Can document scanning support remote/online check-in workflows?

Yes, remote and online check-in is one of the more directly practical applications of document scanning technology, and it saw significant adoption growth as businesses across hospitality, travel, and other industries shifted toward more contactless, self-service processes.

For hotels, remote check-in typically works through a guest-facing app or web portal, where a guest scans their ID or passport using their own smartphone camera ahead of arrival, with the extracted and validated data flowing directly into the property's reservation system. This lets guests complete much of the traditional check-in process, identity verification, sometimes payment card details as well, before they even arrive at the property, reducing front-desk lines significantly, particularly useful for busy check-in periods like weekend arrivals or conference check-outs.

Airlines use a similar model for online check-in, where document scanning through a mobile app confirms passenger identity against booking records ahead of arrival at the airport, sometimes enabling entirely paperless boarding processes when combined with digital boarding passes and appropriate biometric or document verification at the gate.

For other industries adopting remote check-in style workflows, co-working spaces confirming visitor identity, healthcare facilities allowing pre-registration ahead of an appointment, or event venues managing entry for pre-registered attendees, the same underlying pattern applies: document scanning through a user's own device, completed remotely and ahead of time, reduces friction and wait times at the actual point of physical arrival.

The key technical requirement making this possible is reliable, accurate scanning through a standard smartphone camera rather than dedicated hardware, since remote check-in inherently means the business can't provide specialized scanning equipment to every user completing the process from their own home or device.

ScanDoc's mobile SDKs are specifically built to support this kind of remote check-in workflow, with real-time capture guidance designed to help users get an accurate scan using their own smartphone, and several hospitality clients using ScanDoc report reducing overall check-in time to under a minute by shifting the document-scanning step to before a guest's actual arrival.