Motel Impérial Streamlines Check-In with Keycafe and Mews

Located on the Gaspé Coast, Motel Impérial operates in a highly seasonal tourist market. While the property needed to offer a smooth and reliable check-in experience year-round, its location relied entirely on physical keys rather than digital locks.

As co-owner Nadia Minassian explains, managing those physical keys securely while maintaining flexibility for guests became especially challenging outside peak tourist season. Keeping a front desk fully staffed year-round wasn’t always viable, and closing it meant limiting bookings.

At the same time, the owners wanted a solution that would allow them to manage physical keys today while leaving the door open to future digital access—without having to replace their key management system later on.

Motel Impérial implemented Keycafe’s SmartBox system and leveraged the Mews integration to centralize key management and automate the check-in process.

Through the integration, reservations confirmed in Mews automatically trigger a key access creation in Keycafe. The unique access code for the reservation is then sent to the guest, along with their booking details. This allows guests to receive clear instructions and retrieve their keys securely without front desk assistance, while ensuring access is limited to the correct stay dates.

Keycafe enables the team to manage physical keys securely while offering guests an automated check-in option. For staff, the system provides real-time visibility into key usage and clear accountability. For guests, it delivers a simple and intuitive experience—whether the front desk is open or closed.

With Keycafe, Motel Impérial gained the flexibility to operate beyond peak tourist months while maintaining security and control. Automated check-ins reduced the need for constant front desk staffing, and both guests and employees adapted quickly to the system. “Our customers are always very satisfied when they go through the process with Keycafe.”, said Nadia.

The solution streamlined daily operations, improved the customer journey, and allowed the property to scale operations more sustainably throughout the year.