Arriving at the hotel, it is the same ritual. Before you can put your bags in the room, you must go to the reception to collect your keys. The receptionist invites us to fill in and sign our last name, first name, home address, phone number and many other personal details. But why do we have to reveal ourselves so much? For legal reasons, it is almost impossible to stay incognito in a hotel in many countries. In the European Union, tourist accommodations require their customers to fill out a police form. This obligation, effective since 1990, is provided by the Schengen agreements as a compensation for the abolition of internal border controls.
Mandatory for foreign customers in France
In France, this document has been mandatory since the decree of 30 June 1946 for foreign travelers staying in hotels, villages or family holiday homes, residences or residential tourist villages, furnished accommodation, bed and breakfast and camping or caravans, the website details. the service. -public.fr. It should contain the following information:
- Surname and last name,
- date and place of birth,
- nationality,
- Usual residence,
- Mobile phone number and email address,
- Date of arrival and planned departure date at the tourist accommodation.
Since 2015, this document can be dematerialized. Its transfer to the police and gendarmerie services is no longer automatic, but the latter can request it within the six-month retention period. Often, the document is pre-populated with the information you entered when booking. All you have to do is check them and sign them.
“If the foreign customer refuses to fill out or sign the individual police form, the lessor has the right to refuse to provide him with tourist accommodation.“, the website Service-public.fr notes. Note that the professional has the right to ask for identification to verify that you are the person who made the reservation. However, he does not have the right to copy.
Get to know yourself better
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Other reasons why hoteliers store your information: get to know you better and stay in touch after you stay in touch (in particular through newsletters). In other words, your data may be used for marketing or customer relationship purposes. In its privacy policy, the Accor Group thus states that it uses “improve [ses] hotel services“, “personalize your welcome at the hotel“where”adjust [ses] products and services to best respond to your requests“. Hotel websites usually have a personal information page.
To make check-in less time-consuming, more and more hotels are opting for online check-in. In Accor, as in other hotel groups, this opportunity is offered to customers two days before their arrival date directly in the mobile application. Some institutions go further by eliminating physical admissions. At CitietM, for example, check-in, ID verification and key collection are done at automated terminals, although a receptionist is always on hand if needed. It’s enough to forget the administrative formalities… and enjoy your vacation as soon as possible.
Source: Le Figaro
I’m Ashley Mark, a news website author for Buna Times. I specialize in writing articles about current trends and breaking news stories. With my passion for uncovering the truth behind every story, I strive to bring readers the most up-to-date information available.