Ong Xiang Qian (EPD),
Ian Lim Li Ern (EPD),
Mong Chang Hsi (EPD),
Sean Lew Teng Siong (ISTD),
Tan Jin Kiat Jireh (ISTD),
Joanna Saw Khai Sing (ISTD),
Glenn Chia Jin Wee (ISTD)
The hotel check-in process is time-consuming and inconvenient. A guest provides physical identification documents for hotel staff to manually verify the guest's identity and record personal details. This manual process coupled with insufficient manpower often results in long wait times.
An inefficient check-in process can lead to a negative overall guest experience, given waiting times of more than 10 minutes can reduce guest satisfaction by 50% (Pingitore et al., 2013).
IdentityPal: Rethinking Hotel Check-in
Our Solution
IdentityPal revamps the offline hotel check-in process using a digital identity and automatic verification. With the integration of a mobile application and a kiosk, both PayPal users and non-PayPal users can experience a seamless and convenient check-in process.
IdentityPal reduces the time taken to verify a guest's identity and collect personal information, shortening the hotel check-in time to less than 5 minutes.
A non-PayPal user interacts solely with our kiosk. After entering their booking number and email address, guests scan their passport at the kiosk. This allows the kiosk to extract details such as the name, nationality and passport number. Guests then scan their face for facial authentication, verifying their identy against their scanned passport photo. Once authenticated, the guest has successfully checked in.
PayPal User
A PayPal user interacts with both our mobile application and our kiosk. Guests first generate their unique identity token in the form of a QR code on the mobile application. Scanning this QR code at the kiosk provides the hotel with permission to retrieve the guest's personal details from PayPal. Once the details are retrieved, the guest is successfully checked in.
Mobile Application Features
Biometric Verification
Easy login with phones fingerprint verification or facial recognition
QR Code Identity
Convenient sharing of unique encrypted digital identity
Time-Based One-Time Password
Digital identity refreshes every 30 seconds for enhanced security
Check-in History
Access to history of previous check-ins and shared data
Kiosk Features
Facial Authentication
Verify identity of guest based on passport photo
QR Code Scanner
Captures encrypted digital identity of guests
NFC Card Dispenser
Automated dispensal of hotel cards
Passport Scanner
Automatic retrieval of passport details using the Machine Readable Zone
We would like to thank Professor Low Hong Yee, Professor Yeo Si Yong, Dr Susan Wong and PayPal for their valuable advice and guidance, without whom this project would not have been possible.