Karina

💸 In Italy's competitive hospitality market, hoteliers are adopting direct booking strategies to bypass high commissions from online travel agencies (OTAs) and regain control over guest experiences. Direct bookings offer higher profit margins without OTA commissions, stronger guest relations, and brand control. Effective tactics include creating a mobile-friendly, SEO-optimized website with high-quality photos and clear CTAs like "Book Now," integrating commission-free booking engines with multilingual and mobile support, providing exclusive direct booking benefits such as discounted rates or free breakfast, running targeted marketing campaigns using tools like Google Ads and SEO to drive traffic to direct booking pages, utilizing email marketing for repeat bookings with personalized offers, maintaining rate parity and clarity, and implementing real-time assistance through AI or live chats. Chekin supports hotels with a digital guest journey, online payments, upselling tools, and automated messaging, contributing to outstanding stays and repeat direct bookings.

📂 In Italy, vacation rental property managers must comply with GDPR and local privacy laws by 2025. Key requirements include clear guest data handling policies, active consent without preselected checkboxes, and secure data storage with access control. Chekin offers tools for online check-in, GDPR-compliant consent management, automatic data reporting, and customizable data retention settings. Non-compliance isn't an option; it's essential for reputation protection and guest experience enhancement.

🏠 Renting out a property on Airbnb in tourist-rich Italy can be lucrative. Starting involves creating an Airbnb account, posting a listing with property type, exact location, number of bedrooms, beds, bathrooms, and guest capacity. An effective ad requires high-quality photos, a compelling description with nearby attractions and amenities, and clear house rules. Pricing should be competitive and consider seasonal and special events. Legal requirements include registering the property, collecting and reporting tourist taxes, guest information, and for businesses, issuing electronic invoices through SDI, which Chekin can streamline. Chekin helps automate check-in, guest registration, tax collection, and invoicing. A 14-day free trial is offered for their services.

💳 Since 2019, electronic invoicing has been mandatory in Italy for most businesses, including hotels, B&Bs, holiday homes, and guesthouses. The system operates through the "Sistema di Interscambio" (SDI), managed by the Agenzia delle Entrate. Chekin is launching its electronic invoicing feature for the Italian market in April, aimed at easing property managers' compliance with fiscal requirements. The invoicing process involves creating XML invoices, digitally signing them, sending them through SDI, and keeping them stored digitally for 10 years. Chekin's solution integrates with SDI, streamlining the entire billing cycle, offering real-time notifications, and reducing administrative expenses.

💸 In Italy, electronic invoicing for hotels became mandatory on January 1, 2019, and remains crucial in 2025. It involves generating, sending, receiving, and storing invoices in digital form, specifically in XML format with digital signatures via the Sistema di Interscambio (SDI). Chekin automates electronic invoice generation in XML format (FatturaPA), ensuring full compliance with Italian regulations. Advantages include increased efficiency, reduced costs, enhanced precision, and security. Italian laws require digital storage of invoices for at least ten years. Regular staff training, auditing, clear guest communication, and dealing with technical and data security issues are recommended best practices for electronic invoicing management.

💾 On March 20, 2025, AIGAB, along with FIAIP, CONFEDILIZIA, and platforms like Airbnb, met at Italy's Ministry of the Interior to discuss regulations for short-term rental self check-in systems. A new directive expected before Easter will clarify permitted technologies for guest identification. Italy's short-term rental market reached €66 billion in 2024, up €10 billion from 2023, with around 457,000 properties online benefiting 500,000 families. Chekin offers a compliant self check-in service with biometric technology, aiding hosts in effortless regulatory adherence.