Technology has absolutely transformed the travel industry over the last several years.
One area that may still need some work is the mobile check-in process.
I’m currently writing this week’s column from Virtuoso Travel Week here at ARIA in Las Vegas.
Landing in Vegas shortly after noon on Saturday, I decided to give the mobile check-in a try in hopes of getting into my room before the traditional 3 pm room-ready time window. I made sure to do everything Friday night at my home to make the process easier.
The app informed me that I was checked in and that I would be notified once my room was ready.
Well, 3 pm came and went and I still hadn’t received a notification, so I decided let’s just talk to an actual human being.
I’m glad I did because I got into my room with a breeze. I met with some fellow travel media members at 5 pm who also opted for the mobile check-in, and they still hadn’t received access to their room.
This is not to say that mobile check-in is horrible and should never be used. I’ve used it successfully at other properties. I’m using the app as a digital key because I’m terrible at holding onto physical key copies or having them ruined because I put them next to my phone or my credit card. It’s a great feature, but sometimes you just need a person to help. Shoutout to David at ARIA for an easy, and informatively helpful check-in experience.
Technology has made our lives easier, but when it doesn’t work it can certainly be frustrating because of how much we rely on it. How many times have you been annoyed by losing WiFi access or an app or website on your phone crashes?
Hotels are smart in incorporating technology to streamline things, but when it comes to checking in, I think I’ll be sticking to the lobby desk so I can speak with a fellow human.
What about you? Have you used mobile check-in before? Let me know your thoughts on Twitter and Instagram: @EricBowman_
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