When entering an apartment becomes a procedure: a short break increasingly starts before arrival
Short-term accommodation rental increasingly resembles less a spontaneous arrangement with a host waiting at the door, and more a predefined digital procedure. Online check-in, photographing or entering personal documents, a deposit, temporary card authorization, a smart lock, a key safe and an exact arrival time have become a usual part of booking an apartment, holiday home or room. For some guests this means faster entry and more privacy, but for others a holiday can turn into a search for the correct code, an active link and a person who will answer when the digital system fails. The problem most often does not arise because check-in is digital, but because the guest realizes only at the door that there is no physical welcome, that late arrival is additionally charged or that without completed online verification they cannot enter the property.
The change is a consequence of the growth of short-term rental, pressure on cities, new safety rules and the need for hosts to manage a larger number of properties without constant presence on location. Booking platforms offer self check-in as a practical solution, and hosts are increasingly introducing digital keys and automated messages because guest arrivals are spread from early afternoon until deep into the night. At the same time, public authorities want more reliable data on who is renting, where the accommodation is located, how many overnight stays are realized and whether guests are registered according to the rules. That is why three worlds increasingly meet around ordinary entry into an apartment: traveler comfort, the host's business interest and the regulatory requirements of the state or city.
Why the host is increasingly not at the door
Self check-in is no longer an exception reserved for hotels with a reception or technologically advanced properties. Airbnb states in its instructions that after the agreed check-in time a guest can enter the accommodation without the host being present, for example through a key safe, smart lock, keypad with a code or building staff available all day. Such a model gives the guest flexibility, and reduces the host's need for physical trips to every key handover. In theory the procedure is simple: the guest receives instructions, arrives after the agreed time, enters the code and goes into the property. In practice difficulties arise when the message has not arrived, when the code has been changed, when the lock battery has run out, when the internet does not work or when the guest has arrived earlier than the time at which the system allows entry.
For hosts, automation is a way to avoid waiting, delayed arrivals and repetitive explanations. For guests, it is useful only if the rules are visible before booking and if it is clear who resolves the problem in case of an error. The most sensitive reservations are those of one or two nights, because with them almost all contact with the host is reduced to a few messages and the check-in itself. When the stay is short, every hour lost in front of locked doors carries greater weight than with a longer holiday. That is why self check-in can no longer be viewed only as a technical detail, but as a key part of the service that directly affects the guest experience.
Online check-in is not the same as entering the accommodation
One of the most common confusions arises because the term check-in is used for different procedures. Online check-in can mean entering data required by the host for legal records, identity confirmation, acceptance of house rules, payment of tourist taxes, deposit authorization or downloading a digital key. Entering the accommodation is a separate step: physically unlocking the door and taking over the space. A guest can properly have a confirmed reservation, and still not receive the entry code until they complete an additional form, upload a document or pay the required deposit. This is exactly where the impression is most often created that the accommodation has been paid for, but is not actually available.
In countries and cities that require official guest registration, the renter does not collect data only for their own records. For example, in Croatia tourist check-in and check-out are performed through the eVisitor system, and accommodation providers are obliged to register tourists within 24 hours of arrival. Data are entered on the basis of an identity card, travel document or other identification document, and for foreigners there is also automatic electronic data exchange with the Ministry of the Interior. This does not mean that every property must have the same method of digital check-in, but it explains why the host may ask the guest for data from a document and why refusing to send or show the document can stop the procedure.
New European rules increase pressure for transparency
Short-term rental in Europe is entering a period of stricter data control. European Union Regulation 2024/1028, adopted on 11 April 2024, concerns the collection and sharing of data relating to short-term accommodation rental services. Its aim is to reduce the lack of reliable information about the identity of hosts, the location of accommodation units and the duration of rental, because precisely this lack makes it harder for local authorities to assess the effect of short-term rental on housing, tourism and public services. The rules do not amount to a ban on apartments nor do they introduce a single European limit on overnight stays, but create a framework in which Member States and platforms must exchange data better where registration systems exist.
For guests, this change will not always appear as a new law, but as an additional step in the booking process. Accommodation may have to have a registration number, the platform may have to check whether the data are complete, and local authorities can more easily compare advertising with records. From 20 May 2026, full application is expected of the system that requires interoperable registration and data mechanisms for short-term rental in the European Union. In everyday practice this will probably further strengthen the trend in which entry into an apartment is not resolved only by the message “the key is under the doormat”, but by a series of checks that must be completed before arrival.
Deposit, pre-authorization and additional charges must be visible before the trip
Another source of misunderstandings is money and cards. Booking.com in customer support distinguishes pre-authorization, deposit and advance payment: pre-authorization is a temporary hold of an amount to verify the card, while some properties may request a deposit or advance payment if this is stated during booking and in the confirmation. In practice, the guest often does not distinguish a blocked amount from an actual charge, especially if the amount is displayed as unavailable in the banking app. Additional discomfort is created by a situation in which the property sends, a few hours before arrival, a request to pay a deposit through an external link or asks for a new card confirmation with a warning that the reservation may be canceled.
Such requests should be read carefully, but not automatically rejected. A deposit can be a legitimate part of accommodation rules, especially in apartments without a reception, but it must be clearly announced in the booking conditions. The safest thing is to check whether the request matches the rules visible on the property page and in the booking confirmation. If a payment is requested that was not previously stated, if the message uses an urgent tone, if it leads to an unknown page or if the host asks for card details outside the official system, the risk is significantly higher. The Guardian wrote in 2025 about scams in which Booking.com users are sent messages about an alleged payment problem, often through channels that look credible, and are then asked to enter card details or make an additional payment.
Late arrival can be more expensive than the night itself
With short breaks, the most dangerous assumption is that one can enter an apartment at any time just because there is a digital lock. Many properties have a formal check-in time, for example from 15:00 or 16:00, but also a final deadline after which entry is additionally charged or is not guaranteed without prior agreement. The reason may be the need for cleaning, a security check, building rules or the fact that someone still has to come to hand over the key. In properties with a reception, delays are usually resolved more easily, while in apartments without permanent staff every change of arrival is more logistically sensitive.
That is why the exact arrival time has become almost as important as the address itself. A guest arriving late in the evening should check before the trip not only whether there is “self check-in”, but also whether it applies to the actual arrival time. If the plane, train or bus is delayed, the host should be informed through the official communication channel, and not rely on the assumption that the code is already active. With some smart locks, access can be time-limited, so the code starts to be valid only after a certain hour or stops being valid after check-out. In the case of multiple entrance doors, courtyards, staircases and apartment units, one wrong digit or an unclear photograph of the entrance is enough for arrival to turn into hours of waiting.
When cities restrict short-term rental, host behavior also changes
The growth of short-term rental has triggered reactions from numerous cities that simultaneously want to retain tourist spending and protect housing, safety and everyday life in neighborhoods. Measures differ: in some places a registration number is required, in some places the number of rental days is limited, in some places inspection oversight is strengthened, and in some places there is discussion about physical signs or key safes on building façades. For the guest, the most important thing is to understand that a local rule can affect the method of entry, even when the reservation is confirmed through a large international platform. If a city or state requires identity verification, the platform cannot simply cancel that obligation with its message about flexible arrival.
Italy has shown how quickly rules can change and how self check-in can become a security and political issue. After decisions and interpretations related to the identification of guests in short-term rental, the discussion revolved around whether identity can be checked remotely or whether physical contact is required. Individual decisions and later interpretations changed practice, and media and professional platforms recorded tension between security requirements, the interests of the hotel sector, hosts and guests. Such examples show that a key safe or digital code is not only a matter of comfort, but also part of a broader discussion about who supervises tourist traffic in cities.
How to avoid locked doors and wrong codes
The best protection starts before booking. It is necessary to read the house rules, check-in and check-out times, deposit rules, late-arrival conditions and the method of collecting the key. If the listing states self check-in, that is not enough; it is important to check by which means entry is made, when instructions are sent and whether there is an emergency contact. With apartments in old city centers, attention should be paid to several levels of access: entrance to the building, courtyard, staircase, elevator and the door of the unit itself. One message with a code for the apartment does not necessarily mean that the entrance to the building has also been resolved.
Before departure it is useful to save the instructions outside the app itself, for example as a screenshot, because mobile signal and roaming do not always work reliably in a staircase or narrow street. It should be checked whether online check-in has been completed, whether the deposit has been accepted, whether the card is valid and whether all guests have been entered if the property requires it. In communication with the host, priority should be given to the platform's official channel, because there remains a record of agreements about late arrival, additional costs and possible difficulties. If the host asks to move to private messages or external payment, the request should be compared with the reservation rules and, if necessary, the platform's customer support should be contacted.
What to do if entry fails
If the code does not work or the host is not available, first check the activation time, exact address, apartment number and any difference between the code for the building and the code for the accommodation unit. Then try to contact the host through the official application and the phone number stated in the reservation. Every communication attempt, photograph of the lock, error screen or building entrance is useful to save, because it may be important evidence in a later request for a refund or alternative accommodation. If the platform has customer support for emergency situations, it should be contacted while the problem is current, and not only after returning from the trip.
It is important to distinguish a technical error from a breach of booking conditions. If the guest arrived outside the agreed time without notice, the host may claim that they did not breach the conditions. If, however, the property advertised self check-in, instructions were not sent, the code is wrong or no one answers the emergency contact, responsibility may shift to the host or the platform, depending on the reservation rules. In any case, the worst option is to pay an additional amount through an unverified link only because the message threatens cancellation. With accommodation without a reception, panic is the most common ally of fraud.
The digital key brings comfort, but does not remove responsibility
Short-term rental is entering a phase in which more and more things will be resolved before arrival: identity, registration, deposit, building rules, house rules and access codes. This can speed up travel and remove unnecessary waiting, but only if the information is clear, timely and verifiable. A host who wants to use digital entry must give the guest precise instructions, a real contact and transparent costs. The guest, on the other hand, must take into account that a booking confirmation is not always the last step before entering the accommodation. In the new rhythm of a short break, doors are increasingly unlocked by mobile phone, but safety still begins with careful reading of the conditions before setting off on the trip.
Sources:- EUR-Lex – Regulation (EU) 2024/1028 on the collection and sharing of data relating to short-term accommodation rental services (link)- Airbnb Help Center – explanation of self check-in and ways of entering accommodation (link)- Booking.com Customer Service – explanation of pre-authorization, deposit and advance payment (link)- Gov.hr – official information on tourist check-in and check-out through the eVisitor system (link)- Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Croatia – instructions for accommodation providers for registering foreigners on short-term stay (link)- The Guardian – warning about scams connected with messages about accommodation reservations and payments (link)
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