Spain’s hospitality sector is getting its first real-world taste of Europe’s digital identity future. The industry response so far is a mix of optimism and operational caution, with a few growing pains.
Since April 2, hotels and other businesses in Spain are legally required to accept the country’s new MiDNI mobile identity app as a valid form of identification. It is part of the a broader move toward digital identity under Europe’s evolvingElectronic Identification, Authentication and Trust Services (eIDAS) 2.0 framework.
The rollout effectively makes Spain one of the first major live test cases for how digital identity could work in day-to-day hospitality operations. It comes ahead of the wider European Union Digital Identity Wallet rollout planned across the European Union by the end of 2026.
For Spain’s hoteliers, the transition to digital identity is reshaping guest registration, check-in operations and compliance, though adoption remains uneven and some are still proceeding cautiously.
Compliance is driving the first phase of Digital ID adoption
Across interviews with hotel operators and technology executives, the clearest consensus is that Spain’s Digital ID rollout is being driven more by the need to comply with guest data regulations than by guest demand.
“The current sentiment is more operational and compliance-driven rather than innovation-driven,” said Nestor Castanedo Ruiz, chief digital officer at Spring Hotels.
Castanedo Ruiz said many hotels initially viewed the new guest data requirements as another layer of operational complexity rather than a transformational guest experience initiative.
“The vision is attractive, yes,” he said. “But the current implementation feels more like adding a new framework.”
Gee Mann, founder of Travlr ID, described the industry response as “slightly mixed.”
“People don’t want more admin work. They’re already burdened with stuff,” Mann said.
“If you talk to the implementers, they’re excited because they know what it enables. But if you talk to hotel brands, for some of them, they think more training, slower check-ins—what does this do to my process?”
At Zafiro Hotels, the company has deliberately limited deployment while it gauges guest demand and operational readiness.
“Initial steps to comply with the new regulations regarding Digital ID have been taken while remaining cautious about a full operational rollout,” said Andrey Garí, quality assurance at Zafiro Hotels.
Hotels are modernizing check-in processes, but not universally
Despite the cautious approach, some say the regulations have accelerated long-planned digital transformation projects.
Spring Hotels has integrated Digital ID into its online pre-check-in and self-service guest flows.
“We are implementing digital tools like totems and points where the client can make their own check-in,” Castanedo Ruiz said.
Under the process, guests can upload identification data before arrival and receive QR-code-based access to their reservation to minimize the time they spend at reception.
“They arrive at reception, present this [QR code] in a machine and the card for their stay is already given,” he said. “So it’s very easy for them and for us.”
Zafiro Hotels has also enabled Digital ID during online pre-check-in.
“Guests can complete the registration using their mobile device or, alternatively, with the support of a tablet at reception,” Garí said.
However, he said the company has not yet expanded Digital ID across all operational touchpoints.
“Our standard reception scanners are not yet technically prepared to handle Digital ID,” Garí said. “To date we have not recorded actual guest check-ins completed with a Digital ID.”
Fragmented hotel systems will remain a major challenge
One of the biggest obstacles emerging from Spain’s rollout is the fragmented nature of hotel technology infrastructure.
“The hotel technology stack is not clean,” Mann said. “Hotels can run off very different multiple stacks from multiple properties, which causes integration complications.”
Unlike airlines, which typically operate on standardized reservation systems, hotel groups often rely on multiple property management systems and legacy infrastructure across portfolios.
“The challenge is not making digital identity,” Mann said. “The challenge is building those into really messy workflows."
Garí identified similar concerns from the hotel operations side.
“The main challenges are technical readiness of existing hardware, uncertainty around guest uptake, and the need to maintain alternative identification methods in parallel,” he said.
Guest adoption is still in its early stages
While Spain’s Digital ID initiative is now live, actual usage has so far been limited.
Castanedo Ruiz said hotels are also having to balance regulatory compliance with customer experience expectations.
“I think some challenges are balancing compliance and the guest experience,” he said.
Some guests, he added, have resisted providing expanded registration data required under Spain’s updated hospitality regulations.
“There is still ambiguity in how the regulation should be applied in practice,” Castanedo Ruiz said.
Zafir Hotels has seen similar challenges regarding guests’ expectations for the check-in process.
“There is still uncertainty around the level of adoption and acceptance among our clients,” Garí said.
Hotels continue to maintain traditional passport and physical ID verification systems alongside digital registration options.
Castanedo Ruiz compared the transition to the early days of digital boarding passes in aviation.
“I think it’s more like a change management problem,” he said. “In airports, we are now used to presenting our documentation digitally. In the hotel sector, we have to pass through the same way.”
The experts we spoke to broadly agreed that adoption will likely accelerate once Digital ID systems become more standardized across Europe.
“If Digital ID adoption becomes widespread at a European level, we expect the process will need to evolve, ensuring interoperability and offering multiple registration options to accommodate different guest preferences and national frameworks,” Garí said.
Hotels are already seeing some operational benefits
Even with adoption still developing, some hotels’ systems are already delivering operational advantages.
“Without the digital ID implementations, compliance with the regulation would have been a nightmare for hoteliers,” Castanedo Ruiz said.
Digital ID systems can improve data quality, reduce manual entry errors and streamline registration workflows.
“The benefits are mainly related to compliance and data quality improvement,” Castanedo Ruiz said.
As an added benefit, hotels are also gaining access to cleaner customer data for operational analysis and marketing
“We can get more data like ZIP codes and addresses that are very useful for us in terms of business intelligence,” he said.
Mann believes the long-term advantages could be much broader.
“Once this is fully deployed, you’re going to have fewer mistakes, smoother check-ins, reduced workload for your workforce, faster verification and less risk because you’re not taking photocopies of passports,” he said.
He also sees Digital ID becoming the foundation for more personalized hospitality services.
“Identity is only one part of it,” Mann said. “Profile is the next layer.”
Implementation costs are manageable—for now
None of the interviewees described implementation costs as prohibitively expensive, particularly for hotel groups that already had digital guest management systems in place.
“The direct costs are really very low,” Castanedo Ruiz said.
Garí similarly said costs had “been contained” because Zafiro focused on adapting existing digital channels “rather than a full operational transformation.”
However, hidden operational costs remain significant.
“It’s not only a financial cost but also an operational and commercial cost,” Castanedo Ruiz said, citing training requirements and workflow redesign.
Mann said Spain’s rollout has exposed how much technology modernization some hotel groups still need.
“The success also unveils how messy data flows are in hotels,” he said. “I don’t think you can patch things anymore going forward.”
Still, the overall mood among operators has shifted from resistance toward cautious acceptance of Digital ID.
“Overall, it’s positive,” Castanedo Ruiz said.