Beyond the Kiosk: How LyLo Is Using Technology to Transform the Guest Experience

At LyLo Christchurch Airport, part of the EVT group, self-service check-in is helping create a smoother arrival experience for guests while giving staff more time to do what they do best; provide great hospitality.

The property has recently introduced two new SmartStay kiosks, bringing digital check-in, ID document scanning, personalised upselling and greater flexibility around check-in hours into a simple self-service process. The project was about creating a seamless guest experience and reducing routine administration for staff, while maintaining the security and control required in a shared accommodation environment.

“For us, it’s about removing friction for guests and addressing some of the challenges associated with traditional hotel and hostel check-in,” says Tim Alpe, Managing Director of LyLo. “We’ve always embraced how technology can support that, and this was our next step.”

For LyLo, the motivation behind self-service technology is about providing the best customer experience possible, and part of that is making better use of its people.

“It’s not about saving money for us,” says Alpe. “It’s more about removing some of the routine admin so that staff can dedicate more of their time to hospitality, time to engage with our guests throughout their stay.”

Essential Security

In a shared accommodation environment, self-service check-in needs to solve a more complex problem than just connecting a guest with their room key.

LyLo has three core priorities across its business: privacy, security and community. Security was therefore a major consideration when assessing the technology for Christchurch.

“The ID scanning is critical,” Alpe explains. “We need to know who is staying with us. People are staying in shared accommodation with others in their room, so we need to give confidence to our guests.”

For the LyLo Christchurch project, SmartStay’s ID verification was integrated into the check-in journey. A guest’s identification is checked against their booking, helping confirm their identity and gender, and determine the appropriate access permissions before a key is issued.

With some dorms being gender-specific, this is particularly important. Rather than requiring a staff member to manually verify each booking and approve access, the relevant checks and access rules can easily form part of the self-service process.

Technology designed around the property

The project also required SmartStay to work with LyLo’s existing physical infrastructure, rather than expecting the property to change around the technology.

One example was the return of keys. The existing front desk setup did not have space for returned keys to drop, so rather than cutting into the frame, SmartStay adapted the kiosk process to accommodate the existing key-return arrangements.

During checkout, the guest returns their key to the kiosk, where it is deactivated before being returned to the guest to place in a key-return bin.

It is a small detail, but it illustrates a broader principle behind many SmartStay projects: technology that has the flexibility to work around the client and their existing workflows, not a one-size-fits-all solution.

Positive Results & Next Steps 

Since implementing the kiosks, LyLo Christchurch is already seeing strong results, giving the team the confidence to take the project wider.

“We’ve seen an increase in upsells and the usage is high,” says Alpe. “We’re now also trialling the ability for guests to pick their pod through the digital check-in process. For example, do they want a high or low pod?”

The response has been equally positive from staff and guests.

“It’s been really well-received on both sides of the desk,” Alpe says. “The success in Christchurch has given us the confidence to sign off on rolling SmartStay out to other locations.”

For Justin De Lille, CEO of Liverton, the project demonstrates how self-service technology can extend beyond operational efficiency to become a genuine part of the guest experience. “We really enjoyed working with Tim and the LyLo team. This project is a good example of how self-service is more than a check-in process; it’s a genuine customer-experience tool. We’re really pleased to see how this turned out, and to now bring the same technology to their other sites.”

That focus on the guest experience is central to the LyLo brand, says Alpe.

“From a LyLo brand perspective, tech is a huge focus for our customer experience. How can we enable staff to be more customer-centric? This technology enables us to do that.”

For more information on how SmartStay can help your property, contact sales@liverton.com.