Checkout Process
Checkout in HiLucy finalizes a guest's stay by settling their folio and transitioning the reservation to its completed state. Currently, checkout is managed by property staff from the admin dashboard. Guests can follow their charges throughout the stay from My Folio in the app, and a full self-service checkout wizard is on the roadmap for a future release.
How Checkout Works
When a guest is ready to depart, the staff member handling checkout follows this process from the Reservation Manager:
- Review the folio -- Open the guest's reservation from the Checkouts tab and review all line items on their folio. This includes room charges, incidental charges, minibar, activities, and any adjustments.
- Settle outstanding charges -- If the folio has an unpaid balance, capture the amount from the guest's card on file. HiLucy uses a capture-on-close model: charges accumulated during the stay are captured against the saved payment method at checkout.
- Process adjustments -- Apply any final discounts, corrections, or additional charges before closing the folio.
- Mark as checked out -- Click Check Out to transition the reservation from "in-house" to "checked_out" status.
Once checked out, the reservation is closed and moves to the historical records.
Folio Settlement (Capture-on-Close)
During a guest's stay, charges are added to their folio as line items. The guest's card, saved during online check-in, is authorized but not charged until checkout. This capture-on-close approach means:
- Charges accumulate on the folio throughout the stay
- The final amount is captured in a single transaction at departure
- If the guest has multiple payers (from the multi-payer payment arrangement), charges are split according to the configured rules
This model reduces the number of individual transactions and gives guests a clear, consolidated bill.
Multi-Payer Checkout
When a reservation has multiple payment authorities (for example, a primary guest and a companion who agreed to share costs), the folio settlement respects the payment arrangement set during check-in:
- Each payer's share is calculated based on the arrangement rules
- Separate captures are processed against each payer's card on file
- The folio detail view shows which charges are assigned to which payer
Reservation State Transition
Checkout completes the reservation lifecycle:
- Booked -- Guest has a confirmed reservation
- In-House -- Guest has checked in and is staying at the property
- Checked Out -- Stay is complete, folio is settled, reservation is archived
This transition is currently one-way. Once a reservation is checked out, it cannot be reverted. If a guest needs to extend their stay after checkout, create a new reservation from the Reservation Manager.
What Guests See
Guests don't settle their own folio yet, but they are no longer in the dark:
- During the stay -- guests can open My Folio in the chat at any time to see their running balance, category subtotals, and every line item with its date and time. See Guest Billing Overview.
- At departure -- staff process the checkout, and the guest receives a summary of their folio charges via email or WhatsApp. The summary includes itemized charges, the total amount captured, and a receipt.
- After the stay -- guests can rate their stay and leave feedback directly from the guest app. Feedback goes straight to your team.
A self-service guest checkout wizard -- allowing guests to review their final folio, dispute charges, and confirm departure from their own device -- is planned for a future release.
Tips
- Review folios before the guest's scheduled departure to avoid delays at checkout time
- Use the Checkouts tab filter to see reservations departing today and prioritize settlements
- For disputes or billing questions after checkout, adjustments can be processed as refunds through Stripe