Rentlio and Chekin: Automate online check-in, guest registration, and payments
According to data from Chekin, the platform used to manage more than 200,000 properties across 45+ countries, the average check-in process involves more than ten steps that a property has to complete for every guest. Sending registration forms, collecting documents, manually submitting data to local authorities, calculating tourist tax, issuing self check-in instructions, signing contracts. When all of that is done manually, peak season turns into a math equation where the number of reservations grows faster than the team's capacity.
Our users have direct access to the leading check-in automation platform through the Chekin integration in Rentlio. The objective is straightforward: remove the administrative work that repeats with every reservation and free up time for what actually makes a difference in the guest experience.
What is Chekin and why does it matter for your property?
Chekin is a check-in automation platform for tourist accommodations. The platform processes more than 25 million check-ins per year for hotels, apart-hotels, villas, campsites, and private vacation rentals worldwide. While Rentlio as a PMS covers reservations, channels, and operational management, Chekin covers everything that happens at the moment of contact with the guest: online registration, identity verification, payments, contracts, and key delivery.
Without the Chekin integration, every new reservation triggers a chain of manual tasks. Someone has to send the guest a check-in link, follow up about required documents, manually enter data into the authority portal, calculate tourist tax based on guest count and age, issue a digital key or schedule the handover. That workload grows with reservation volume and becomes a bottleneck once peak season really begins.
The guest experience starts days before arrival. A professional, branded online check-in with clear instructions and the option to pay upfront changes the first impression a guest forms about your property. Chekin is the system that makes this possible at the property or portfolio level, without manual intervention.
Chekin is not a replacement for the front desk. It is the infrastructure that frees the front desk from administrative tasks so the team can spend time with the guest in person.
How does the Rentlio and Chekin integration work?
Synchronization means that every new reservation in Rentlio automatically flows into Chekin and triggers the corresponding guest communication. The guest receives a personalized message with a link to a branded online check-in in your property's look and feel. During the check-in process the guest enters their data, uploads an identity document, signs the contract, and pays the tourist tax or additional services. Once completed, all guest data is stored in both Chekin and Rentlio databases, and the mandatory authority reporting is submitted automatically within the legal window.
The system works across every type of accommodation. A hotel with fifty rooms uses Chekin for an online check-in that relieves the front desk during arrival peaks. A property management company runs an identical process for every unit in the portfolio and tracks the status of every registration from one screen. A private host automates what used to take hours, from sending instructions to registering the guest.
Rules and settings are configured once in the Chekin account. That includes the look of the branded check-in, the fields the guest fills in, contract clauses, the tourist tax calculation formula, and upsell offers. After that initial configuration, the connection to Rentlio runs automatically for every new reservation.
The operational overhead of guest contact stops scaling with reservation volume. A property processing 20 registrations a day does not spend meaningfully more time than one processing five.
What does the integration deliver for different types of accommodation?
Hotels gain the most from reception relief and faster processing during arrival peaks. A guest who completes registration online does not stand in line at the front desk at 4 PM. Their identity document is already verified through biometric matching, the contract is signed, the tourist tax is paid. Reception greets the guest with a key or a code, without paperwork. For hotels handling group reservations or running with a limited number of receptionists, this is the difference between orderly arrivals and chaos.
Property management companies operate with portfolios distributed across multiple locations. Without the Chekin integration, check-in coordination means manual verification for every unit, sending instructions, confirming guest arrival, issuing smart lock codes. With the integration, all of that runs through the system. The team gets involved only when an exception arises, when a guest does not complete check-in within the expected window or when a question comes in. A standardized process means service quality does not depend on who is on shift.
Private vacation rental hosts who run one to a few units lose a disproportionate amount of time on administrative work. Sending the eVisitor form to every guest, manual registration, collecting tourist tax in cash, organizing physical key handover. With Chekin, all those steps happen automatically the moment the reservation is confirmed. The host gets a clean overview of registered guests, access to a digital guestbook, and confirmation that everything has been submitted to eVisitor within the legal window.
Same functionality, different value per segment. Hotels relieve their reception, PMCs standardize the process, private hosts get back hours every week.
Compliance, identity verification, and automated guest registration
Guest registration in eVisitor is not a task you choose when to handle. The legal window is 24 hours from arrival, and fines for non-compliance or incorrect submissions can be significant. Most hosts struggle with this twice a year: during peak season when there is no time, and when an inspection arrives and documentation is requested.
Through the Chekin integration, once a guest completes online check-in, the data is automatically submitted to eVisitor within the legal window. Documents are stored in a digital guestbook that meets all regulatory requirements. For hotels keeping records per room and reporting arrivals and departures, the data is always available and synchronized.
Guest identity documents are verified through biometric face matching against the document photo. That means a guest registering under someone else's name or uploading a fake document does not get through the process. For accommodations operating with remote access, this step is particularly important because reception does not physically see the guest at arrival.
In addition, Chekin automatically calculates the tourist tax based on accommodation type, guest count, age, and location, and the guest pays it during online check-in. Funds are recorded in the Chekin account and synchronized with Rentlio reservation data.
Compliance is not a side benefit of the integration. For the Croatian market, automated eVisitor reporting is the reason the integration exists.
Payments, upsells, and digital keys
Chekin covers the entire guest contact lifecycle, from the moment of booking to checkout. During online check-in the guest can pay the tourist tax, damage deposit, additional services such as early check-in, late checkout, transfers, equipment rentals, on-site experiences. All payments are centralized through Chekin, and the property generates additional revenue without manual outreach to the guest.
For hotels and accommodations using smart locks, Chekin sends the guest a digital key or access code once check-in is completed. Access is time-limited to the duration of the stay. Reception does not have to wait for the guest, and the guest does not have to wait for reception.
A digital guidebook for the property and location is sent to the guest along with the check-in confirmation. It contains all the information guests typically ask about through messages: how to use appliances, where the nearest grocery store is, emergency contacts, local recommendations. Fewer questions for the host or front desk, and the guest has everything in one place.
The value of the integration is not measured only in time saved. It is also measured in additional revenue per reservation, generated through upsell offers presented at the moment the guest is most engaged with their stay.
What Rentlio users gain from the Chekin integration
With the Chekin integration, Rentlio covers everything that happens between reservation and departure: online check-in, guest identity verification, eVisitor registration, payments, upsells, and check-out.
For Rentlio One users, private vacation rental hosts, that means the work that usually takes hours every week, guest registration and manual communication, becomes automated. For Rentlio Plus users, property management companies, that means a standardized check-in process across the entire portfolio and clearer visibility into the status of every unit. For Rentlio Pro users, hotels and apart-hotels, that means relief at the reception and a stronger first impression because formalities disappear from the arrival flow.
Rentlio combined with Chekin is a complete stack for an accommodation that wants to automate not just reservations, but the entire guest contact layer. That is the difference between a system that keeps records and a system that actively works for you.
How to activate the Chekin integration
Activation runs in two steps.
First, if you do not yet have a Chekin account, reach out to the Chekin team directly through this link so they can set up your account and provide access to an API key. Existing Chekin users skip this step and retrieve the API key from their account.
Second, open the Rentlio app, go to Settings → Integrations, find Chekin in the list of available integrations and enter the API key. After saving the settings, the connection activates and all future reservations flow into Chekin automatically.
The initial configuration of the branded check-in, the fields the guest fills in, contract clauses, and upsell offers is done in the Chekin interface. Rentlio handles reservation synchronization, Chekin handles the look and flow of the guest contact. All settings are one-time configurations, and after that the system runs for every new reservation without further intervention.
If you need help during setup or have questions about a specific configuration for your accommodation type, reach out to our customer support via chat inside the Rentlio app.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Is the Chekin integration available to all Rentlio users?
Yes. The integration is available to all Rentlio users, regardless of property type, hotels, property management agencies, and private vacation rental hosts.
How do I open a Chekin account?
Reach out to the Chekin team directly through this link so they can set up your account and assign an API key. Existing Chekin users retrieve the API key from their account.
Where is the integration activated in Rentlio?
In the Rentlio app, go to Settings → Integrations, find Chekin in the list of available integrations and enter the API key. After saving the settings, synchronization runs automatically.
Does Chekin submit guest data to eVisitor?
Yes. Once the guest completes online check-in, Chekin automatically submits the data to eVisitor within the legal window of 24 hours. Documents are stored in a digital guestbook for 2 years, which meets regulatory requirements.
How does Chekin help with tourist tax collection?
Chekin automatically calculates the tourist tax based on accommodation type, guest count, age, and location, and the guest pays it during online check-in. Funds are recorded in the Chekin account and synchronized with Rentlio data.
Can guests receive a digital key through Chekin?
Yes. For accommodations with smart locks, Chekin generates and sends the guest a digital key or code once check-in is completed. Access is time-limited to the duration of the stay.
What kind of guest identity verification does Chekin perform?
Chekin uses biometric face matching against the photo on the identity document. This verifies whether the person registering matches the document, which is particularly important for accommodations with remote access.
How is the check-in configured for my property?
The branded check-in look, the fields the guest fills in, contract clauses, and upsell offers are configured once in the Chekin account. Rentlio handles synchronization of reservations with that configuration.
Daniel Herman is a growth marketing enthusiast with 10 years of marketing experience who enjoys thinking strategically and seeing the bigger picture. He writes about everything related to developing marketing activities and KPIs, branding, and taking a long-term approach to success, always with the goal of sharing useful ideas and inspiring action.
