Technology has truly changed the way we live our lives. Even in our day to day activities, technology has become a vital part. While it is still possible to function without the use of our smartphones and tablets, there will come a day when these will take over and dominate us humans (if they haven’t already).
Kidding aside, there is much to admire about the way developers continue to come up with ways to make our lives much easier. Earlier, Starwood Hotels launched its new SPG Keyless service, which enabled their hotel guests to make use of their iPhones and unlock their hotel rooms. With this, they no longer have to head to the front desk to pick up their key. This project was first announced by the hotel in January. And in just a few months, guests will be able to use the new development.
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After booking a reservation at a keyless hotel, SPG members are invited to opt-in to SPG Keyless and register their phone through the SPG App.
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Approximately 24 hours before arrival, the guest receives his/her room number and Bluetooth key via the app.
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Upon arrival at the hotel, the guest can completely bypass the front desk (where available) and go directly to his/her room.
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Then, after ensuring his/her Bluetooth is enabled, the guest simply opens the SPG App, taps the smartphone on the door lock, waits for the green light and enters the room.
According to reports, the app service will go live today across three of the hotels under the Starwood name: Element, Aloft, and The W. When asked on why these three hotels were chosen as the first to have the feature, the hotel group believes that these were the ‘obvious’ choices. Especially since the rooms in Aloft hotels were already equipped with Apple TV boxes attached to their 42-inch LCD TV screens, why shouldn’t they be the first to have the Keyless service?
Aloft, Element and W, which were a natural fit to pilot and begin rollout because of their commitment to tech-forward, design-savvy, and eco-friendly initiatives. Aloft Harlem, Aloft Cupertino, Aloft Beijing, Aloft Cancun, W New York – Downtown, W Hollywood, W Singapore, W Hong Kong, W Doha and Element Times Square will be the first ten hotels to implement the technology. Starwood will rapidly expand rollout in the first half of 2015 and, by the end of next year SPG Keyless will be in 30,000 doors in 150 hotels across the globe.
The SPG Keyless service is based on Bluetooth LE and will work on iPhone devices starting from the Apple iPhone 4S. In the event that your iPhone runs out of battery, hotel guests can still have access to a physical key.
Following Starwood Hotels initiative, Hilton Worldwide has also announced that they will be introducing their own smartphone key system on four of their brands: US Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Waldorf Astoria Hotels, and Canopy by Hilton. They will be introducing this service in Spring 2015.
Source: 9to5 Mac
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