Check-In Policy

Quick Setup

Set age limits, check-in time, and room rules. Most properties finish in about 5 minutes.

This guide helps you set who can self check-in, when they can start, and which rooms are eligible. These rules apply to both self-service and assisted check-in flows.

Where to Find It

Settings → Check-In → Check-In Policy

Quick Reference

Setting	What It Controls	Guest Impact
Minimum Age	Youngest guest allowed to self check-in	Underage guests are directed to the front desk
Child Maximum Age	Age at or below which scanned guests count as children	Sends the correct adult and child mix to your PMS
Facial Verification Exemption Maximum Age	Age at or below which eligible guests can skip facial verification	Removes the selfie step when the exemption toggle is on
Allow DOB Editing	Whether guests can correct OCR birth dates	Prevents accidental age blocks from OCR errors
Allow Travel Document Upload	Allows a photo upload instead of a live camera scan	Guests can upload a passport or ID photo
Image Retention Policy	Automatically deletes travel document and selfie images after set days	Older images may be removed after you apply changes
Document Storage	Chooses where captured documents and signatures are stored	Controls storage destination for check-in records
PMS Upload Policy	Controls whether supported check-in documents are sent to your PMS	Documents can stay in Streamliner without syncing to PMS
Registration Card Upload Timing	Chooses when supported registration cards upload to your PMS	Uploads can wait until guest sync or check-in completes
Mandatory Guest Registration	Requires every PMS guest to finish registration	Additional guests cannot skip guest details
Who may register first?	Sets representative eligibility for each check-in mode	The main guest, predefined guests, or any additional guest can register first
Allowed Check-In Time	Earliest time check-in starts	Early guests wait; verified ACI staff can choose whether to continue
Validate Check-In Time Only	Whether AVA checks only the time, or both the arrival date and time	Controls how strict early-arrival validation is
Long Stay Restrictions	Blocks stays at or above a shared night threshold by journey	Enabled journeys require staff review
Kiosk Welcome Buttons	Shows or hides Check-In and Check-Out on the kiosk welcome screen	Guests see only the buttons you enable on the kiosk home screen
Group Checkout	Lets the guest checkout flow handle linked reservations together	Guests can complete checkout for linked reservations in one flow when your PMS supports it
Show smart-lock PIN during guest checkout	Shows the stay's existing PIN for physical key return	Guests can reopen a smart container and return a physical key
Guest Step Auto-Advance	Opens the next required guest step after save	Keeps the check-in flow moving, or lets guests advance manually
Check-in blocking by mode	Applies selected payment, balance, reservation, routing, and code rules per journey	Sends blocked journeys to staff support
Room Automation	Separate controls for roomless reservations, pre-assigned room moves, and queueing	Controls room readiness checks and queue safety
Expected room-assignment behaviour	The before and after check-in matrix for roomless and pre-assigned reservations	Helps staff explain waiting and Room Ready emails
OPERA Specials Codes	Searchable codes for journey steps	Tracks registration, pre-auth, check-in, and check-out progress
Show reservation details for assisted check-in	Shows the staff-only Arrival brief in two-device ACI	Helps staff prepare for the guest conversation

Show Reservation Details for Assisted Check-In

Use Show reservation details for assisted check-in to show the staff-only Arrival brief. The brief includes read-only reservation facts and advisory suggestions.

The setting is off by default. Only an explicitly saved on value enables it for your hotel.

1. Go to Settings → Check-In → Check-In Policy

2. Find Kiosk & payments. The setting is at the end of this card, after Long Stay Restrictions.

3. Turn on Show reservation details for assisted check-in.

4. Click Save.

   ✓ The Arrival brief can appear immediately after a booking is retrieved successfully. ✓ The setting remains enabled after you reload the page.

The brief appears immediately after AVA retrieves a booking successfully. Passport upload is not required. It appears only on the staff screen in ACI Two Device mode. It does not appear in one-device ACI, self check-in, pre-arrival, or guest tablet screens.

Review optional reservation details

AVA shows core reservation facts first. These include alerts, notes, membership, rate code, balance, and stay total. Reservation preferences and packages are collapsed until you open them.

Open an optional section when you need more context:

Section	Details loaded when opened
Profile	VIP level, preferences, memberships, and completed stays
Rate	Stay total, pre-stay deposit, and outstanding stay cost
Folio	Room charges, payments, guest-window balance, and posted lines

Each section loads independently. Opening one section does not load the others. The brief shows Loading while AVA retrieves a section. Missing values appear as Not provided.

Select Refresh to reread an opened section. If a section cannot load, select Refresh and try again. AVA keeps details tied to the active reservation and guest.

Read-only information

Optional details help you prepare for the guest conversation. They do not change PMS data or affect check-in, checkout, or payment decisions.

Keep the guest tablet preview visible

In two-device ACI, the guest tablet preview keeps its minimum size. The staff panel scrolls when the browser window is short. You can scroll the staff panel to reach the complete preview and its controls.

Staff-only and advisory

The brief does not change PMS data or block guest steps. Verify important details in your PMS before acting on suggestions.

An optional section is unavailable

What you see: An opened Profile, Rate, or Folio section shows that details are unavailable.

Fix:

1. Confirm the reservation and guest are still the active ACI journey.
2. Select Refresh in the affected section.
3. Keep the section open until loading finishes.
4. Verify the details in Opera if the section remains unavailable.

The guest tablet preview looks too small

What you see: The staff panel appears crowded, or the preview is below the visible area.

Fix:

1. Scroll the staff panel.
2. Maximize the browser window when possible.
3. Keep the paired guest tablet connected.
4. Confirm the preview updates after the guest tablet reports its current screen.

To stop showing the brief, turn off the setting and click Save.

Set Check-In Blocking by Mode

Use separate blocking rules for Pre-arrival, Self Check-In, and Assisted Check-In. Check-out rules remain separate from these settings. Each mode appears in its own expandable row. The row shows how many checks are enabled, such as 2/5. Open a row to review or edit that mode's rules.

Rule	What It Blocks	Availability
Block Check-in When Guest Needs To Pay At Hotel	A journey with hotel payment due and an outstanding balance	Cloudbeds only, when payment-source support is available
Block Check-in for Outstanding Balance	A journey with a folio balance above zero	Available independently
Block Kiosk Check-In for Travel Agent Bookings	A journey booked through a travel agent	Only when your PMS reports kiosk-code support
Block Kiosk Check-In for Existing Routing Instructions	A journey with routing instructions	Only when your PMS reports kiosk-code support
Apply Check-In code rules for this mode	Reservations matching one of the selected check-in codes	Only when your PMS reports kiosk-code support

PMS availability

Kiosk-code controls require the active PMS to report support for this capability. Opera supports this capability, including normalized OHIP aliases. Cloudbeds, Mews, eZee, AVA, and Furama currently hide these controls.

Hotel-payment blocking availability

The Block Check-in When Guest Needs To Pay At Hotel rule also requires a payment-source capability. Cloudbeds v3 currently reports this capability. Opera, Mews, eZee, Furama, and AVA hide the rule when they cannot verify who should collect payment. Use Block Check-in for Outstanding Balance when you want balance-only blocking.

The setting can disappear after you connect an unsupported PMS. Hiding the setting does not remove a value previously saved for your hotel. The rule cannot match reservations when that PMS cannot report the payment source.

Hotel-payment blocking control is missing

What you see: You cannot find Block Check-in When Guest Needs To Pay At Hotel.

Why this happens: Your active PMS cannot report which reservations require hotel payment.

Fix:

1. Open Settings → Essentials → PMS Integration.

2. Confirm the active PMS matches your intended provider.

3. If you use Cloudbeds, reconnect the PMS if its capability is missing.

4. Use Block Check-in for Outstanding Balance for other supported PMS workflows.

   ✓ AVA hides the hotel-payment rule when payment-source information is unavailable. ✓ A previously saved value remains stored but does not block check-in for unsupported PMSs.

Existing settings

Existing flat payment, balance, and code blocking settings keep their Self Check-In behavior. Pre-arrival and Assisted Check-In blocking starts off until you enable it. Long Stay Restrictions use separate migration and compatibility rules described below.

1. Go to Settings → Check-In → Check-In Policy.
2. Find Check-in blocking by mode.
3. Open the Pre-arrival, Self Check-In, or Assisted Check-In row.
4. Confirm the scope note names the journey you want to edit.
5. Turn on the rules that should block that journey.
6. To use codes, turn on Apply Check-In code rules for this mode.
7. Add codes in Block Kiosk Usage for Check-In Codes.
8. Use Copy from Self Check-In when another mode should use the same codes.
9. Open another mode row if you need different rules there.
10. Click Save Check-In Policy.

✓ Each journey applies only the rules saved for its selected mode.

Copying does not enable blocking

After copying codes, turn on Apply Check-In code rules for this mode separately. Copying only fills the mode's list.

Generic blocking remains available

When kiosk-code controls are unavailable, you can still edit Block Check-in for Outstanding Balance. The hotel-payment rule appears only when your PMS reports payment-source support.

Check-out is unchanged

These controls affect check-in journeys only. Your existing checkout blocking settings continue to work separately.

A mode still allows a blocked reservation

What you see: A reservation with a matching code continues in one check-in journey.

Fix:

1. Return to Settings → Check-In → Check-In Policy.
2. Open the affected journey row under Check-in blocking by mode.
3. Confirm Apply Check-In code rules for this mode is enabled.
4. Confirm the matching code appears in Block Kiosk Usage for Check-In Codes.
5. Click Save Check-In Policy.
6. Retry the reservation lookup in the affected journey.

Each mode row has its own code-list setting. Copy from Self Check-In copies the current Self Check-In codes into another mode. It does not link future changes between modes.

Existing Self Check-In settings

Before you save the new mode policy, existing flat check-in blocking settings continue applying to Self Check-In. Pre-arrival and Assisted Check-In do not inherit those settings automatically.

Kiosk-code controls are missing

What you see: You cannot find the mode selector, code-rule checkbox, or code list.

Why this happens: Your active PMS does not report the kiosk-code capability.

Fix:

1. Open Settings → Essentials → PMS Integration.

2. Confirm the intended PMS is active and connected.

3. Return to Settings → Check-In → Check-In Policy.

4. If your PMS is Opera or OHIP, refresh the page after reconnecting.

5. Use payment or balance rules when your PMS does not support kiosk codes.

   ✓ AVA keeps stored code values safe when capability data is missing temporarily.

Capability controls

Do not switch PMS providers only to restore kiosk-code controls. Choose rules supported by your active PMS and operating workflow.

Set Guest Eligibility

Minimum Age for Check-In

1. Go to Settings → Check-In → Check-In Policy
2. Enter a value in Minimum Age for Check-In (commonly 18 or 21)
3. Click Save

How it works:

• The age check applies to the primary guest on the reservation
• If the primary guest is under the minimum age, self check-in is blocked
• Age is calculated from the Date of Birth captured during registration

Set the Child Maximum Age

Use Child Maximum Age to classify guests scanned during check-in. Guests at or below this age count as children. Older guests count as adults.

The setting accepts whole numbers from 0 to 17. It defaults to 12, matching the existing Age 0-12 guest form label.

Match your PMS rate plan

PMS vendors do not provide their child age band through the integration. Set this value to match the child age band used by your property's rate plans. If the values disagree, your PMS may reject the adult and child mix.

1. Go to Settings → Check-In → Check-In Policy

2. Find Child Maximum Age under Guest identity & documents

3. Enter the maximum child age used by your PMS rate plans

4. Click Save

   ✓ AVA uses the saved boundary when it classifies scanned guests during check-in.

For example, 12 classifies guests aged 0–12 as children. It classifies guests aged 13 and older as adults.

Set the Facial Verification Exemption Maximum Age

Use Facial Verification Exemption Maximum Age to control facial verification separately. It does not change Child Maximum Age or PMS occupancy classification.

Guests at or below this age can skip facial verification when Skip Child Facial Verification is on. AVA requires a complete, valid birth date from the scanned travel document.

The setting accepts whole numbers from 0 upward. New hotels use 15 by default. Existing hotels keep their effective previous exemption cutoff when this setting first loads.

For example, with Child Maximum Age set to 12 and the exemption age set to 6, a 10-year-old remains a child for occupancy but must complete facial verification.

1. Go to Settings → Check-In → Check-In Policy

2. Find Facial Verification Exemption Maximum Age under Guest identity & documents.

3. Enter your hotel's maximum exempt age.

4. Turn on Skip Child Facial Verification in the same section.

5. Click Save.

   ✓ AVA keeps occupancy classification and facial exemption decisions independent.

Allow Guests to Edit Date of Birth

Use Allow editing guest date of birth to control whether guests can fix OCR errors:

• Enabled: Guests can correct the scanned date of birth
• Disabled: Date of birth stays locked to the scanned document

Consider disabling when:

• Local regulations require an exact document match
• You need strict age verification (for example, age-restricted amenities)

OCR Accuracy

Allowing edits reduces false age blocks when document scanning misreads dates.

Allow Travel Document Upload

Use Allow travel document upload to let guests upload a document photo:

• Enabled: Guests can upload a passport or ID photo
• Disabled: Guests must scan with a live camera

1. Go to Settings → Check-In → Check-In Policy
2. Turn Allow travel document upload on or off
3. Click Save

Set Image Retention Policy

Use Image retention policy to delete stored images after a set number of days.

If a toggle is off, Streamliner does not delete that image type based on retention.

Data deletion

Saving a shorter retention period deletes existing travel document or selfie images older than the selected days immediately.

1. Go to Settings → Check-In → Check-In Policy

2. In Image retention policy, turn on Travel document or Selfie

3. Enter retention days (1-365). Default is 180.

4. Click Save

5. If a confirmation window appears, type DELETE IMAGES

6. Click Save and apply now

   ✓ Your retention policy is saved and active.

Save behavior

If you change image retention and click Save right away, AVA uses your latest values. The confirmation window also appears when the change needs destructive approval.

Set Document Storage

Use Document storage to choose where check-in documents and signatures are stored.

1. Go to Settings → Check-In → Check-In Policy

2. In Document storage, use Use your own server (on-premises)

3. Choose one mode:

   • Turn it OFF to use S3 cloud storage
   • Turn it ON to use your on-site image storage service

4. If on-premises is ON, enter your Image storage URL

5. If a secret is shown, click Copy next to Image storage secret

6. Click Save

   ✓ Your document storage setting is saved.

Image storage secret

The Image storage secret field is read-only. You can copy it when a value exists.

When on-premises storage is enabled, AVA connects directly to your configured image storage service. This applies to travel documents, selfies, registration cards, retrievals, and deletions. Make sure the service is reachable from the AVA backend before guest check-in.

Set PMS Upload Policy

Use PMS upload policy to control which check-in documents Streamliner sends to your PMS.

This does not change local storage or retention rules in Streamliner.

Check PMS attachment support

AVA checks your active PMS capabilities before it offers document-upload controls. Travel-document and registration-card support are checked separately.

Document	What AVA checks	If unsupported
Travel document	Travel-document attachment support	AVA keeps the document locally and skips PMS delivery
Registration card	Registration-card attachment support	AVA keeps the card locally and skips PMS delivery

Profile-photo support does not count as travel-document support. An unavailable control means AVA verified that your PMS cannot receive that document type. This does not affect document storage, retention, or downloads in AVA.

Support can differ by document type

Your PMS can support travel documents but not registration cards, or the reverse. Check each control separately before you test a guest check-in.

Furama registration cards

Furama iPMS supports both travel-document and registration-card attachments. When Upload registration card to PMS is enabled, AVA sends the signed card using your selected timing. Review delivery in Operations → Command Center.

v4 upload timing

In v4, AVA saves travel documents and guest photos locally first. It then delivers them to your PMS asynchronously when the guest becomes Verified. This is the default behavior for existing setups. Legacy missing or guestSync timing values also use guestVerified. Explicit checkIn timing still works for older records. For sharer reservations, AVA sends each verified guest's travel document to that guest's own PMS reservation. This keeps the document attached to the correct sharer. If Upload travel document to PMS is off, AVA skips the upload. Only large document photos are compressed before PMS upload. Smaller files stay unchanged. The document can appear in AVA before PMS delivery finishes. Check the attachment status in Operations → Command Center.

Sharer registration cards

For Opera sharer reservations, signed registration cards follow Upload sharer documents to. Choose the main reservation to keep all sharer attachments together. Choose the sharer reservation to keep each card with its guest's reservation. This setting applies when Upload registration card to PMS is on.

1. Go to Settings → Check-In → Check-In Policy

2. In PMS upload policy, turn on or off:

   • Upload travel document to PMS
   • Upload registration card to PMS

3. Click Save

   ✓ Your document sync policy is saved. ✓ AVA shows PMS delivery progress separately from local document storage.

AVA PMS

If your active PMS is AVA, these toggles are disabled. This policy does not apply to AVA PMS.

Set Registration Card Upload Timing

Use Registration card upload timing to choose when AVA sends the card to your PMS.

By default, AVA uses When check-in completes. That keeps existing properties on the current flow. AVA generates and stores the registration card before PMS delivery starts. The card can appear in AVA while the PMS upload remains pending.

1. Go to Settings → Check-In → Check-In Policy

2. In PMS upload policy, turn on Upload registration card to PMS

3. In Registration card upload timing, choose one:

   • When guest syncs - AVA uploads after PMS guest sync succeeds
   • When check-in completes - AVA uploads after check-in finishes

4. Click Save

   ✓ Your registration card timing is saved.

When this appears

You only see this setting when Upload registration card to PMS is on. It stays hidden for AVA PMS. If the saved value is missing or invalid, AVA falls back to When check-in completes. After the card is saved, check its attachment status in Operations → Command Center.

Opera multi-room guest sync

If your property uses Opera in an accompany-profile multi-room flow, AVA uploads the main guest's registration card for room 2. This happens when Registration card upload timing is When guest syncs and room 2 guest verification becomes Verified. It still uses the main guest's signature when only the main guest signs.

Require Guest Registration for PMS Guests

Quick Setup

Turn this on when every guest attached to a PMS reservation must complete registration. This takes about 1 minute.

Use Mandatory Guest Registration to require registration for every guest linked to the reservation.

1. Go to Settings → Check-In → Check-In Policy

2. In Registration, turn on Mandatory Guest Registration

3. Click Save

   ✓ Every PMS guest must complete registration before check-in finishes.

This is the parent setting

Turn off Mandatory Guest Registration to choose who may register first. When this setting is on, the mode panels remain visible but their controls are read-only. When the parent setting is on, every guest must register first through the main-guest policy.

Scope

This setting appears for all PMS providers. Opera-only registration controls still stay in the Registration section.

Let Additional Guests Register First

Quick Setup

Enable this when an additional guest may arrive first. Setup takes about 2 minutes.

Use Guest registration to choose who can register first in each check-in mode. You can configure Pre-arrival, Self check-in, and Assisted check-in separately. Each mode appears as an expandable accordion row.

These choices control the first eligible representative when Mandatory Guest Registration is off. They do not decide whether other guests must register.

When Mandatory Guest Registration is on, the mode panels remain expandable for review. Their controls appear greyed out and cannot be changed. Each mode shows Main guest first, because that is the enforced policy. AVA keeps each mode's saved choice and restores it when you turn mandatory registration off.

The row header shows the mode and its current order:

• Main guest first when additional-first registration is off
• Predefined guests first when only PMS-listed guests qualify
• Any additional guest first when PMS-listed and newly added guests qualify

Open a row to edit settings for that mode. The open panel states that its settings apply only to that mode.

Why the setting shows Main guest first

The greyed-out value shows the policy AVA enforces during mandatory registration. It may differ from the saved mode choice, which stays unchanged until you edit it.

Choice	What happens
Main guest must register first	Additional guests wait until the main guest completes registration.
Predefined additional guests may register first	Only PMS-listed additional guests may register first. Guests added during check-in must wait.
Any additional guest may register first	PMS-listed and newly added guests may register first.

1. Go to Settings → Check-In → Check-In Policy.

2. Find Guest registration.

3. Open the Pre-arrival, Self check-in, or Assisted check-in row.

4. If Mandatory Guest Registration is off, choose an option under Who may register first?.

5. Close the row, or open another mode to configure it separately.

6. Click Save Check-In Policy.

   ✓ The selected mode uses the eligibility choice you saved.

If mandatory registration is on, review the greyed-out Main guest first value instead. Turn mandatory registration off before changing the saved mode choice.

When an additional-first choice is active, the first eligible additional guest who signs is recorded as the representative. With Predefined additional guests, only PMS-listed guests qualify. With Any additional guest, newly added guests qualify too. There is no separate representative selector for staff. The representative must complete registration and verification before check-in continues. The PMS main guest remains the main guest.

In Assisted Check-In, staff see a notice when the main guest is still pending. The main guest can finish registration later through the companion flow.

Document order changes for additional-first choices

Either additional-first choice automatically turns off Require the main guest's document before adding other guests for that mode. Turning additional-first off does not automatically restore document-first. Review both settings when changing the registration order.

Keep predefined guest completion separate

Use Require predefined additional guests before check-in to control when check-in can finish. This setting is separate from representative eligibility.

• It requires PMS-listed additional guests in the main guest's room to complete registration.
• It can continue blocking completion after the main guest checks in.
• It does not change who may register first.

Configure it in Settings → Check-In → Check-In Policy when the control is available for your property.

Safe defaults

This setting is off for existing properties and new properties unless you enable it. If the setting is missing or off, AVA keeps the normal main-guest requirements. No representative is assigned, and the pending-main notice does not appear.

Additional guest cannot register first

What you see: The additional guest is blocked until the main guest registers.

Fix:

1. Confirm you selected the correct check-in mode under Guest registration.

2. Open that mode's accordion row.

3. Choose Any additional guest may register first.

4. Click Save Check-In Policy.

5. Start a fresh reservation lookup.

   ✓ The selected mode should allow eligible additional guests to register first.

If another eligible additional guest already signed, AVA keeps that representative. Refresh the journey before trying to change the selection.

Use OPERA Special Code Suggestions

When your active PMS is an OPERA-family PMS such as Opera or OHIP, AVA loads matching special code suggestions. Other PMS providers ignore these fields, so they do not affect non-Opera reservations.

You can still type a code manually if you do not want to use a suggestion.

Check-in mode	Codes used for registration, pre-authorisation, and check-in
Pre-arrival	The codes saved for Pre-arrival
Self Check-In	The codes saved for Self Check-In
Assisted Check-In	The codes saved for Assisted Check-In

Mode-specific code priority

AVA uses the code set for the selected check-in mode. If you explicitly leave a mode's code blank, AVA does not replace it with the global OPERA Check-In code. When you upgrade from older settings, AVA copies the legacy codes into all three mode rows. Open each row separately when the modes need different codes. Checkout remains separate and uses the global Specials code for check-out. The Self Check-In row opens first. Each row shows a count of its configured codes, such as 1/3.

Registration payment fallback

During Opera registration, AVA can post the active Cash payment method first when the reservation has none. It uses Opera's payment type list and leaves existing payment methods unchanged.

1. Go to Settings → Check-In → Check-In Policy
2. Find the OPERA Specials Codes section
3. Open the Pre-arrival, Self Check-In, or Assisted Check-In row.
4. Confirm the scope note names the journey you want to edit.
5. Fill in that mode's fields:
   • Specials code for registration
   • Specials code for pre-authorisation
   • Specials code for check-in
6. Enter the global Specials code for check-out separately.
7. Start typing in each field to search the list of valid codes.
8. Select a suggestion or enter your own code.
9. Open another mode row if you need different codes there.
10. Click Save Check-In Policy.

✓ Changes are stored only after you click Save Check-In Policy. ✓ Each check-in journey uses only its selected mode's saved codes.

If saving fails, your entered mode values remain on the page. Correct the error, then click Save Check-In Policy again.

Availability

Suggestions appear only when your active PMS is Opera or OHIP and the PMS settings are complete.

Exact code match required

Entered values must match Opera Specials exactly. Wrong values can break status mapping.

Set Check-In Time

1. In Allowed Check-In Time, choose your official check-in time
2. Click Save

Format rules:

• Use 24-hour format (example: 14:00)
• Leave empty to allow check-in at any time

Guest experience:

• Before check-in time → the early arrival message appears
• After check-in time → guests can continue if other rules allow it

Verified Assisted Check-In staff see an information prompt before the allowed time. Select Continue to proceed, or Cancel to return to the room actions. This choice is available only on the verified ACI staff device. Self Check-In and Pre-arrival keep the normal early-arrival block.

For day-use stays, the same prompt appears before the configured day-use start time. The prompt does not bypass a day-use end-time block or a disabled Day Use policy.

Handle an early ACI check-in

What you see: A verified ACI staff device shows an early check-in warning.

Fix:

1. Confirm the reservation and room are correct.

2. Review the displayed check-in time.

3. Select Continue if the property approves early check-in.

4. Select Cancel if the guest must wait.

   ✓ Continue assigns the room and resumes check-in. ✓ Cancel leaves the reservation unchanged.

Staff verification required

Only a verified ACI staff device can continue before the allowed time. The override does not apply to Self Check-In or Pre-arrival.

Validate Check-In Time Only

Use Validate Check-In Time Only when you want AVA to check the time without comparing the arrival date.

• Yes: AVA validates using check-in time only
• No: AVA validates using both arrival date and check-in time

1. Go to Settings → Check-In → Check-In Policy

2. Turn Validate Check-In Time Only on or off

3. Click Save

   ✓ Your check-in time validation rule is saved.

When to use this

Use Yes if your property wants a time-only rule for arrivals. Use No if you want arrival date and time checked together.

Payment Settings Moved

Payment gateway setup now lives in Settings → Payment. Accommodation, checkout rounding, and Opera-specific payment controls now live in Settings → Payment. The Check-In page does not show checkout rounding controls. The Assisted Check-In Setup wizard does not show or save checkout rounding controls. Use the Payment page as the single place to view and change these settings.

Use that page to configure:

• Gateway connection (Stripe or Red Dot)
• Deposit and full payment collection
• Accommodation charge policies, checkout rounding, and Opera-specific payment controls

Check-In Balance Policies

Quick Setup

This takes about 2 minutes. Turn on one balance policy, then return to Payment if your PMS supports rounding.

Use these settings when you want AVA to block or settle an outstanding balance during check-in or checkout.

During checkout, an evaluated PMS payable amount controls the amount due. A PMS payment-waiver flag alone does not bypass Check-in outstanding-balance blocking. Checkout rounding also depends on the active PMS capability.

Setting	What It Controls	Payment Impact
Check-in outstanding-balance blocking	Stops check-in until the balance is resolved	Enables rounding adjustment in Settings → Payment
Checkout balance settlement	Collects the remaining balance during checkout	Also enables rounding adjustment in Settings → Payment

1. Go to Settings → Check-In → Check-In Policy.

2. Turn on Check-in outstanding-balance blocking or Checkout balance settlement.

3. Click Save.

   ✓ AVA keeps the saved values for these settings. ✓ Rounding controls in Payment become active while one of them stays on.

Payment rounding link

If both balance policies are off, AVA keeps the saved rounding value in Payment. It just stops affecting the payment flow.

Rounding settings stay inactive

What you see: Rounding adjustment in Settings → Payment is disabled or has no effect.

Fix:

1. Open Settings → Check-In → Check-In Policy.
2. Turn on Check-in outstanding-balance blocking or Checkout balance settlement.
3. Save the settings.
4. Return to Payment Gateway Integration.

Housekeeping Coordination

Prompt Housekeeping to Confirm Same-Day Checkout

Enable this if you want housekeeping to confirm checkout before finishing a same-day cleaning update. It helps staff close out rooms that were missed by front desk.

Long Stay Restrictions

Quick Setup

Set the shared night threshold, then choose which check-in journeys block long stays. This takes about 2 minutes.

Use Long Stay Restrictions to control extended stays separately for each journey. The shared threshold applies to every journey where blocking is enabled. The threshold field appears when at least one journey has long-stay blocking enabled. The default threshold is 7 nights.

Journey	Setting	Result
Pre-arrival	Block long-stay reservations	Blocks long stays during Pre-arrival
Self Check-In	Block long-stay reservations	Blocks long stays during Self Check-In
Assisted Check-In	Block long-stay reservations	Blocks long stays during Assisted Check-In

The threshold is inclusive. For example, a threshold of 7 blocks stays of 7 nights or more.

1. Go to Settings → Check-In → Check-In Policy.

2. Find Long Stay Restrictions.

3. Turn on Block long-stay reservations for each journey that needs blocking.

4. Set Long-stay threshold (nights) from 1 to 365.

5. Click Save Check-In Policy.

   ✓ Each enabled journey blocks reservations at or above the saved threshold. ✓ Journeys with blocking turned off continue to the normal eligibility checks.

Existing properties

Older records with the former global long-stay setting keep their enabled behavior across all three journeys. After you save explicit journey values, each journey uses its own setting.

Reservations meeting or exceeding this threshold must check in with staff in that journey.

Set Kiosk Welcome Buttons

Use Kiosk Welcome Buttons to show or hide the Check-In and Check-Out buttons on the kiosk home screen. These settings apply only when the kiosk runs in mode=cci.

Request Assistance uses a separate setting

Use Set Up the Kiosk Welcome Screen to control Request Assistance. Use Set Up Guest Lost Keycard Replacement to control the I lost my keycard option.

1. Go to Settings → Check-In → Check-In Policy
2. Find Kiosk Welcome Buttons
3. Turn Check-In and Check-Out on or off
4. Click Save

✓ AVA keeps the saved button values, even when you turn a button off. ✓ The kiosk welcome screen updates after you reload it.

Walk-In stays separate

Use the existing Walk-In Booking setting to control the Walk-In button. AVA shows that button based on booking capability, not this setting.

Set Group Checkout

Use Group Checkout to control whether related reservations can finish checkout together.

PMS support

AVA shows this setting only when your active PMS reports Group Checkout support. Opera currently reports support. Other PMS providers hide this setting and checkout flow.

1. Go to Settings → Check-In → Check-In Policy

2. Find Group Checkout in the checkout controls section

3. Turn Group Checkout on or off

4. Click Save

   ✓ AVA remembers your choice for the guest checkout flow. ✓ When this is on, the Group Checkout tab appears on the checkout screen.

When to use this

Turn this on when you want guests to finish linked reservation checkouts together. Leave it off when you want each reservation to check out separately.

Show a Smart-Lock PIN for Physical Key Return

Use this only when guests must reopen a smart container to return a physical key.

Default: Off

Leave this setting off unless your hotel uses SmartLock PINs for physical key return.

1. Go to Settings → Check-In → Check-In Policy.

2. Find Physical key return.

3. Turn on Show smart-lock PIN during guest checkout.

4. Click Save.

   ✓ Eligible guests see the stay's existing PIN before checkout completes.

Smart-lock stays only

AVA shows this step only when the reservation has an existing SmartLock PIN. Locker codes and other room-access methods are not shown by this setting.

Set Guest Step Auto-Advance

Use Guest Step Auto-Advance to decide whether AVA opens the next required guest step after you save.

1. Go to Settings → Check-In → Check-In Policy

2. Find Guest Step Auto-Advance

3. Turn it on to keep the current auto-open flow

4. Turn it off to make guests and staff open each step manually

5. Click Save

   ✓ New check-in steps follow the setting immediately.

Default behavior

If the setting is missing, AVA treats Guest Step Auto-Advance as on. That keeps existing hotels on the current flow.

Room Automation and Room Status Rules

Quick Setup

Most hotels spend about 5 minutes here. Start with room automation, then choose allowed room statuses.

This section controls when AVA assigns rooms, queues reservations, or leaves staff to resolve them. You can edit each applicable rule directly in the behavior table.

PMS support changes what you see

AVA disables unsupported toggles and explains why. If your PMS cannot auto-assign rooms, you must assign rooms in the PMS first.

Pre-assigned room safety

When a reservation already has a room, AVA checks that room's current PMS status before assignment. Occupied, locked, out-of-service, missing, and unverified rooms are rejected. The room must also provide positive vacancy evidence. If the room is not eligible, AVA rejects the assignment before writing it to the PMS. After check-in time, CCI can send the reservation through the Room Not Ready queue.

Assign a room when no room is assigned

Use this control when a reservation has no room yet.

When enabled, AVA asks the PMS for an available room. When off, AVA does not assign or reassign rooms automatically.

eZee limitation

If your active PMS is eZee, this control stays disabled. AVA does not use this automatic room-assignment toggle for eZee. For eZee, assign-room still needs one clean room of the booked type.

Dirty-room protection

If Allow Vacant Dirty Rooms is enabled, AVA turns off automatic room assignment. That prevents guests from being assigned to unclean rooms.

eZee room selection

For eZee, AVA only offers clean rooms during assign-room. If every matching room is dirty, clean one room in Housekeeping and try again.

Furama iPMS v2 support

Furama iPMS v2 supports Allow Vacant Dirty Rooms during check-in. AVA allows an assigned Dirty room only when Furama confirms that it is vacant. AVA rejects occupied, locked, out-of-service, missing, or unverifiable rooms before assignment. AVA also rejects a room when Furama reports a maintenance block, even if its housekeeping condition is allowed. Use this only when your front desk has approved the room for guest arrival.

Opera room reassignment

If Opera returns the same valid room, AVA keeps it. If Opera needs a different room and reassignment is off, AVA queues the room assignment. If Opera rejects the room as not vacant clean or inspected, AVA shows Room Not Ready messages.

Move a pre-assigned reservation when the room is unavailable

Use this control when a reservation already has a room, but that room is unavailable after check-in time.

When enabled, AVA can move the reservation to another eligible room. Edit this rule in the At or after allowed check-in time table cell. When off, AVA keeps the original room and follows the queue flow below.

For early arrivals, edit the separate Find another room if this one is occupied or restricted control. That control requires both Enable Automatic Room Assignment and Auto Queue Room. It also requires PMS support for room reassignment.

If an early room is occupied, blocked, marked Do Not Disturb, or service was refused, AVA tries another room. The replacement must have the same room type. If the status is unknown or no replacement exists, AVA keeps the assignment without queueing. Do Not Move protection overrides this behavior.

Stale pre-assigned rooms

If PMS refresh succeeds and the reservation no longer has a room, AVA clears the stale local room. When roomless assignment is on, AVA then uses the normal auto-assign flow for a clean or inspected replacement. If PMS refresh fails, AVA keeps the existing room target.

Allow Room Assignment Without Housekeeping Status

Enable this if your PMS does not send housekeeping status. When enabled, AVA ignores room status filters. AVA still verifies pre-assigned rooms before queueing them. If AVA cannot verify the room, it does not queue the booking.

Allowed Room Statuses

Choose which room statuses are eligible for check-in:

• Allow Vacant Inspected Rooms (recommended)
• Allow Vacant Clean Rooms
• Allow Vacant Dirty Rooms (emergency only)

Safety Standard

Allowing dirty rooms can create health and service issues. Use only when you have a manual process in place.

Required Selection

At least one room status must be enabled for self check-in to work.

Auto-assignment and check-in use separate status lists:

• Rooms AVA may auto-assign controls rooms selected automatically.
• Rooms guests can check into controls accepted rooms and queue release.

For a roomless early arrival, AVA tries enabled auto-assignment statuses in this order: Vacant Inspected, Vacant Clean, then Vacant Dirty.

PMS-specific availability

AVA shows Allow Vacant Dirty Rooms only when your active PMS supports dirty-room check-in. If the setting is disabled, AVA names the PMS blocking this capability. Assign a clean or inspected room before guest check-in.

Multi-Room Readiness Checks

Atomic multi-room check-in

When a reservation has multiple assigned rooms, AVA rechecks every room right before check-in starts. If any assigned room is not eligible, AVA blocks the whole reservation family. For Opera, the PMS room must match the room already assigned to that reservation. If Opera returns a different available room for a Dirty preassigned room, AVA treats it as not ready.

Expected room-assignment behaviour

Quick rule

Use this table to review outcomes and edit the rule for each situation. The Before allowed check-in time and At or after allowed check-in time controls can be linked. Changing one linked control updates the same setting in the other cell.

Reservation state	Before allowed check-in time	At or after allowed check-in time
No room assigned	With Auto Queue Room, AVA tries auto-assignment, then queues the booking whether or not a room was assigned. Without it, the guest remains in the before-check-in flow.	With automatic assignment, AVA assigns a room. If none is available, AVA queues it when queueing is enabled. Otherwise, staff assigns the room.
Room pre-assigned	With Auto Queue Room, AVA queues the assigned room only after safe status verification. Early reassignment can find another same-type room for occupied, blocked, Do Not Disturb, or refused-service rooms. Unknown status or no replacement keeps the assignment without queueing.	With reassignment enabled, AVA keeps an available room or assigns another available room. Otherwise, AVA keeps the room and queues it when queueing is enabled.
Room is clean or inspected	AVA continues check-in when the room meets the check-in rules.	AVA continues check-in when the room meets the check-in rules.

PMS queue support

Queueing requires queue support from your PMS. If PMS queueing is unavailable, AVA still blocks check-in and shows the not-ready message. The reservation may not stay in the PMS queue.

If your PMS does not support queueing, the before-check-in assignment control works only at or after the allowed time. The early reassignment control stays unavailable without queue support.

Keep ready rooms on the queue

By default, when a queued room becomes ready, AVA removes the booking from the PMS queue. The Room Ready email and DO-NOT-MOVE alert still send. To keep the booking on the queue, turn on Keep Booking in Queue When Room Is Ready.

If you only want one behavior

You can turn on roomless assignment without enabling pre-assigned room replacement. You can also enable pre-assigned room replacement without changing roomless assignment.

Do Not Move protection

Do Not Move protection takes priority over early-arrival and after-check-in reassignment. AVA keeps the original room and does not queue an unsafe or occupied early-arrival reservation.

Smart Room Assignment

This table shows standard assignment rules. When Smart Room Assignment is enabled, AVA may reconsider an unoccupied pre-assigned room. Smart Room Assignment checks that each candidate is ready now and free for the requested arrival-to-departure stay window. It excludes rooms assigned to another reservation during that window. It keeps the current reservation's own pre-assigned room eligible. If overlapping Opera reservations are temporarily unavailable, Opera remains the final conflict authority.

Allowed check-in time still applies

Assigning or queueing a room does not override Allowed Check-In Time. Early guests still follow the allowed-time rule, even when a room is assigned.

Troubleshooting

Guests are blocked unexpectedly

What you see: Valid guests sent to front desk

Check:

1. Minimum Age and DOB accuracy
2. Child Maximum Age and the PMS rate-plan child age band
3. Allowed Check-In Time
4. Validate Check-In Time Only
5. Long Stay Restrictions for the selected journey
6. Room status eligibility
7. Payment setup in Settings → Payment

A long stay is blocked in one journey only

What you see: A reservation is blocked in one check-in journey but not another.

Fix:

1. Open Settings → Check-In → Check-In Policy.

2. Find Long Stay Restrictions.

3. Check the Block long-stay reservations setting for the affected journey.

4. Compare the shared Long-stay threshold (nights) with the reservation length.

5. Click Save Check-In Policy after making changes.

   ✓ The selected journey uses its saved long-stay rule during lookup and completion.

PMS rejects the adult and child mix

What you see: A reservation with children fails after document scanning. The PMS may report that no matching rate exists for the guest mix.

Why this happens: Child Maximum Age does not match the rate plan's child age band. AVA must classify scanned guests before it sends their adult and child counts to the PMS.

Fix:

1. Open the reservation's rate plan in your PMS.

2. Confirm the child age band for that rate plan.

3. Go to Settings → Check-In → Check-In Policy in AVA.

4. Set Child Maximum Age to the same maximum age.

5. Click Save, then retry the guest registration.

   ✓ The PMS should receive the correct adult and child mix.

Upload option is missing

What you see: Guests only see live camera scan

Fix:

1. Turn on Allow travel document upload
2. Save your changes and test again

Confirmation button stays disabled

What you see: Save and apply now is gray in the confirmation window.

Fix:

1. Type DELETE IMAGES exactly as shown
2. Click Save and apply now

Retention days field is gray

What you see: You cannot edit the retention days.

Fix:

1. Turn on Travel document or Selfie
2. Enter the number of days

On-premise storage URL keeps reverting

What you see: The Image storage URL does not stay saved.

Fix:

1. Turn ON Use your own server (on-premises)
2. Enter a full URL, for example https://image-storage.yourhotel.local
3. Click Save and refresh the page once

On-premise storage is unavailable

What you see: A document, selfie, or registration card does not save or open.

Fix:

1. Confirm your Image storage URL is correct and reachable from the AVA backend.

2. Confirm your image storage service is running and accepts AVA requests.

3. Check that the service allows the configured AVA backend network connection.

4. Retry the upload or reopen the document from Command Center → View Details.

   ✓ AVA should save and open the file after the storage service responds.

Copy button is disabled for image storage secret

What you see: Copy is gray and cannot be clicked.

Fix:

1. Turn ON Use your own server (on-premises)
2. Confirm a secret value exists in Image storage secret
3. If empty, ask your admin team to set the secret first

PMS upload toggles are disabled

What you see: You cannot change Upload travel document to PMS, Upload registration card to PMS, or timing.

Why this happens: AVA disables controls when your active PMS reports no support for that document type.

Fix:

1. Check your active PMS provider in Settings → Essentials → PMS Integration.

2. Check whether travel-document and registration-card support differ for your PMS.

3. If the control remains unavailable, keep the document in AVA or contact support.

   ✓ An unavailable control does not prevent local document storage or downloads.

Registration card timing option is missing

What you see: You cannot find Registration card upload timing.

Fix:

1. Turn on Upload registration card to PMS

2. Confirm your PMS reports registration-card attachment support

3. Save the page again

4. Reopen Settings → Check-In → Check-In Policy

   ✓ The timing option appears only when registration-card delivery is available.

Automatic room assignment is disabled

What you see: The room automation toggle is off, disabled, or missing.

Fix:

1. Check your active PMS in Settings → Essentials → PMS Integration.
2. If it is eZee, automatic room assignment is unavailable by design.
3. Turn off Allow Vacant Dirty Rooms before enabling automatic assignment.
4. Confirm your PMS sends room status updates.
5. If the PMS does not support queueing, Auto Queue Room stays unavailable.
6. If you need roomless assignment, use a PMS that supports automatic assignment.
7. Enable the relevant table control for pre-assigned room replacement.

A room rule is disabled in the behavior table

What you see: A table checkbox is gray, or a prerequisite message appears.

Fix:

1. Turn on Enable Automatic Room Assignment for assignment or reassignment rules.

2. Turn on Auto Queue Room for early-arrival queue and reassignment rules.

3. If queueing is unsupported, use the after-check-in rule instead.

4. Save the policy, then reopen Settings → Check-In → Check-In Policy.

   ✓ Linked controls show the same saved value in both time columns.

Vacant dirty-room check-in is disabled

What you see: Allow Vacant Dirty Rooms is disabled, with a note naming your PMS.

Why this happens: Your active PMS does not support dirty-room check-in.

Fix:

1. Assign a Clean or Inspected room before guest check-in.

2. Confirm the correct PMS is active in Settings → Essentials → PMS Integration.

3. Contact support if your PMS should support dirty-room check-in.

   ✓ The setting becomes available when your PMS reports support for this capability.

Furama iPMS v2

Furama iPMS v2 supports room operations and dirty-room check-in. If Allow Vacant Dirty Rooms is missing for Furama, refresh the page and confirm the active PMS connection.

Early arrival message never appears

What you see: Guests check in early without a message

Fix:

• Set Allowed Check-In Time
• Add messages in Room Not Ready Messages

Check-in time validation feels too strict

What you see: Guests are blocked even when the check-in time looks correct.

Fix:

1. Check Validate Check-In Time Only
2. Set it to Yes if you want time-only validation
3. Set it to No if you want arrival date and time checked together
4. Save and test with a new reservation

Group checkout option is missing

What you see: Guests can only check out one reservation at a time.

Fix:

1. Go to Settings → Check-In → Check-In Policy
2. Confirm your active PMS is Opera and the connection is active
3. If the setting appears, turn on Group Checkout
4. Save your changes
5. Reload the guest checkout screen and test again

Current availability

Opera currently reports Group Checkout support. Other PMS providers do not show the setting or checkout flow.

Smart-lock PIN does not appear during checkout

What you see: The guest moves directly to checkout without a key-return step.

Fix:

1. Turn on Show smart-lock PIN during guest checkout.
2. Confirm the stay already has a SmartLock PIN.
3. Confirm the room uses SmartLocks.
4. Save the setting and start a new checkout lookup.

Opera specials codes are not taking effect

What you see: Journey progress is not marked correctly in Opera.

Fix:

1. Confirm your active PMS is an OPERA-family PMS
2. Open the check-in mode row you are testing
3. Check that each mode code matches Opera exactly, including spelling
4. Confirm a deliberately blank mode field is not expected to use the global code
5. Save again using Save Check-In Policy
6. Test with a new check-in session

OPERA code suggestions do not appear

What you see: The special code fields stay empty or show no matches.

Fix:

1. Confirm your active PMS is an OPERA-family PMS
2. Check that the OPERA PMS settings are complete
3. Type part of the code to filter the list
4. Enter the code manually if you already know it
5. Save and reopen the page

Related Guides

• Registration Fields - Required guest information
• Room Not Ready Messages - Messages for early arrivals and delays
• Opera PMS Integration - Connect and validate Opera settings

Still Stuck?

Contact success@vouch-technologies.com if:

• ❌ Guests are blocked but should be eligible
• ❌ Room assignment is not working as expected
• ❌ You need help setting age or payment rules

Helpful to include:

• Screenshot of your policy settings
• Example reservation that is blocked
• PMS provider and property type