Citybox launches check-in terminals with Heisenbug

The hotel chain Citybox is launching self-developed check-in terminals in collaboration with tech-company Heisenbug. The terminals, which are designed to manage the guest journey from check-in to check-out, marks another step in Citybox’s goal to offer the most seamless customer experience in the industry.

It’s been many years since Citybox was the first hotel chain in Norway to replace the traditional front desk with check-in terminals. Last year, the company launched the first part of its new guest journey as part of a comprehensive rebranding of the company. Now the hotel chain has taken the next step and is launching its own check-in terminals in collaboration with Heisenbug.

Terminals adapted to our guest journey

-“Since its inception, Citybox’s concept has been rooted in the fact that a traditional reception is unnecessary, expensive and an annoying time thief for guests. Over time, we have had different check-in terminals, but now we have finally taken a step further and developed our very own terminals, adapted to our needs and our idea of how the guest journey should be,” says Eivind Hjulstad, CEO of Citybox.

Technology company Heisenbug has been responsible for the actual development, in close collaboration with Citybox and employees from all departments. The design of the terminal and furniture was done by the hotel chain’s own Head of Interior & Design, Kristine Holtås.

The terminal currently handles everything from check-in, check-out and payment, as well as enabling luggage storage on both arrival and departure. The terminals also facilitate ID scanning, and further functionalities are already in the pipeline. If guests experience challenges in one of the processes, the terminals themselves notify hotel staff. The aim is for hosts to show up before the guest has even realized that they have a challenge.

Seamless from start to beginning

These kiosks are more than just check-in; they perform almost every task a traditional front desk does, ensuring a user-friendly experience with associated efficiencies that have been measured and verified to be completed in under 50 seconds. This not only contributes to an improved guest experience, but also to the optimization of hotel operations for Citybox,” says Tibor Mæhlum, Head of Business at Heisenbug.

With the introduction of new check-in terminals, Citybox builds on its vision to revolutionize the guest experience, a vision that has stood firm since the removal of the traditional front desk. The aim of the project has been to create a terminal that handles the customer journey in a fast and safe way. The current record for check-in is now 43.2 seconds.

“We’ve looked at every step of a guest journey and compressed it in the most seamless way to give our guests a safe, easy and, not least, super-fast check-in at our hotels. If there was a world record for fast check-in, I’m sure one of our guests would hold that record,” says Eivind Hjulstad, CEO of Citybox.

“Thinking outside the box has led us to set a new standard for efficiency and usability in the check-in process, and this is just the start,” says Eivind Hjulstad, CEO of Citybox.

The new check-in terminals are in operation at all the hotels, and will also be present at Citybox Stockholm and Citybox Brussels, which are both due to open the summer of 2024.