Features · Online check-in
Online check-in for hostels
Guests complete the whole arrival before they reach the building: identity, payment, house rules and city tax, from their phone, in about 3 minutes. When check-in completes, their door codes are issued and the guidebook opens — no queue, no paperwork, no front desk.
What is online check-in for a hostel?
Online check-in means the guest completes registration — personal details, ID verification, payments, house-rules signature — on their own device before arrival, instead of at a reception desk. In EZ2Stay, each booking generates a secure check-in link sent 48–72h before arrival; the wizard collects exactly what your country's guest-registration law requires, verifies the guest's ID with a selfie match, takes payment, and only then issues the 4-digit access codes for gate, entrance, dorm and locker.
| Capability | Limit | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Tokenized check-in link per booking, sent 48–72h before arrival | sending window is fixed by the platform's reminder logic | Live |
| Configurable wizard: details, payment, ID, selfie, rules, extras | step ORDER is fixed; owners choose which steps are required | Live |
| ID + selfie verification with automatic blacklist screening | guest interface is English today; more guest languages on the roadmap | Live |
| Access codes issued on completion — one code, four zones | TTLock is the only live lock brand | Live |
| Legal guest-registry data collection | automated filing live for Romania; other countries collect data now, filing on the roadmap | Live |
| House-rules signature with versioning | existing signed check-ins are never re-signed on rule changes | Live |
How it works
- The booking arrives. A reservation from any booking channel lands in EZ2Stay automatically — the channel manager and PMS are part of the package.
- The guest gets their link. 48–72h before arrival, the guest receives a secure check-in link by email or message.
- They check in from their phone. Details, payment and city tax, ID photo, live selfie, house-rules signature — about 3 minutes end to end.
- Codes are issued. On completion, the guest's 4-digit time-limited codes are generated for gate, entrance, dorm and locker, activating at check-in time.
- You watch it happen. The dashboard shows each check-in's progress live — resend links, review documents or override a step from your phone.
What the owner configures
| Setting | Default | Who can change it |
|---|---|---|
| Which wizard steps are required | all steps on | Owner |
| Security deposit amount | off | Owner |
| Selfie match strictness | safe default, adjustable within a fixed range | Owner |
| ID document retention | 90 days | Owner |
| Selfie (biometric) retention | deleted ≤30 days after checkout | Not configurable — by design |
| House rules text and quiet hours | 22:00–08:00 quiet hours | Owner |
This flow runs in production at Popcorn Hostel, Bucharest — 49 beds, 63 smart locks — where every guest checks in online before arrival and the building runs with no front desk.
Not a fit if
- You want guests to check in at a staffed desk — EZ2Stay is built to remove that step, not digitize the queue.
- You operate in Italy and need a fully unattended arrival: since the Council of State's 2025 ruling, someone must visually verify guests there — see our Italy compliance page.
Frequently asked questions about EZ2Stay for hostels
How long does online check-in take a guest?
About 3 minutes: personal details, payment and city tax, ID photo, live selfie, house-rules signature. Guests do it from their own phone, before arrival.
Is online check-in legal?
In most EU countries, yes — the law requires collecting and reporting guest data, not a physical desk. Romania's registry export is live in EZ2Stay today. Italy is the exception: a 2025 Council of State ruling requires an in-person visual check there, which no remote tool alone satisfies.
What happens if a guest doesn't complete check-in?
They get automatic reminders, and you see incomplete check-ins on the dashboard with one-tap resend. Codes are only issued after check-in completes, so nobody arrives unverified.
Do guests need to install an app?
No. Check-in and the guidebook run in the browser as a PWA — the link works on any phone, with nothing to install.
What if a guest refuses the biometric selfie?
Consent is explicit and refusal is allowed: check-in completes without the selfie, and the owner is alerted to verify identity another way. Selfies that are taken are deleted ≤30 days after checkout — that retention is not configurable, by design.