Direct answer: with Cityflow, the guest unlocks the bike by tapping it with their room's NFC key, with no app and no sign-up. If they have to pay, they see the price on screen before confirming. They close the lock at every stop and, when they're done, leave the bike at the hotel and tap “End rental”. Reception isn't involved at all.
Here's the rental from the guest's side, step by step, and what the hotel sees in the meantime. Who pays, how much work it creates and how it compares with buying the bikes is covered in the guide to electric bikes for hotels.
What changes when bike rental goes digital?
The front desk drops out of the process. In the traditional model, every rental goes through reception: finding the key to the lock, explaining the rules in another language, noting down who takes which bike, taking payment and checking it has come back.
In a digital rental like Cityflow's, all of that happens between the guest, the bike and Cityflow. The hotel team doesn't hand out keys, doesn't take payments, doesn't fill in paperwork and doesn't store batteries.
What does the rental look like, step by step?
This is how a guest experiences it with a Cityflow bike. Reception is never needed:
| Moment | What the guest does | What reception does |
|---|---|---|
| Unlock | Taps their room key on the box under the saddle and the bike unlocks | Nothing |
| Confirm | If they have to pay, they see the price on screen before confirming | Nothing |
| Ride as a group | Chooses all the bikes at the start: they go on the same rental | Nothing |
| Stop | Taps “Close lock” without ending the rental and, on coming back, “Open lock” | Nothing |
| Return | Leaves the bike at the hotel, closes the lock and taps “End rental” | Nothing |
For stops, a bike rack or a wide pavement is best. A bike in motion never locks by itself, and if the guest needs more time, they extend it from their phone.
Why does it unlock with the room key?
Because it's the one thing the guest already has on them. With other systems you have to download an app and create an account, or ask reception for a code and then hand it back. Every extra step is a queue at the front desk.
With Cityflow, the same NFC card the guest uses to open their room is all it takes, and Cityflow doesn't know of any other operator on the market that does this. Before installing anything, Cityflow checks compatibility with the hotel's lock.
Who decides what the guest pays?
The hotel, depending on the channel the guest booked through. What Cityflow suggests: free for guests who booked on the hotel's website and a daily price for those who came through an OTA (Booking, Expedia…), for example, €10. The guest sees the price on screen before confirming and Cityflow handles the payment: reception doesn't touch any money.
The hotel pays Cityflow a monthly fee per bike, on request, and what OTA guests pay can cover it. How to present the free bike so it wins direct bookings is covered in free bike for booking on the hotel website.
What happens if the guest has a problem mid-ride?
They message Cityflow, not the hotel. The Help button opens a chat with Cityflow in the language of the guest's phone, seven days a week. The rental screen also appears in their language.
If the bike breaks down far from the hotel, Cityflow goes out, not your receptionist: roadside assistance is included. And since the bikes have GPS, Cityflow knows where each one is.
What if they can't end the rental?
They send a photo of the parked bike and Cityflow closes it. The guest sends it from the Help chat, without going through reception and without leaving unsure whether the rental is still open.
And the lock on Cityflow bikes doesn't depend on the guest: if they forget, the bike stays locked anyway.
What does the hotel see in the meantime?
Its rentals, in real time, in the Cityflow dashboard. A group with several hotels sees them all with a single login, each with its own fleet, rates and figures. If the hotel is missing a piece of data, Cityflow adds it, because the software is Cityflow's own.
To set the return time, it helps to know how the bikes are used. Across Cityflow's whole accommodation operation, the median rental lasts 8.3 hours and most returns happen between 7 pm and 9 pm: the bike goes out in the morning and comes back as evening falls. Each booking takes 1.2 bikes on average. The figures, with their methodology, are in the operating data.
What does the hotel decide and what does Cityflow do?
The hotel decides only a few things, and almost all of them just once:
- Where the bikes are parked; they're built to sleep outdoors.
- How much the guest pays, depending on the channel they booked through.
- What time the bikes are returned.
- Whether guests can book for another day from the hotel's link.
The rest is down to Cityflow: maintenance, repairs, charging, insurance, GPS, roadside assistance, seven-day support, the dashboard and payments. The bikes are only for the hotel's guests.
How do you get started?
With Cityflow, like this:
- You tell Cityflow how many rooms you have and whether your keys are NFC.
- Cityflow tests your lock.
- Cityflow suggests how many bikes to start with, the fee and an example price for OTA guests. You set the final one.
- The bikes arrive at the hotel door carrying your brand. From then on, the operation is Cityflow's.
Cityflow operates in 9 Spanish provinces, the whole province and not just the capital: Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, Seville, Málaga, Palma de Mallorca, Bilbao, Pamplona and Salamanca. The whole service is on electric bikes for hotels. If you want to see how it would work at your hotel, talk to sales.
Frequently asked questions
How does a guest unlock the bike without going through reception?
They tap the bike with the same NFC card that opens their room and it unlocks, with no app and no sign-up. Before installing, Cityflow checks that it works with the hotel's lock.
How does the guest end the rental?
They leave the bike at the hotel, close the lock and tap “End rental”. If they can't, they send a photo of the parked bike from the Help chat and Cityflow closes the rental.
How much does the guest pay for the bike?
The hotel decides, depending on the booking channel. Cityflow suggests making it free for guests who booked on the hotel's website and charging a daily price to those who came through an OTA, for example €10. The price shows on screen before they confirm.
Who helps the guest if the bike breaks down mid-ride?
Cityflow, not reception. The Help button opens a chat with Cityflow in the guest's language, seven days a week, and if the bike breaks down far from the hotel, roadside assistance comes from Cityflow.
What does the hotel see of each rental?
Its rentals in real time, in the Cityflow dashboard. A group with several hotels sees them all with a single login, with the fleet, rates and figures separated by hotel.
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