Set up the desk
Turn Ana at reception on, pair a tablet with an 8-letter code, lock it to the reception page, and choose the desk's hours and settings.
You set up reception in Settings → Reception, for the property you have open. Owners and managers can change it. Choosing a reception plan needs a role that can manage billing.
Turn reception on
Use the switch at the top of Settings → Reception. Adding your first device turns reception on too.
When reception is on for the first time, the 20-minute free try starts. When it is off, the kiosk shows that reception is closed, but Call someone and Emergency still work.
Pair a tablet
Add a device
Under Devices at the desk, give the device a name, such as "Front desk", and press Add a reception device.
Note the code
ChatBeds shows an 8-letter code and a QR code. The code is shown once and works for 15 minutes.
Open the reception page on the tablet
On the tablet, open app.chatbeds.app/reception, or scan the QR code. Type the code under Pairing code and press Pair.
The tablet now works only as your reception. It is not a login and can't open any other ChatBeds page.
- New code pairs a replacement tablet under the same name.
- Remove stops a device at once.
- A device that is not used for 30 days stops. Pair it again with New code.
- How many devices you can have depends on your plan. See Ana at reception.
Lock the tablet to the page
The reception page keeps the screen awake and blocks right-click and the back gesture. To stop guests leaving the page, also lock the device:
| Device | How to lock it |
|---|---|
| iPad | Guided Access |
| Android tablet | Screen pinning |
| Computer | Chrome's kiosk mode |
Recommended hardware
- A 10 to 13 inch tablet on a lockable, height-adjustable stand that a wheelchair user can reach, or the desk computer.
- An external directional microphone for a busy lobby. Test it by talking to Ana from a step away.
- Wired internet or strong wifi.
- A Stripe Terminal card reader only if guests will pay on a reader. See Payments at the kiosk.
- A key encoder or dispenser from your lock company only if keys come from your key-card system. See Key cards.
At the desk
In the At the desk box:
| Setting | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Hands-free | Off: guests tap to talk, best for a busy lobby. On: Ana listens once a guest starts. | Off |
| Hours | Always, or Set hours. Outside them the screen says the desk is closed and gives your night number. | Always |
| When nobody answers a guest | After this many minutes (1 to 30), your managers are told. | 3 |
| Most minutes with Ana a day | A cap for each device (10 to 1,440). | 120 |
| The hotel's terms | Text the guest signs on screen at check-in. Leave it empty for no signature. | Empty |
On the kiosk itself, guests can press Larger text to make everything bigger.
Try it
Before guests use it, check in a test booking yourself on the tablet, by touch and by voice. Each guest talk lasts up to 10 minutes; then Ana asks if they need more time.
Turning reception on in Settings opens a closed kiosk within seconds. You don't need to touch the tablet.
Still need help?
Ana at reception
Ana as your receptionist on a tablet at the desk. Guests check in and out, book a room, ask questions and call someone, in their own language.
What guests can do, and your hotel's information
Choose what guests may do at the kiosk, and write the hotel information Ana answers from. Plus the Call someone and Emergency buttons.