From Arrival To Room In Minutes: How Contactless Dubai Hotel Check-Ins Will Get Faster

Hotel check-ins in Dubai are set to get faster and smoother with a citywide one-time contactless system. According to hospitality industry experts, the technology would remove one of the most“draining” aspects of holidaying for tourists.

"The approval of digital biometric check-ins (in hotels ) is more than a technological update; it is a redefinition of the guest journey in Dubai,” said Julia Schamne, Cluster General Manager, Novotel & Adagio Premium Dubai Al Barsha.“For guests, this eliminates the most energy-draining part of travel: the queue. They walk straight into their stay securely, efficiently, and with complete control.”

Currently, most hotels have a system where guests must report to the front desk, hand over their documents, and wait for staff to complete the procedure before they can proceed to their rooms. With the new system in place, guests no longer have to wait to complete the formalities.

On Tuesday, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai, approved the implementation of contactless check-in technology in the emirate.

Reduced workload

According to Mohamed Rashad, Hotel Manager at Grand Millennium Hotel Dubai, the move will reduce staff workload.

“The system will greatly benefit customers by offering a faster, smoother, and fully digital arrival experience, eliminating queues, paperwork, and waiting at reception,” he said.“It streamlines arrivals, reducing front-desk workload, and delivering a faster, more seamless guest experience. By allowing travellers to complete check-in remotely and enabling repeat guests to authenticate instantly through biometrics, hotels can improve service efficiency, elevate guest satisfaction, and redeploy staff toward more personalised interactions.”

Julia echoed this.“When arrival formalities are automated and secure, hotels finally have the freedom to reallocate human interaction to where it matters most: personalising stays, elevating service, and solving real guest needs,” she said.“It unlocks an entirely new operational rhythm. Front-desk teams can focus on meaningful interactions instead of administrative tasks; peak-time congestion drops dramatically; and we gain a more accurate, real-time understanding of guest flow.”

Authorities explained how the digital hotel check-in system will work:

• Upload Documents: Guests must upload essential identification documents from their phones in the app. They also need to submit biometric data, such as facial recognition data. This information only needs to be uploaded once.

• Digital Check-In: Guests can finish all check-in steps before they arrive at the hotel.

• Arrival: When guests arrive, they can go directly to their rooms at participating hotels without stopping at the check-in desk.

• Secure Storage: The uploaded data is kept safe and stays valid until the guest's ID expires.

• Future Stays: For future visits, guests only need a quick check, like facial recognition, and do not have to upload documents again unless their ID has expired.

The system is already in use at hotels and holiday homes across Dubai and can be added to current hotel apps or websites. It will soon be used for other tourism services too. In the future, it could be used for car rentals and other services that need identity checks.

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