Every hotel owner secretly fantasizes of having a property that operates without any employees or, more realistically, minimum staffing. The MaxHotel, the first in a new chain of economy hotels in Europe that opened recently in Brussels, takes the industry a step closer to that ideal.

The 63-room downtown property, which is part of the Belgium-based 3 Stars Hotel company, maximizes the use of technology to offer low rates (45 to 145 Euros) and a product that also includes several in-demand amenities: flat-screen TVs and free wireless Internet connections.

The key technology at the hotel is a self-serve check-in/out kiosk from French-based Ariane Systems. All guests pre-pay their rooms online and use lobby kiosks when they arrive to check-in, receive their keys and any incoming messages and information about the hotel and area. A reporting module included in the kiosk software has shown that 70 percent of guests complete the check-in process in 90 seconds or less.

“Our business approach for MaxHotel was very clear: simple plus smart comfort equals great value,” says Olivier Dubois, head of sales and marketing for 3 Stars Hotels. “To make this concept work from a sales perspective, key areas of the hotel's operation needed to be reviewed. We decided at MaxHotel, all staff functions would be reduced to a single property attendant. The kiosks have allowed us to combine staff functions in order to achieve that level of efficiency.”