Pfor those traveling for work or pleasure, self check-in has become an essential ritual: no waiting, no forced appointment with the host, just the freedom to enter a code and open the front door, even if only for one night. This mechanism, a symbol of streamlined and “smart” hospitality, it was the fuel of the boom in short-term rentals and Bed and Breakfasts. Yet, precisely this digital invisibility raised an alarm in institutional buildings which the Council of State immediately calmed down: with a definitive ruling it decided to put man back at the center of reception, blocking the practice of completely autonomous check-in.
Short-term rentals, no self check-in: personal identification required
The crux of the matter is simple: the State wants to know who enters the house, when and where they sleep. And so the Council of State, without inventing anything, simply refers toArticle 109 of the TULPSthe Consolidated Law on Public Safety, a rule born in a pre-digital era, which obliges hoteliers and managers of all types of accommodation to communicate guests’ details to the Police Headquarters. If therefore, before the verdict, there were those who argued that sending a photo of the document via WhatsApp or uploading it to an app was sufficientnow he won’t be able to think about it anymore. For judges, this does not guarantee the correspondence between the face on the document and the person actually sleeping in the bed. This is why they established that identification must be “de visu”, i.e. face to face.
How arriving at a B&B changes
All this essentially means is that it is no longer permitted to hand over the keys or send the access code if the host first (or his delegate) did not meet the guestverifying that the person presenting is the holder of the identity document. This meeting serves as a safety filter. In short-term rentals, in fact, there is a risk that total anonymity will be exploited for illicit activities or for renting to unidentifiable peoplecreating real “free zones” in the urban fabric.
Change of direction for managers of tourist facilities and properties (Getty Images)
The practical effect: less digital, more people
For the vast audience of hosts and property managers, the sentence has the flavor of a rude awakening. The need to be physically present will, in fact, force us to reorganize the check-in logistics. Having said that, the convenience of the key box does not disappear completely: can be used for entry, but only after identification in presence has taken place. It’s a request from greater professionalism and responsibility for those who decide to start a business in hospitality.
Short-term rentals, the end of extreme flexibility
In the era when you can order dinner, buy a car and manage investments without ever shaking handsthe highest Italian administrative body recalls the importance of safety, also for hospitality. The verdict sets a clear boundary: Technology is a fantastic tool for efficiency, but it cannot become a shield for anonymity. Convenience for the guest and efficiency for the host cannot overcome the State’s need to protect the community.
Not backward steps, but safer tourism
The short-term rental market in Italy, from now on, will have to accept a new compromise. Maintain, the modernity and efficiency of digitalof course, but not at the crucial moment of identification, the passing of the baton between guest and structure will have to have a face again. Not a step backwards, for the Council of State, but an action that aims to make tourism safer and, ultimately, more sustainable and responsible.