Check-in is the process whereby people announce their arrival at an
office
An office is a space where the employees of an organization perform Business administration, administrative Work (human activity), work in order to support and realize the various goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a po ...
,
hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...
,
airport
An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...
,
hospital
A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...
,
seaport
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manc ...
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
A receptionist is an Employment, employee taking an office or Business administration, administrative support position. The work is usually performed in a waiting room, waiting area such as a Lobby (room), lobby or front office desk of an organ ...
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.
Research shows that long waiting times at the reception area could lead to loss of customers.
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
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
airport
An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...
s enables passengers to check-in
luggage
Baggage, or luggage, consists of bags, cases, and containers which hold a traveler's personal articles while the traveler is in transport, transit. A modern tourist, traveler can be expected to have packages containing clothing, toiletries, sma ...
onto a plane and to obtain a
boarding pass
A boarding pass or boarding card is a document provided by an airline during airport check-in, giving a passenger permission to enter the restricted area of an airport (also known as the airside portion of the airport) and to board the airp ...
. 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
An airline is a company that provides civil aviation, air transport services for traveling passengers or freight (cargo). Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or Airline alliance, alliances with other airlines ...
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
In transportation, cargo refers to goods transported by land, water or air, while freight refers to its conveyance. In economics, freight refers to goods transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. The term cargo is also used in cas ...
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.
Hotels
Hotels
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a refr ...
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.
The establishment may require guests to provide a
credit card or a security deposit as a guarantee to cover potential costs such as the use of
room service
Room service or in-room dining is a hotel service enabling guests to choose items of food and drink for delivery to their hotel room for consumption. Room service is organized as a subdivision within the food and beverage department of high-end ...
or a mini-bar for the duration of the stay, and to facilitate a more expedient check-out process at the end of the guest's stay. At the end of the checking in process, the reception staff will provide guests with a room
key. More and more hotels are implementing online or contactless check-in options.
Check-in times vary, but can range from about 12 pm to about 3 pm, depending on the establishment's rules and regulations. Late check-ins can be arranged through the hotel as long as the guests book this in advance and arrange all the necessary details. Hotels usually specify a check-in time after which they expect guests to check in. If a guest wants to occupy a hotel room before the hotel's check-in time, some hotels may charge for an additional day or treat it as a previous day's stay (as compared to occupying the hotel room after the check-in time). Most hotels, however, allow a grace time (typically 30–60 minutes) upon request by a guest, without any additional charge, if a guest wishes to have access to the room before the check-in time. Some hotels also have a latest check-in time, often 6 pm – 8 pm, after which they may give a room to someone else if the room has not been prepaid for or the guest does not phone in to indicate their expected time of arrival. Some hotels have a deadline for checking in because the reception desk may close for the night. For the most cost-effective usage of hotel room occupancy, a guest should try to arrive near a hotel's check-in time and leave or hand over the hotel room near the hotel's check-out time. However, doing so may not always be practical because, for example, a guest's flight arrival and departure times or car trips may not align with a hotel's check-in and check-out times.
Social network
Many social networking services, such as
Foursquare,
Google+
Google+ (sometimes written as Google Plus, stylized as G+ or g+) was a Social networking service, social network owned and operated by Google until it ceased operations in 2019. The network was launched on June 28, 2011, in an attempt to challe ...
,
Facebook
Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...
,
Jiepang
Jiepang () was a Chinese social networking service for mobile devices, such as smartphones. Users can download the Jiepang app to track and share life moments with friends. In July 2013, Jiepang launched an all new design in version 5.0, which ev ...
,
VK,
GetGlue
tvtag (formerly GetGlue) was a social networking website and mobile app for television fans. Users " check into" the shows, movies and sports that they consumed using a website, mobile website, or mobile app.
GetGlue's service was launched i ...
, and
Gowalla
Gowalla is a location-based social networking service. It originally launched in 2007 and closed in 2012, but was relaunched on March 10, 2023. Users are able to check in at "Spots" in their local vicinity, either through a dedicated mobile appli ...
, as well as
Google Latitude
Google Latitude was a location-aware feature of Google Maps, developed by Google as a successor to its earlier SMS-based service Dodgeball. Latitude allowed a mobile phone user to allow certain people to view their current location. Via their ...
(closed), and
Brightkite (closed) in the past, allow users to what has been referred to as
self-reported positioning,
[ or more commonly known as a "check-in", to a physical place and share their locations with their friends.]
Users can check in to a specific location by text messaging or by using a mobile application on a smartphone
A smartphone is a mobile phone with advanced computing capabilities. It typically has a touchscreen interface, allowing users to access a wide range of applications and services, such as web browsing, email, and social media, as well as multi ...
—the application will use the phone's GPS to find the current location.
Many applications have a “Places” button or tab where a user can see a list of nearby places into which the user can check in. If a location is not on the nearby places list, the user can add the location directly from the phone. Once users have checked in, they have the option of sharing their location with friends in services such as Twitter
Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
or Facebook.
References
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, first11 = Jon , last11 = Sutton
, title = Uncle Roy all around you: mixing games and theatre on the city streets
, journal = DiGRA Conference
, year = 2003
, citeseerx = 10.1.1.106.7644 ]
Hotel terminology