---
title: "Hotel e-bike amenity: free for direct bookers, paid for OTA guests"
description: "Cityflow runs branded hotel e-bikes: free for direct bookers, paid for OTA guests. How it works, the NFC room key and what to ask a provider."
url: "https://cityflow.app/en/blog/hotel-e-bike-amenity-free-for-direct-bookers-paid-for-ota-guests"
language: "en"
author: "Vincent Wille-Baumkauff"
published: "2026-10-30"
source: "Cityflow (cityflow.app)"
generated: "2026-10-30"
---

# Hotel e-bike amenity: free for direct bookers, paid for OTA guests

**Short answer:** Cityflow runs branded e-bikes for hotels under a mixed model: free for guests who book on the hotel's own website, and a daily price, for example €10, for guests who arrive through an OTA. Guests unlock the bike with their room key, the front desk barely does anything, and the hotel sets the final price.

This guide covers how the direct-booking incentive works, how the NFC key unlock works, what the front desk does and what to ask any provider before you sign. The short version of the service is on [e-bikes for hotels](https://cityflow.app/en/hotels); how it compares with another provider is in [Cityflow vs Bicelo](https://cityflow.app/en/blog/hotel-e-bike-rental-spain-cityflow-vs-bicelo).

## How does the direct-booking incentive work?

The hotel pays Cityflow a monthly fee per bike, quoted per hotel, with no upfront investment and no lock-in. The hotel decides what the guest pays, and Cityflow's proposed model splits the price by booking channel:

| | Direct channel (the hotel's own site) | Indirect channel (an OTA) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| What the guest pays | Free | A daily price set by the hotel (for example, €10) |
| What it's for | A reason to book on your site that isn't another discount | Can cover the hotel's monthly fee |
| A real example | Petit Palace, a Cityflow client, says in its FAQ that the bikes are free for guests who book their stay directly on its website | — |

The effect works two ways: what OTA guests pay can cover the fee, and because the free bike only exists on the hotel's own site, every booking that moves from an OTA to your site is one less commission to pay. The daily price is worth keeping below the cost of renting an e-bike on the street, which runs around €25 a day.

## How does the bike unlock?

With the room key. The guest taps the same NFC card that opens their room against the bike, and it unlocks: no app, no QR code, no sign-up and no code to request at reception. Not every lock is the same: Cityflow checks it works with the hotel's own locks before installing anything.

If a guest forgets to lock it, the bike locks itself. It doesn't depend on chaining it to something or following an animation on a phone.

## What does the front desk have to do?

At most, plug the bikes in if the hotel has no charging stations. Everything else isn't the front desk's job:

- No handing out keys or codes: guests unlock the bike themselves with their card.
- No charging guests: the price shows on screen before confirming, and billing is part of the service.
- No paperwork, no storing batteries: the bikes sleep outside, at the door or on the street.
- No fixing breakdowns: if a guest has a problem, they message Cityflow, not the desk.

Charging stations are optional and cost extra: with them, each bike charges as soon as it's parked in its dock and the hotel doesn't think about charging. Without them, a power socket near where the bikes are parked is enough.

## What should you ask a provider before you sign?

These eight questions tell an operated amenity apart from a batch of bikes with a sign in front. Next to each one, how Cityflow answers it:

| Question | Cityflow's answer |
| --- | --- |
| Who sets the guest's price? | The hotel; Cityflow proposes free for direct bookings and a daily price for OTA guests |
| How does the bike unlock? | With the room's NFC key, no app, no QR code |
| What does the front desk have to do? | At most, plug them in if there are no charging stations. No keys, no charges, no paperwork |
| Who pays for a breakdown or a theft? | Cityflow: maintenance, repairs, GPS and insurance included |
| Are charging stations included? | No, they're optional and cost extra; without them, a power socket is enough |
| Whose brand is on the bike? | The hotel's: your colours and your logo |
| Is there a lock-in period? | No. If the service stops making sense, the bikes get pulled |
| What usage data will I get? | A real-time panel per hotel, plus the operation's aggregate figures on /data |

## Cityflow vs Bicelo

Bicelo is the other service that specializes in e-bikes for hotels in Spain. The core differences: Cityflow unlocks with the room key and locks itself if a guest forgets to close it; Bicelo uses its own app and a lock the guest closes by hand via Bluetooth. Cityflow offers optional charging stations; Bicelo doesn't offer any. With Cityflow, the hotel sets the guest's price; with Bicelo, the guest pays per ride in the app. The full comparison, with sources for every fact, is in [Cityflow vs Bicelo, buying a fleet or public bike-sharing](https://cityflow.app/en/blog/hotel-e-bike-rental-spain-cityflow-vs-bicelo).

## How is a hotel bike actually used?

It isn't a one-hour ride, it's everyday transport. Across Cityflow's operation (hotels, student residences and flex living together), the median rental lasts 8.3 hours, most bikes come back between 19:00 and 21:00, and 38.8% of guests rent more than once. These are the figures a hotel that already has the service can show. Figures and methodology are on [the operation's data page](https://cityflow.app/en/data).

## How do you get started?

1. Tell Cityflow how many rooms you have and whether your keys are NFC.
2. Cityflow checks your locks.
3. It proposes how many bikes to start with, the fee, and an example price for OTA guests; you decide the final price.
4. The bikes arrive at your door in your brand. From then on, Cityflow runs them.

Cityflow operates in 9 Spanish provinces: [Barcelona](https://cityflow.app/en/cities/barcelona), [Madrid](https://cityflow.app/en/cities/madrid), [Valencia](https://cityflow.app/en/cities/valencia), [Seville](https://cityflow.app/en/cities/seville), [Málaga](https://cityflow.app/en/cities/malaga), [Palma de Mallorca](https://cityflow.app/en/cities/palma), [Bilbao](https://cityflow.app/en/cities/bilbao), [Pamplona](https://cityflow.app/en/cities/pamplona) and [Salamanca](https://cityflow.app/en/cities/salamanca). If your hotel is in one of those provinces, [talk to sales](https://cityflow.app/en/hotels#contact).

## Frequently asked questions

### How does a hotel decide what the guest pays for the bike?

The hotel chooses the model. Cityflow's proposal: free for guests who booked on the hotel's own website, and a daily price for guests who arrived through an OTA, for example €10 a day. The price shows on screen before confirming, and the hotel sets it.

### How does the bike unlock?

With the room's NFC key: the guest taps the same card that opens their room and the bike unlocks. No app, no QR code, no code from reception. Before installing anything, Cityflow checks it works with the hotel's locks.

### What does the front desk have to do?

At most, plug the bikes in if the hotel has no charging stations. No handing out keys, no charging guests, no paperwork. If a guest has a problem, they message Cityflow, not the front desk.

### Are charging stations included?

No. They're optional and cost extra: with them, each bike charges as soon as it's parked in its dock. Without them, a power socket near where the bikes are parked is enough, and the hotel's team plugs them in.

### How is it different from Bicelo?

Cityflow unlocks with the room key, and if a guest forgets to lock it, the bike locks itself; Bicelo uses its own app and a lock the guest closes by hand. Cityflow offers optional charging stations; Bicelo doesn't. The full comparison is in Cityflow vs Bicelo.

### What should you ask a provider before you sign?

Who sets the guest's price, how the bike unlocks, what the front desk has to do, who pays for a breakdown or a theft, whether charging stations are included, whose brand is on the bike, whether there's a lock-in period, and what usage data you'll get.

### How much is a hotel bike actually used?

Across Cityflow's operation, the median rental lasts 8.3 hours, most bikes come back between 19:00 and 21:00, and 38.8% of guests rent more than once. The figures and method are on the data page.