Most major hotel groups, like Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott, offer a mobile check-in option through their apps. The question is, should you use this, and if so, what’s the benefit to doing so? I don’t actually have a terribly strong opinion about this, but a reader asked me, so I’ll share my take, and am curious to hear how others approach this. Maybe it’s an opportunity for me to evolve my stance.
Hotels encourage you to use mobile check-in
If you have a confirmed stay with a major hotel group and have their app, chances are that you’ll get a push notification within a couple of days of arrival, inviting you to check-in online.
We’re used to the concept of checking in online with airlines, for example, as that’s how a vast majority of passengers (at least in the United States) obtain their boarding passes. However, people generally aren’t as enthusiastic about checking in with hotels. Why is that?
- With hotels, it’s much more common for people to want to talk to a front desk agent, either to discuss specific property information, see if any upgrades are available, ask for late check-out, etc.
- When you do mobile check-in with a hotel, you often still have to stop by the front desk to show your ID or payment method, or to activate your mobile keys
- Speaking of mobile keys, while that’s now widely offered (whereby you can use your smartphone to unlock your room), not everyone actually likes using that feature
- If you’re hoping to take advantage of any elite perks, that could become more complicated if you skip the front desk
It’s also worth emphasizing that mobile check-in doesn’t have the same functionality with all hotel groups. With the Marriott Bonvoy app, mobile check-in just asks you to confirm your arrival time and you push a button stating that you want to check-in, and that’s it. Meanwhile with Hilton Honors, there’s a lot more functionality, including the ability to select your specific room from any available room within your category.
My approach to hotel mobile check-in
I’m pretty lukewarm on hotel mobile check-in — sometimes I use it, while other times I don’t.
I guess the first thing to note is that I don’t remember the last time I actually used the mobile key option, whereby your smartphone can unlock a room. I’m not sure why, exactly, but it’s just something that has never really appealed to me. Maybe I just need to get in the habit of it… I’m curious if I’m alone in feeling that way?
Back when hotels first introduced mobile check-in (a decade or so ago), I had tried it several times, and almost always found it to be glitchy. So maybe those memories are why I still don’t use it.
With that in mind, here are the situations in which I typically do check-in online:
- If I’m happy with the room category that I’m blocked in (it typically shows through the app), factoring in the possibility for elite upgrades
- If I’m arriving really late, and want to make sure the hotel doesn’t cancel my reservation or walk me
- If I’m just staying at a limited service property, or if I’m on a short stay, where an upgrade is unlikely or not important to me
When I do mobile check-in, I always still drop by the front desk. However, I find that more often than not it speeds up the check-in process at least marginally, and often the keys are already prepared for me, and are handed over after showing my ID.
Meanwhile I typically don’t check-in online if:
- My room type doesn’t show as having been upgraded, and I feel like I might have better odds of an upgrade if checking in with a human at the front desk
- I’m heading to a resort or true luxury hotel, where the check-in experience can be helpful, and even pleasant
So yeah, I’m kind of wondering if most people take a similar approach to me, or if I’m in the minority. I don’t feel passionately one way or the other about this, though mobile check-in has never struck me as a huge time saver, unlike with airlines. But again, maybe I’m just stuck in my old ways.
Bottom line
We’re just about all used to checking in online for our flights. While most major hotel groups have this functionality, the benefit just isn’t the same, if you ask me. Personally I use mobile check-in sometimes, but even when I do, I wonder if it’s worth bothering. Meanwhile if I’m hoping for an upgrade beyond what the hotel app shows, I’ll usually hold off on checking in prior to arrival.
Where do you stand on mobile check-in with hotels?
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