Pre-Arrival Communication via OpenKey HOST

Pre-Arrival Communication via OpenKey HOST (formerly Web Check-in)

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You now have the option to embed the Check-in Confirmation link to your existing pre-arrival communication!  The link is available within the Communications Tab of OpenKey HOST.  

This link will only be valid for your guests up to 24 hours prior to arrival, so be sure to send it no earlier than one day prior to arrival. 

When that generic link is clicked by a guest, the landing page will request that a guest provide their reservation confirmation number and last name to access the check-in confirmation portal.  However, you may have guests that book via a third party (OTA) like Expedia or Booking.com.  In this case, they probably only receive the confirmation number associated with the OTA.  To ensure the guest has access to the right confirmation number, best practice is to do one of the following:

1. Include the PMS confirmation number in the same email, so the guest has it readily available
2. Append to the generic link for each guest – for example: 

https://arrival.openkey.co/xxxxxxxxxxxxxx?booking=ABCDE123

With option #2, the reservation number field would be automatically populated on the landing page, so guests would only need to provide their last name to access the portal.

OpenKey HOST offers manual and automatic options to send Pre-Arrival Email Confirmations to your guests from the HOST platform.

MANUAL

In OpenKey HOST, you can enter the guest's information into the Communications Tab to receive the OpenKey Pre-Arrival email.  This email will allow the guest to submit a pre-arrival confirmation.

1. Log into OpenKey HOST at https://host.openkey.co.

2. Click on COMMUNICATION on the left side of the screen.

3. Type in all the required information. 

4. Click SEND EMAIL.

 

Once the guest receives this email, they can click CONFIRM CHECK-IN INFORMATION and verify their details.  If the incorrect phone number was included, the guest can update their number and submit confirmation.  Upon completion, the guest will receive an email from OpenKey with further instruction and a link to download the OpenKey app. 

From there, guests can download the app, verify their phone number, and view their upcoming stay.  They will not have access to their guest room or any common access areas until a Hotel Team Member issues their mobile key, but they can access the app prior to their stay. 

To view a sample of the emails and webform pages, please click here. 

If your hotel does not offer Skip the Desk:

No further action is required until the guest arrives on-property.  At that point, follow your normal process to check in the guest in the traditional manner.  

If your property DOES offer Skip the Desk:

OpenKey HOST - Anytime a guest submits pre-arrival confirmation, the Front Desk will receive a notification via email.  At this point, the Hotel Team Member can review the guest's reservation to determine if they qualify for Skip The Desk.  We suggest the Management Team create and enforce a list of rules to determine eligibility for this option.  Be sure to address payment verification requirements, if you require the guest to have booked directly versus through an OTA like Expedia or Booking.com, if you require the guest to have stayed at the property previously, etc.

If the guest is eligible for Skip the Desk, proceed through the regular check-in process via the hotel's PMS.  Do not check the guest in through OpenKey HOST.  

• As a reminder, you can still issue plastic keys along with mobile, as long as you follow the proper procedure laid out by your lock manufacturer.  Find out more about how to issue both mobile keys and plastic keys for the same reservation here.

The benefit of using OpenKey's pre-arrival email is two-fold:

1. It gives guests an opportunity to verify or add their mobile phone number and send it back to OpenKey.  If their phone number in the reservation is incorrect or missing entirely and Automated Key Delivery is enabled, the mobile key will automatically be issued to the phone number they provide even if it hasn't been updated in the PMS.
2. The average consumer needs to view a message 5-9 times before they absorb it.  OpenKey's pre-arrival email gives your guests one more opportunity for the message that mobile key is available to sink in.