Budget accommodation in many cases now means self-check in or contactless hotels. The low-service or no-service hotel model using automation is delivering savings in the battle against rising costs.

In expensive parts of Europe such as Scandinavia, self-check in hotels are becoming more common as an affordable way to run and use accommodation. But the concept is now spreading in other European countries.

In another trend, room service is becoming an opt-in feature and some hotels are offering self-service stays only. "We focus on what our guests value the most," says the chief executive of Norway-based Citybox Hotels, Eivind Hjulstad.

Technology is aimed at keeping costs under control in all areas of travel. Accommodation is no different.

Self-check in cuts hotel rates

Automated check-in asks the guest to fill out their details and enter the hotel in a contactless process. It comes in three forms:

● Using an app, website or email to provide check-in door codes to guests, also known as mobile check-in
● Self-check in kiosks to manage hotel entry
● A combination of the two systems

Operators are claiming advantages for self-check in, including greater speed and the possibility of 24-hour check-in at hotels that might not otherwise offer such access.

But the big benefit for travellers comes from lower hotel rates based on lower staff levels.

Some accommodation can now be described as self-service hotels. While travelling through Scandinavia in 2024, Raven Guides found the guest relationship with hotel hosts sometimes consisted of this:

this:

... and this:

At several hotels, instructions and a code arrived in an accommodation app or by email. Guests key in the code at the door and enter. Sometimes this process is used to restrict hotel reception hours.

Guests can get fresh towels or linen from a trolley in the hotel hallway. Travellers staying for a few nights find their room won’t be remade until after they leave.

In some cases, there is no contact with hotel staff. But this is how budget accommodation now works in many European hotels.

The reduced-cost factor can be compelling in expensive countries.

The growing Citybox group, with hotels in Oslo, Bergen, Kristiansand, Antwerp, Stockholm, Helsinki and Tallinn, defines no-frills service while having a 24-hour desk to handle enquiries or problems.

Self-check in is by automatic kiosk and self-service applies for fresh towels. There is no breakfast offer, but guest kitchens (cleaner than we might expect at many hostels) are on site, along with vending machines for snacks and beverages. The hotel locations are also close to cafes. A guest laundry is on the site.

Rates for advance bookings in Oslo start about €65/75 a single/double.

At City Living in Trondheim, there are spacious rooms and extras such as a small refrigerator. Check-in is by a door code provided remotely. The code also applies to enter the room. There is access to a laundry room and extra supplies are available from the storage room. This requires a separate access code.

There are two City Living properties, both centrally located with adjacent restaurants. Weekly room cleaning is available for long stays. Advance bookings cost about €82 a night.

According to one 2024 report surveying average hotel prices in Norway, the average rate for a three-star hotel room worked out at about €114.

The difference between this and the examples above is large.

What does kiosk self-check in look like?

Hotel check-in at an automatic kiosk is similar to automatic flight check-in at airports. The guest fills out name, address and credit card details on a touch screen in the lobby, perhaps scanning a barcode. At some hotels, they can make room-customisation requests. The kiosk can provide a paper or email confirmation of details about the hotel stay.

Hotel technology companies are describing self-check in kiosks as part of a digital transformation. One company claimed "over half of travellers are eager to see permanent adoption of contactless check-in and checkout" and that hotel staff want them too. Streamlined check-in, convenience and clarity are among the arguments.

Reading between the lines, it's not hard to see that hotel operators are interested in reducing costs and staff turnover.

Many hotels moving to self-check in processes put the argument that the process enhances the guest experience, speeds up check-in, and allows the hotel to offer better service in other areas. But its chief attraction seems to be to the budget hotel sector or in high-cost markets.

No frills in hotel room service

Examples of no-frills service vary.

One budget hotel in Copenhagen, three minutes’ walk from the city’s central station, is explicit about its room-cleaning policy. Rooms are cleaned every four days unless guests request otherwise.

One small Uppsala hotel asks guests to hang a card on the door handle requesting cleaning (instead of the other way around, saying "do not disturb").

When it comes to limited service, even hotels branded by a major international franchise such as Best Western are offering limited or optional services, such as remote check-in by code or opt-in daily room cleaning.

It seems clear that some hotel guests find finicky room service intrusive and prefer privacy in their hotel. 

Travellers who want more privacy can also hope for lower hotel rates as part of the deal. It’s a question for anyone to consider when deciding what they really need in a hotel.

Budget hotel push extends through Europe

Scandinavia is not the only region choosing this direction and European budget hotels are joining the trend. The B&B Hotels group, which has grown to almost 800 hotels in 15 European countries, is widely offering automatic check-in for online bookings with the B&B Hotels website. Guests receive an online check-in email 48 hours ahead and confirm their account card number. The number and code to access the room arrives on the same day of the stay, when the account is debited.

The 40 European properties of A&O Hotels and Hostels started as a backpacker hostel chain, but there are also private rooms with ensuite facilities for couples and trade-fair guests and a change of ownership several years ago signalled a new expansion.

Web check-in or app check-in up to 24 hours before arrival is possible and there are self-check in kiosks in many hostels. Of the four check-in options the group offers, three are entirely driven by guests, although there are plenty of staff in other areas and 24-hour desks. Germany maintains the majority of A&O properties (about 25) and there are four in Austria and two in Venice. Hostels have opened in Prague, Budapest, Warsaw, Rotterdam, Copenhagen and Edinburgh. Singles and doubles start in the €50-60 range but can be much higher.

The concept has also caught on in high-cost Switzerland. A Google search for self-check in hotels in Switzerland readily shows eight pages of results, and many of these feature self-check in in their names.

Many Vienna hotels and other accommodation houses also now highlight it in their listings:

This style of accommodation may not suit everyone. For accommodation with more intimate and personal service that still offers savings, check out Raven Guides’ blog on hotels garnis, pensions and guesthouses.

Keep in mind it’s always easier to get hotels for cheap rates outside peak seasons and by planning three or four months ahead. Or sign up for Raven Travel Guides Europe’s comprehensive free special report How to get the lowest hotel rate online 100% of the time. Using shrewd savings tips, Europe is a wonderful place for travel. Join the Raven Travel Guides Europe community at ravenguides.com.