 500 company.
