By abolishing the obligation to register in German hotels for German citizens as of 1 January 2025, the German government wanted to reduce the administrative burden. However, a survey shows that habits are difficult to eradicate.
Following intensive discussions in the political arena and with industry representatives, the German government came out in favour of the reform as part of a bureaucracy reduction programme. It is intended to relieve small and medium-sized companies of administrative tasks.
But what is the reality after this reform? How have medium-sized hoteliers responded to the changeover so far and what challenges have they faced? To find answers to these questions, the HoGa network (formerly the gut group) conducted a survey in January 2025 among around 350 members from the SME hotel industry.
Analogue registration forms still in use
Foreign guests are still required to fill out a registration form. Nevertheless, the survey results show that 87.5% of the hoteliers surveyed still require German guests to complete a registration form. This means that only 12.5% have implemented the change in the law.
One of the key questions was whether hoteliers had switched to digital registration forms by 1 January 2025. The answer is clear: 87.5% of respondents will continue to use the analogue paper form. Only 12.5% have already switched to digital solutions. These figures indicate that most companies see either technical or organisational hurdles to digitalisation.
This result suggests that many hoteliers have either not yet sufficiently familiarised themselves with the new regulation or are consciously sticking to their usual processes. The reasons for this could be that the manual completion of registration forms for all guests has become an established routine and a changeover is perceived as less advantageous. Or the systems for guest registration and booking management have not yet been adapted, which makes it more difficult to implement the new regulation.
Another important aspect of the survey was whether the nationality of guests is requested when bookings are made by telephone or walk-ins. The picture here is mixed: While 37.5% of hoteliers collect this information, the majority (62.5%) do not. This could indicate that many establishments want to simplify processes and focus on the essentials, or that the booking engine they use does not ask for nationality.
No credit card requirement for
Also interesting: none of the hoteliers surveyed require a credit card as security for walk-ins. Although this may seem customer-friendly, it harbours the risk of non-payment. Possible reasons for not doing so are a long tradition of hospitality, a lack of technical infrastructure or the assessment that walk-ins are rare, and the risk therefore remains manageable.
At the end of the survey, respondents were asked for their opinion on the abolition of the registration certificate requirement. The answers suggest that many hoteliers are sceptical as to whether this would bring any noticeable relief. 75% of respondents voted "rather no". It seems that the challenges lie not only in filling out the forms, but also in the general administration, transmission, digitalisation and archiving the data.
Switzerland relies on EasyGov platform
Hoteliers in Switzerland are also struggling with the registration system - the federal government, together with HotellerieSuisse and other stakeholders, wants to digitalise this area, according to a press release from 17.1.2025 on the Swiss government portal. To this end, the Ordinance on Admission, Residence and Gainful Employment (VZAE) is to be revised and the EasyGov platform is to be expanded in the medium term to include the "Registration for Accommodation" administrative process.
Motion 21.4426 "Put an end to the registration certificate chaos in the accommodation sector" instructs the Federal Council to use a national digital solution in future to handle the obligation to register the commercial accommodation of guests [editor's note: in Switzerland, a motion is a parliamentary proposal at federal, cantonal or communal level that instructs the government to take action]. The sovereignty of implementation and federal competences should be preserved.
In Switzerland, the cantons organise the reporting system, which is why the processes are very heterogeneous. For example, there are cantons in which Swiss guests must be reported in addition to foreign guests. It was decided that in cantons with already established and well-functioning digital reporting systems, such as Basel-Stadt or Fribourg, guest data can continue to be reported using the existing systems.
The study also shows that the digitalisation of the registration system requires a revision of the VZAE. This currently requires the person to be accommodated to sign by hand. For the digitalisation of the registration system, it is therefore imperative that either the requirement for a handwritten signature is removed or alternatives are recognised. The implementation of the administrative process "Registration for accommodation" on EasyGov is expected to take place in 2028.
Austria plans simplification
According to the Austrian Hotel Association (ÖHV), there has also been some movement in Austria and the regulations for the so-called guest directory sheet are to be simplified. In addition to the paper form, the electronic recording of registration data is already possible, signatures can be made using a signature pad or with a qualified electronic signature. However, specific measures to further simplify the process have not yet been decided. In response to an enquiry, it is stated: "Tourism is a state matter and the Federal Ministry of the Interior is also involved in addition to the Federal Ministry of Labour and Economic Affairs, which is in charge." / red