Guest Check-In & Check-Out
Walk through the full guest arrival and departure workflow — from pre-arrival ID verification to room assignment, key handover, bill settlement and generating departure receipts.
Before the guest arrives
- The booking appears on the arrivals dashboard one day before the check-in date with a blue "Arriving Tomorrow" badge.
- An automated SMS reminder is sent to the guest at 9:00 am on arrival day (if SMS Notifications are configured — see SMS Notifications →).
- Housekeeping automatically marks the assigned room for a full turnover clean on the departure date of the previous guest.
Step 1 — Open the arrivals board
The arrivals board lists all expected check-ins for today, sorted by estimated arrival time. You can also search by name, booking reference or room number.
The check-in drawer slides open from the right. It shows the full booking summary: guest details, room type, nights, rate, payment status and any special requests.
Step 2 — Verify guest identity
BnBFlows supports three ID verification methods:
- Manual entry — type the guest's national ID, passport or driving licence number. The field is stored in the guest profile for future stays.
- Photo capture — use the camera icon to photograph the ID document directly from a webcam or tablet. The image is stored against the booking.
- Digital pre-arrival form — if the guest completed the pre-arrival link, their ID number is already populated and shows a green verified badge.
Step 3 — Assign a room
The system automatically suggests the best available room of the booked type — prioritising rooms marked clean, on the guest's preferred floor (from profile), and away from noisy areas.
Click Change Room to pick a different room from the grid. Only clean, available rooms of the booked type are shown. To upgrade the guest, switch to a different room type (rate difference is applied automatically).
The room status changes to Occupied (Amber) on the room grid instantly.
Step 4 — Take payment or record deposit
- Full payment at check-in — select the payment method (Cash, M-Pesa, Card, Pesapal, Bank Transfer) and enter the amount. A receipt is generated instantly.
- Deposit only — record a security or booking deposit. The remainder is charged at checkout. The booking shows a Partially Paid badge on the dashboard.
- Pre-paid online — if the guest paid via the booking portal, the status already shows Paid and no action is needed.
- City ledger / Account — for corporate guests, post the charge to the company's house account for invoicing at end of month.
Step 5 — Complete check-in
The booking status changes to Checked In. The guest now appears on the In-House list.
A welcome letter with room number, Wi-Fi password, restaurant hours and checkout time is generated automatically. Click Print or Send to Guest Email.
Tick the Key Issued checkbox and select the key tag number. This is tracked in the audit log.
In-house extras & posting charges
During the stay, additional charges (restaurant, laundry, minibar, tours) can be posted to the guest's room from Front Desk → In-House → [Guest] → Post Charge. All posted charges appear on the final bill at checkout.
Check-out process
Go to Front Desk → Departures. All guests due to leave today are listed.
The full bill (room charges + all extras posted during stay) is shown. Review line items, apply any discounts or loyalty redemptions, and confirm the total.
Charge the outstanding balance via any supported payment method. If a deposit was taken at check-in, it is automatically deducted.
Click Check Out. The room status changes to Dirty (Red) and the housekeeping scheduler is notified immediately. A checkout receipt / tax invoice is generated.
Tick Key Returned to close the key log entry.
Early departures
If a guest leaves before their scheduled departure date, go to the booking and click Early Checkout. Select the new departure date. The system recalculates the bill based on actual nights stayed and applies your cancellation policy to any unused nights.