A bedside tablet allows guests to control their room temperature and lighting at Universal Helios Grand Hotel in Orlando, Florida.

A Florida hotel recently made waves after a guest filmed himself checking in with a teleworker through a video screen.

"Are you back here behind the desk, back there or are you somewhere else?” guest Pete Saeger asked in the viral video.

“No, no, no, no. We are working remotely, sir,” the worker replied.

“It is strange. It’s definitely not like a face-to-face interaction,” Saeger told USA TODAY in August.

Fiona Chen had a similar experience, with less interaction at a high-tech hotel in Amsterdam.

“There wasn't even a person to help you check in. There was just a bunch of machines,” said the travel content creator known as @findingfiona on TikTok and across platforms. “You kind of just type in your reservation and then you can make your own key card.”

While these are unusual, 56% of hotels in Hotels.com's annual Hotel Room Innsights survey report feeling “pressure to roll out flashy technology.”

Here’s how that can shape stays.

Can I check into a hotel on my phone?

Yes. Most Hilton properties, many Hyatt properties, the bulk of Marriott’s U.S. hotels, and select Wyndham properties, among others, offer mobile check-in as well as traditional, in-person check-in. Mobile check-in allows guests to bypass the lobby and go straight to their rooms using the hotel’s app, if desired.

In a TikTok video extolling Hilton’s app-based option, self-described introvert Casie Greer, who goes by @officially.casie said, “I don’t even like to check in at the front desk because I’m always like ‘Uhhh, this is awkward.' ... But the one thing that sold me with the Hilton app, and I will always book Hilton, is the fact that I will never have to speak with nobody again because I can use a Digital Key – and they have good pillows and sheets."

Many guests appreciate the option to choose. However, 70% of more than 450 hotels surveyed by Hotels.com say their guests prefer human interactions when checking in or dealing with issues.

Chen said that the hotels she’s stayed at with virtual check-in also have a staff member available on property to help if needed.

“I think it's important to have someone in the front for sure, especially with me as a solo traveler who travels a lot by herself,” she told USA TODAY. “It's nice to know that there's a person there that will make sure that I'm safe or is watching me walk in and then walk out.”

Smart hotel rooms

Ideally, she prefers hotels “where there is someone that checks you in, but then when you get to the room, there's an iPad there where you can control the curtains or control the mood or the temperature.”

In-room tablets and mobile apps may also be used to order room service, check folios on demand and adjust lighting. Hotels.com says hotels are really leaning into practical “ComfortTech” to enhance guest experiences, but there are a few pitfalls.

“One of the rooms that they gave me, the iPad wasn't working so they had to switch rooms,” Chen recalled. “So I guess when the technology isn't working it, it becomes an issue, but usually it's pretty self-explanatory.”

Hotels.com said 52% of hotels offer verbal instructions for in-room tech at check-in and noted the most commonly reported issues involve lighting, air conditioning, Wi-Fi and entertainment systems.

What’s next?

Hotels.com found that many hotels are investing in upgrading bathroom technology like smart mirrors that offer weather updates, motion sensor faucets, and Japanese toilets and bidets.

Going forward, surveyed hotels expressed interest in AI-powered concierge services and chats, robots for delivering meals and luggage, and other experience-enhancing features like sleep monitoring devices and voice-controlled rooms.

Chen is all for advancements.

“That's great and that's fine in the room, but I do think walking in, I would love to see a human face,” she said.

The Florida hotel with that teleworker remotely staffing the lobby was getting rid of the video kiosk, Wyndham’s vice president of external communications, Robert Myers told USA TODAY in August. While the hotel operates under a Wyndham brand, Myers noted that the property is independently owned and staffed, the video equipment was not brand-approved, and Wyndham requires front desks to be physically staffed.

Contributing: Greta Cross, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Would you check into a hotel with no staff at the front desk?

Reporting by Eve Chen, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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