Yzabelle Bostyn
A BRITISH expat businessman has expressed his concern over Spain’s new guest registration system at hotels and other accommodations.
IT professional and Lanzarote property owner, Scott Dobson, called the SES Hospedajes system ‘a minefield of complexity’ thanks to the multiple apps and digital certificates required.
“Most people just can’t get their heads around it. Especially if you’re not Spanish or don’t speak the language, it becomes very complicated very quickly,” he told the Olive Press.
“It’s overwhelming for a lot of people because almost none of them are IT literate. It’s not their job to be, they’re holiday property managers.”
The new system was first introduced in 2023, before becoming mandatory in December 2024.
It immediately caused uproar due to the amount of guest data requested, with the UK press warning it could spell the end of Spain’s tourism economy.
According to reports over 40 pieces of data are requested, but the only new mandatory information is the guest address and payment information.
Despite this, Dobson claims the average time to register guests has increased exponentially.
“The website itself is nowhere near as user friendly, so it takes a lot more time to add guest information,” said Dobson.
Guests consulted by the Olive Press, agreed with Dobson, saying: “I stayed at a hotel in Jaen last week and it took around five minutes to register each guest, it was ridiculous, I was queuing for ages.”
Since 2023, Dobson has been running an online support group for holiday rental owners with over 2,000 members.
“People had to start from scratch so the Facebook group is incredibly useful, it gives lots of tips and tricks,” he said.
Called simply ‘SES Hospedajes’, the group allows confused expats to ask questions about the new system.
The Preston native also runs a service called ‘Villa Check In’ which takes care of the guest registration process for owners.
