Shiji and Fliggy partner to enable facial recognition for hotel check-in

Facial recognition is enabling travelers to check into a hotel, receive a room card and establish payment authorization, all in about 30 seconds.

The system has been created through a partnership between Shiji, a technology provider for the hotel, retail and entertainment industries, and Fliggy, Alibaba’s online travel agency brand.

Custom check-in kiosks with built-in cameras, card readers and room card dispensers are being installed in 50 hotels in China’s Hainan district, including some Marriott and IHG properties.

Guests scan their ID in the kiosk and the system verifies it against China’s Public Security System, performs a credit authorization and produces the room card.

Fliggy is providing the reservation and customer data and Shiji is providing the integration, distribution, payment gateway and on-property systems.

"Our aim with this project has been to find ways for hotels to increase guest satisfaction by reducing wait times as much as possible,” says Shiji Group COO Kevin King.

“Working with Fliggy and our partner hotels have made this a success, and we're monitoring privacy and efficiency closely to develop ways to increase this across more hotels.”

The system has been designed to work with multiple property management systems and distribution platforms.