How to Automate Door Codes for Self Check-In at a Hostel

Enter each room's PIN once, add one placeholder to the check-in email, and every guest receives the code for their own room. No handing out codes one by one.

How Do You Automate Door Codes for Self Check-In?

Store each room's PIN as a per-room Custom Value in FrontDesko, then put the placeholder {{door_code}} in the check-in email template. The automatic arrival-day email fills in the code for the guest's assigned room. When PINs rotate, update the values once.

Why Do Manual Door Codes Break Down at a Hostel?

A backpackers hostel in Melaka, Malaysia, runs door and room PINs that are reset every two weeks. Handing those codes out by message, one guest at a time, means someone has to remember which room has which code this fortnight, and stay reachable when a guest lands at midnight. Late arrivals are exactly when nobody is at the desk.

The fix is to stop treating the code as something staff say and start treating it as data attached to the room. The guest's check-in automation email then does the delivery.

How Does the Room-Wise Door Code Setup Work?

There are three pieces, all configured once.

Create a Custom Value. In the admin, open Custom Values and create a key such as door_code with the scope "per room".
Enter each room's PIN. Type the current PIN against each room. Custom Values can also be hotel-wide text or images, for example a logo or a photo of the door or key box, which is handy for guests who arrive after dark.
Add the placeholder to the email. Put {{door_code}} in the check-in email template. It resolves to the code or codes for the guest's assigned room or rooms.

To address one room explicitly, use {{door_code_101}} for room 101. The same keys work in documents such as the registration card, invoice and confirmation. Unknown placeholders are left visible on purpose, so a typo shows up in a test send instead of reaching a guest as a blank.

Which Placeholders Can You Use?

Placeholder	What the guest sees	Works in
`{{door_code}}`	The code(s) for the guest's assigned room(s)	Check-in email, registration card, invoice, confirmation
`{{door_code_101}}`	The code for room 101, whichever room the guest holds	Same as above
Any unknown key	Left visible as typed, so the typo is caught in a test send	Same as above

How Do You Reset the PINs Every Two Weeks?

When the lock PINs rotate, the routine is two steps. First change the PIN on each lock or keypad. Then update the per-room values in the one Custom Values screen. Every check-in email sent after that carries the new code. There are no template edits and no per-guest messages.

The order matters: FrontDesko does not talk to the lock, so the lock and the stored value are only in sync because staff keep them in sync. Do both in the same sitting.

When Does the Guest Actually Get the Code?

The automatic check-in email is sent on the arrival day at the time the hotel chooses, in the guest's language. It covers bookings in confirmed or modified status, and also guests who were already checked in early.

Late bookings used to be the weak spot. Bookings created after the send time, such as same-evening OTA bookings and walk-ins, now get the email in a catch-up window. This gap was found at a hostel, where late same-night Agoda bookings received no code until it was fixed. Each send is recorded once, so a multi-night guest is not emailed twice.

The most common reason a reminder did not arrive was a missing email address. That skip is recoverable: once staff add the guest's email, the next run delivers it. Related reading: hotel reminder emails.

Can the Door Code Also Be Used for Self Check-Out?

Yes, as an option. The hotel can set guest-app self check-out to verify a guest with the room number plus a room-wise Custom Value such as the door code. Only currently checked-in stays can match, and error messages never reveal which part was wrong. See hotel self check-out and the guest app for the rest of the flow.

What Are the Limits of This Setup?

No lock integration. FrontDesko does not integrate with the lock itself and does not generate PINs. Staff still change the PIN on the lock or keypad, then update the value in FrontDesko.
Mid-stay resets are not re-sent. A guest who already received the old code is not sent the new one automatically. Reset on a low-turnover day and message in-house guests yourself.
An emailed code lives in an inbox. Anyone with access to that inbox has the code. Prefer per-room codes over one building-wide code, and rotate them. The two-week reset is exactly that.

What Is a Simple Rollout Checklist?

Create the per-room door_code Custom Value and enter every room's current PIN.
Add {{door_code}} to the check-in email template, with a photo of the door or key box if you have one.
Send yourself a test and confirm the code matches the room. A visible placeholder means a typo.
Check that arriving bookings have an email address before the send time.
On rotation day: change the locks, update the values, and message any in-house guests.

For the wider arrival routine, see the hotel check-in procedure and the hostel management software overview.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can FrontDesko generate or change the PIN on my door lock?

No. FrontDesko does not integrate with the lock itself and does not generate PINs. Staff change the PIN on the lock or keypad, then update the room's value in FrontDesko once. From then on every check-in email carries the new code.

What happens if I reset the door codes while guests are staying?

A guest who already received the old code is not re-sent the new one automatically. Reset on a low-turnover day and message in-house guests directly. Check-in emails sent after the update carry the new code.

What if a guest has no email address on the booking?

The automatic email is skipped for that guest. This was the most common reason a reminder did not arrive. Once staff add the guest's email, the next run delivers it, so the skip is recoverable.

Do guests who book the same evening still get their code?

Yes. Bookings created after the send time, such as same-evening OTA bookings and walk-ins, are picked up in a catch-up window. This was fixed after late same-night Agoda bookings at a hostel received no code.

Will a multi-night guest get the email every day?

No. Each send is recorded once, so a multi-night guest is not emailed twice.

Is it safe to email a door code?

Anyone with access to that inbox has the code. Use a separate code per room instead of one building-wide code, and rotate the codes regularly. A two-week reset limits how long an old code stays useful.

Which language does the check-in email use?

The guest's own language. Guest emails are available in every language the system operates in.

Stop Handing Out Door Codes One by One

Set up per-room codes once and let the check-in email deliver them, including to late arrivals.

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