Automating Guest Check-Ins and Housekeeping Workflows for an 18th Century Luxury Hotel

Domaine Sur Les Sarts is a luxury hotel, spa, and seminar venue located in Belgium. Situated in a converted 18th-century castle farm that was fully remodeled a decade ago, the premium estate offers high-end accommodations alongside event spaces. Historically, the property managed its physical keys via a traditional front desk model, necessitating an expansive, high-coverage scheduling window for reception staff to physically hand off keys to every arriving guest.

This manual operational setup created significant friction during non-standard arrival times. Late-night check-ins and early guest arrivals frequently caused scheduling strains and logistical challenges for the property. Because a receptionist had to be physically present at the desk to distribute keys, unexpected changes in guest arrival times forced the hotel to maintain an inflexible, labor-intensive front-desk schedule.

To resolve these operational bottlenecks, Domaine Sur Les Sarts integrated Keycafe's automated key management system into their property. Under the modernized workflow, the hotel contacts guests several days prior to their arrival to provide them with standard arrival details and precise, step-by-step instructions on how to use the Keycafe system.

When guests arrive on-site, they no longer need to wait at the reception desk. Instead, they complete a self-service check-in at the Keycafe smart locker, retrieving their room key in less than two minutes before heading straight to their accommodations. Despite initial hesitation from some staff members during the early phases of deployment, the entire team quickly adapted to the system, integrating it into daily operations to monitor real-time property access.

Since adopting Keycafe, Domaine Sur Les Sarts has eliminated human error across both its self-service and traditional check-in workflows. The automation of the key exchange has allowed the property to scale back its reception desk hours, significantly optimizing labor costs while enhancing overall operational flexibility.

Furthermore, the system provides real-time visibility into guest arrivals and departures, which has directly streamlined internal property management. The housekeeping department relies on these instant status updates to coordinate room turnover seamlessly, ensuring a highly agile, frictionless workflow across the entire estate.