Singapore Hotels and Airports Introduce 'Facial Recognition Check-In'

[Asia Economy Singapore Seo Jumi, Guest Reporter] Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the travel and hotel industries have also been swept by the contactless (untact) trend. The Singapore hotel industry is accelerating the introduction of untact check-in services to ensure guest safety.

According to the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) on the 14th, local hotel companies such as Ascott, Swissotel, and Grand Park have recently started pilot operations of check-in devices. Through EVA, a facial recognition technology, guests can check in by simply showing their face to the device without staff directly verifying customer information. Authorities explain that this not only enhances customer safety but also reduces check-in time by 70% and helps cut operating costs. In addition to this, hotels plan to support reservations and in-room dining services online.

This change occurred as the occupancy rate of hotel rooms in Singapore sharply declined after the COVID-19 outbreak. The average occupancy rate of Singapore hotels plummeted from 83.1% in January, just before the COVID-19 outbreak, to 32.1% in February. With less than half of the rooms occupied, revenue dropped below 40%, and the average room rate fell by 2.3% compared to last year. Revenue per available room decreased by as much as 41%.

In particular, some hotels suffered damage to their image as they were used as quarantine spaces by the Singapore government during lockdown periods to accommodate returnees from overseas and others requiring isolation. Although the government paid usage fees, uncertainty grew over when overseas travelers would return.

To support the hotel industry, untact check-in services have also appeared at airports. Since this month, Singapore Changi Airport has enabled travelers to register their luggage without touching electronic screens. Additionally, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) of Singapore has started operating a new biometric system that uses facial or iris recognition instead of fingerprint scans for identity verification.

However, concerns are also being raised that workforce restructuring is inevitable as the hotel industry and airports expand automation and untact services. In particular, employment insecurity among foreign workers, who make up a large proportion of jobs in this sector, is increasing. According to the Singapore Ministry of Manpower, about 60,000 foreign jobs disappeared within Singapore from January to May.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.