Summary: Digital contactless check-in lets your guests check in and check out from their phone, before they ever reach the front desk. This article explains what's included, how the guest flow works, and how to request a change to any step of the process.
Permissions Required: Location Admins and Brand Admins can self-serve most day-to-day settings under Settings > Locations > Guest App Configuration and Digital Key settings — including check-in/check-out timing, message templates, payment capture, and enabling wallet keys.
A smaller set of items — which check-in steps are asked, dynamic form questions, and ID verification setup — are configured by the Alliants team, so an approved Brand Admin needs to submit a Change Request for these.
What Is Digital Seamless Check-In?
Digital seamless check-in allows guests to skip the front desk on arrival and departure. Guests confirm their arrival and departure details and sign any required documents ahead of their stay, and your property can send a "room ready" notification the moment their room is checked in. Guests can also view their folio in real time and settle charges themselves, in multiple currencies.
Benefits for Your Team
ETA, credit card details, and guest comments sync directly with your PMS.
Rooms and check-ins can be assigned automatically, speeding up arrivals.
Web and app check-in reduce the workload on your front desk team.
Benefits for Your Guests
Guests manage their booking, and anyone travelling with them, from one place.
Guests receive an automatic notification as soon as their room is ready.
Guests can see their folio and charges in real time and settle up at check-out.
How the Guest Check-In Flow Works
An email or text message sends the guest a link to their digital itinerary, with a "Check-in Request" button.
The guest clicks the button and works through the check-in steps configured for your property.
The check-in request appears in the guest's conversation and in the Check-in Requests tab of the requests module in AXP.
Depending on your location's auto check-in setting, the guest is checked in automatically, or a staff member closes the request from the Requests tab > Check-in request .
What Guests Can Be Asked For
These steps make up the check-in flow for your property. Which steps are included is set up by the Alliants team, though some of the detail within each step is yours to configure:
Guest Details — the guest's own information, plus anyone else travelling with them.
Stay Details — estimated arrival time and any special requests.
Address — the guest's home address.
Terms & Conditions — your property's terms, which the guest reviews and signs.
Payment Capture — the guest's card details, stored securely as a token rather than as raw card data. You can configure accepted payment methods and incidental amounts yourself in Settings > Locations > choose the location > Guest App Configuration.
ID Verification — an automated identity check; results appear on the guest's profile, and staff can approve manually if needed.
Dynamic Forms — any custom question you want to ask, such as parking requirements, using text fields, checkboxes, drop-downs, or date/time pickers.
🗒️ Note: These settings apply to every guest check-in at that location, so they only need to be configured once.
How the Guest Check-Out Flow Works
The guest receives an email or text with a link to their digital itinerary and a "Check-out" button.
The guest chooses to check out immediately, or selects a later time from a time picker.
Once checked out, the guest's digital key is revoked, a check-out message is sent, and the booking status updates to Checked Out automatically — unless your property has auto check-out switched off, in which case a staff member updates the status manually.
ℹ️ Note: If a guest chooses a later check-out time, they're checked out — and their key revoked — automatically at that time.
Digital Key Delivery
Once a guest is checked in, a digital key is generated automatically.
Guests access it either in the guest app or, if they've added it beforehand, in their Apple or Google Wallet — it activates the moment they're checked in.
If a guest changes rooms during their stay, their existing key updates automatically rather than a new one being issued.
ℹ️ Info: Digital keys are available if the infrastructure is deployed at your property. If not, please speak with your Alliants Customer Success Manager to have it configured for you.
Need to Change a Step?
Most day-to-day seamless check-in settings you can change yourself. A smaller set of items need to go through the Alliants team.
You Can Change These Yourself:
Go to Settings > Locations > Guest App Configuration and Digital Key settings as a Location Admin or Brand Admin to update:
Auto check-in and auto check-out on/off, and auto assignment of rooms on check-in.
Earliest/guaranteed check-in and check-out times, the check-in window, and the ETA window.
Which check-in or check-out message template is used, and the check-in/check-out confirmation screen text.
Payment capture settings — accepted payment methods, incidental amounts, and how the total to charge is calculated.
Enabling Apple Wallet or Google Wallet keys for the location.
ℹ️ Info: This shall have been configured when your property was onboarded. You only need to configure these if you want to change the digital check-in steps.
📓 Note: This can only be configured by Location Admins or Brand Admins.
This Needs a Change Request to Alliants
These are configured on your behalf by the Alliants team, so any change needs a Change Request. Common examples include:
Adding, removing, or editing a dynamic form question, such as Valet Parking.
Adding, removing, or reordering a check-in step (Guest Details, Stay Details, Address, Terms & Conditions).
Setting up ID verification for your property.
Initial setup of a new hardware or wallet key provider.
How to Submit a Change Request
Log in to Alliants Experience Platform (AXP).
Navigate to "Help & Support" in the left-hand menu.
Press "Send a Message".
Select the option "Change Requests".
Fill in the form:
Change Type — the type of change your request relates to.
Change Description — describe the change, and include screenshots, images, or video where helpful.
Why is this being changed? — the reason for the change.
Do you provide consent for Alliants to complete this change? — your written consent for Alliants to carry it out.
An Alliants team member will follow up with updates until the request is resolved.
💡 Tip: Only approved Brand Admins can submit change requests. If you're not on the approved list, ask your Brand Admin to raise it on your behalf. See the full Change Request Process article for more detail on how requests are handled.
Common Questions
Q: Can we turn off auto check-in for our property?
A: Yes — this is self-service. As a Location Admin or Brand Admin:
Go to Settings in the left-hand menu.
Select Locations from the top navigation bar and choose the property.
Click Guest App Configuration.
Under Check-in Settings, untick Allow auto check-in and save.
Once switched off, a staff member needs to manually close each check-in request from the Requests sidebar instead. The same steps apply in reverse to switch Allow auto check-out off or on, under Check-out Settings on the same page.
Q: Why don't our guests see an "Add to Apple Wallet" or "Add to Google Wallet" button?
A: Check that Apple/Google Wallet keys are enabled for your location in Digital Key settings — this is self-service for Location and Brand Admins. If it's still not showing, your lock provider may not support it yet; raise a Change Request and the Alliants team will check the setup.
Q: Can we add a custom question to the check-in process?
A: Yes, using a Dynamic Form, but this is configured by Alliants. Submit a change request with the question and answer type you'd like (text, checkbox, drop-down, or date/time).
Q: How long does a change request take?
A: This varies by request. An Alliants team member will confirm timelines and keep you updated after you submit the form.