Self check-in Kiosks at Caesars Properties

A recent LA Times article pointed out that several Caesars Entertainment properties have introduced self-check-in kiosks at their Las Vegas hotels.

The article praises the kiosks as a fast way to get into your room after a long day of traveling.

While this is a good point, and I generally enjoy using self-service kiosks (Alamo is my car rental agency of choice partially because they have kiosks) I'm a little wary of kiosks at hotels.

When you're in Las Vegas there are so many different room type options to choose from. Being able to schmooze the front desk agent (often with a $20 bill) can be your key to getting a better room.

With a kiosk I'm guessing your options will be limited. The kiosk will probably offer you an upgrade, but it will likely cost you much more than a single $20 bill. Also if you have a specific request or area of the hotel that you prefer - a kiosk might be less accommodating than an actual person.

We'll have to see if these kiosks catch on to the point of replacing front desk clerks entirely. That seems like a possible scenario, but I think the person-to-person interaction of a live desk clerk will still be an available option for the foreseeable future.