Check-in is the process whereby people announce their arrival at an office, hotel, airport, hospital, seaport or event.
Office check-in
Many offices have a reception or front office area near the entrance to greet or assist visitors arriving to attend a meeting. A receptionist may ask visitors who they are to meet and may ask them to sign a register. The receptionist may give a visitor instructions as to where to go or inform the host that his guest has arrived. The visitor may be issued with a visible visitor’s pass, often worn around the neck.
However, research shows that long waiting times at the reception area could lead to loss of customers.
COVID-19 has led organisations to wider and faster adoption of technology to streamline the visitor check-in process, Visitor management systems automate the visitor check in process and reduces office check-in time with pre-registering visitors through email, effective communication, QR code express check-in, automate host notifications and efficient visitor management workflows.
Airport check-in
The check-in process at airports enables passengers to check-in luggage onto a plane and to obtain a boarding pass. When presenting at the check-in counter, a passenger will provide evidence of the right to travel, such as a ticket, visa or electronic means. Each airline provides facilities for passengers to check-in their luggage, except for their carry-on (also called cabin) bags. This may be by way of airline-employed staff at check-in counters at airports or through an agency arrangement or by way of a self-service kiosk. The luggage is weighed and tagged, and then placed on a conveyor that usually feeds the luggage into the main baggage handling system. The luggage goes into the aircraft's cargo hold. The check-in staff then issues each passenger with a boarding pass.
There is an increasing trend towards more streamlined checking-in processes, whereby passengers can bypass or reduce the time in queues at the staffed check-in counters. This may involve passengers checking in online before arriving at the airport or using an airline's self-service check-in kiosks at the airport. Some airports have a curbside check-in, where passengers can check in their bags to an airline representative before entering the terminal and then proceeding directly to security.
Many airlines have a deadline for passengers to check in before each flight. This is to allow the airline to offer unclaimed seats to stand-by passengers, to load luggage onto the plane and to finalize documentation for take-off. The passenger must also take into account the time that may be needed for them to clear the check-in line, to pass security and then to walk (sometimes also to ride) from the check-in area to the boarding area. This may take several hours at some airports or at some times of the year. On international flights, additional time would be required for immigration and customs clearance.
Auto check-in is usually provided by the airline on the website or via the mobile application during the reservation/booking of the flight or can be added to an existing reservation/booking some hours before the scheduled time of the departure of the flight (this is, the time communicated at the time of the reservation/booking or later, by airline due to schedule changes; delays cannot be considered as schedule change). When auto check-in is completed a boarding pass is provided before departure.
Hotels
Hotels and similar establishments usually require guests to check in (also called registering or signing in), which involves the guest providing or confirming personal information, including contact information, along with a signature. The laws of some countries require guests to provide this information and to sign a register, often called a hotel register or guestbook, which may be in the form of a registration card, and some also require the provision of identification documents, such as a passport, national identity card or drivers licence which the hotel may wish to copy and retain in its records. Usually, only one guest is required to register per room. Sometimes, the register may need to be provided to a government agency, such as the local police, and sometimes with a court warrant or similar authority.