Multi-Room Check-in is a feature for self-check-in hotel kiosks that allows guests to check-in to all booked rooms in one go or select one or more rooms for a partial check-in. While useful for group or family travelers, the process can be confusing and repetitive, often requiring staff assistance. These inefficiencies impact both guest satisfaction and hotel operations.
Due to the feature’s complexity and the resources needed to build it, user research is essential. This case study shows how I concluded that starting with partial features is the best path toward a complete, user-friendly solution based on real user needs.
As the Product Designer on this project, I led the research process to validate the Multi-Room Check-in feature. This involved conducting feature discovery, defining research goals, planning and executing research activities, analyzing user feedback, and identifying key opportunities. My focus was to ensure the feature met real user needs while aligning with business and operational goals.
This is the first and critical question in the feature discovery process.
I conducted an experience sampling study, analyzing 500 posts and reviews (30% Google Reviews, 25% Booking.com, 25% Tripadvisor, 20% X) from guests who had a check-in experience at a hotel using an AI tool. My focus was on identifying demographics and challenges faced by those booking multiple rooms. Specifically, I explored the question: "What was the biggest challenge you encountered when booking more than one room and trying to check in to all of them in one go?"
Based on data gathered from the experience sampling study I identified four key demographic groups likely to benefit from the Multi-Room Check-in feature:
These insights helped me target the right audience for follow-up interviews and ensured that the research reflected the needs of the most relevant user segments.
After I analyzed the data, it’s time to synthesize it into themes and define real people needs.
Based on thematic analysis of challenges faced when checking in in multiple hotel rooms simultaneously, I defined real people needs:
With a clear list of user needs, I examined the new multi-room check-in feature through the lens of one question: “What positive outcomes and potential challenges would this create for users?”
First, I evaluated this for each user category. Then I noticed many overlapping benefits and drawbacks. Finally, I consolidated these into a common list of benefits and drawbacks. Unfortunately, every benefit has a drawback. Here they are:
Speeds up the check-in process for groups, reducing waiting times.
Allows multiple rooms to be checked in at once, avoiding repetitive steps.
might cause
If one room is not ready, it may delay the entire group’s check-in.
Ensures only assigned guests receive room keys, reducing errors and unauthorized access.
Ensures all group members receive their room assignments simultaneously.
might cause
Ensuring that the correct guests receive the right room keys may require additional verification.
Supports group payments or individual transactions in a single process.
might cause
Managing split payments, corporate billing, or individual transactions can be complex.
Provides a smoother and more organized check-in.
Minimizes confusion and miscommunication by handling multiple room check-ins in one go.
might cause
Changes to one room might impact the entire reservation, making modifications more challenging.
The kiosk may not support last-minute changes, room upgrades, or specific amenities.
Special requests (e.g., adjoining rooms, extra beds) may be harder to accommodate.
Now that it’s clear what hotel guests need and can gain from this feature, it’s time to look from the hotel’s perspective. I needed to understand how hotels currently handle multi-room reservations, what benefits kiosks could bring if they solved this challenge, and what potential drawbacks might arise.
To understand people’s workflow, we did an on-site observation. Together with my colleague, I visited three hotels that use our self-check-in kiosks. I focused on taking notes while my colleague captured photos and videos. Our goal was to see how hotels managed the multi-room check-in process.
At the end of each day, we held a debrief session. Using Figma Jam, we organized our Post-it notes, photos, and videos on a shared board. This process resulted in an affinity diagram, which we later combined with storytelling. In the end, we developed future scenarios showing how hotel employees might experience the multi-room reservation feature.
We found out possible benefits and drawbacks:
Groups, families, or business travelers can check in multiple rooms at once, reducing wait times.
Ensures that all guests in the group have their identity verified.
Allows for group payments or individual payment splits.
A smoother check-in experience can lead to better guest satisfaction and positive reviews.
might cause
Any technical issues (e.g. software bugs or crashes, PMS problems) can lead to frustration for guests and require help of staff.
The kiosk may not support last-minute changes, room upgrades, or specific amenities. This leads to profit decrease.
Now when problems of users (both hotel guests and hotel employees) and potential benefits were defined, I decided to include software engineers into the ideation process.
We identified all parts that should be done to have a big and complex multi-room reservation feature working. We also brainstormed for new ideas that can be implemented now and later. Then we created a prioritization matrix and put numbers of ideas into the right place.
At first, we assumed the multi-room check-in feature would be quick and easy to implement. However, once we explored the details, we realized it was complex, required significant team effort, and might not bring clear business value. After validating the idea, we concluded that both hotel guests and hotels need this feature. The challenge was to find a balance—building it in a way that maximizes value for users and for the business.
Our plan is to:
This plan was reviewed and approved by the stakeholders and the product owner.