What Happens When Hotel Check-In Goes Fully Digital?

Checking into a hotel hasn’t always kept pace with the digital expectations of modern travelers. Long lines, paper forms, and missed messages still dominate the guest experience in many places.

Canary Technologies, a startup based in San Francisco, is tackling that lag with a suite of digital tools designed to bring the hospitality industry into the mobile-first era.

Where the Experience Starts

At the core of Canary’s platform is contactless check-in, which allows guests to skip the counter entirely and use their phones to check in and out. No apps, no kiosks—just a browser-based interface linked to the hotel’s system. For guests, it saves time. For hotels, it reduces overhead and improves data capture.

Canary also supports digital credit card authorizations, helping reduce fraud and simplify payment collection without the usual paper trails.

Expanding the Digital Toolkit

Beyond check-in, Canary offers real-time guest messaging via SMS and WhatsApp, so hotels can stay connected without requiring guests to download yet another app. Their recently launched AI Voice Platform goes a step further, using virtual front desk agents and concierges to handle calls and bookings with consistent speed and availability.

Other tools in the platform include digital tipping, automated upsell suggestions, and smart analytics to help hotels increase revenue per guest.

Adoption and Recognition

Canary’s platform is now used by over 20,000 hotels in 90+ countries, including major chains like Marriott, Four Seasons, and Wyndham. The company has been recognized with multiple HotelTechAwards, and in 2024, it closed a $50 million Series C to expand its global reach.

With nearly $100 million in total funding, Canary is positioning itself as a central player in the shift toward digitized, guest-friendly hotel operations.