This is a great idea, I just feel bad because in my state of Idaho, and visitors from here, you will still have to manually punch the info as our licenses don't have magnetic info strips on the back of them. I hope most states do!
Great idea! Cuts down on check in time, just have to make sure to verify the information that is input. It also gives you time to talk to the guest and let them know about restaurants, features of the hotel, etc.
I use this at a different property and it has proven to be very effective especially when you need to put a face with a name. Also it cuts down on the time at check-in when your busy. Im all for this feature. sallyanna
This is an inventive idea. Not very practical. Like credit cards, licenses get held onto for long periods of time, and pretty scratched up. Swiping them will actually take more time in then end to check in. Just think about a bad credit card. If it doesn't take, you get 3 not 1 error messages. It only takes about 30 second on average to type everything on the card. There are a lot better functions that could be worked on.
It is long ovedue, I have used this with other PMS before and it is an enhancement to manual entry not a replacement for unradable DLs. Mag-strips were created for this type of functions, we should take full advantage of it.
I think this would be a good idea if swiping the driver's license will auto fill the address fields. However, what happens in the event the guest does not want to provide their address? I have encountered this a few times where guest refuses to give their address, just tonight even. Also, what if the guest does not have a driver's license? This feature would be great providing it wont be MANDATORY for the check in process.
EXCELLENT IDEA! I took keyboarding so I am very quick when it comes to checking in a guest but some of my co-workers have a harder time because they only use one finger on each hand and half the time, and this includes all of us, the information gets typed in wrong simply because we hit the wrong button. This is absolutely an enhancement that we NEED.
I can sympathize with wanting to make guest check-in more efficient; however, I agree with those who have pointed out that not all states use magnetic strips on their driver's licenses and that an old, beat-up license could cause more problems than it is worth. Also, with identity theft making the news pretty much daily, I've had several guests be far more concerned about what happens to their personal information if we take their ID (even if we're not doing anything more than looking at it or typing the information in) than if we simply ask them for the information.
I have to say that at first I thought this would be a good idea. But the more I thought about it, the more I disliked it. Think about how much information is stored in a license...too much personal data for what a hotel requires. I know that I would not want that much of my information being obtained so easily. As for making chek in easier, I think you should find your own rhythm to checking in guests so that you can still give them all the information they need and develop a raport with them. Multi-tasking your guests is extremely helpful...while typing info, ask them a question. Make sure you listen to the answer so you can carry on a conversation with them. It may take a minute or two longer to check them in, but in the process you've made them feel comfortable with the capabitilies of the staff at your hotel.
I understood that only the info that appears on the front of the card is on the strip. We do not have the ability to acess criminal or finanial data. I like the swiping idea to save time and accurate data entry.
I think this is a great idea. Even though not all licenses have the magnetic strip in the back, it would still be a great help. It will help to cut down on inaccuracies during check in. Since the system would keep the information, we wouldn't have to have a hard copy of the licenses. Another question would be, should we have only the license information of the person staying or if the caller and the guest are not the same, could we also have separate information in the system for each involved party?
Hello there, My name is Umar Farooq. I think this would be a excellent idea and it would save us sometime and money. I think that we should get it started as soon as possible. Thank you for your time.
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