[HIB]Holiday Inn Lets Your Smartphone Be Your Room Key

[newsbot]

Intercontinental Hotel Group recently announced that they are testing a product that will let your smartphone be your room key. Basically, the hotel guest would hold up their phone to the lock and the technology sends an encrypted, unique audio code to a guest’s phone prior to check-in. When played back outside the guestroom, the signal unlocks the door, letting the guest skip the front desk. According to USA Today, the program will be tested beginning next month at the Holiday Inn Chicago O’Hare Rosemont and the Holiday Inn Express Houston Downtown Convention Center, and if successful would roll out to about 20% of Holiday Inn’s properties. The initial test time is for 60 to 90 days beginning in June. Once feedback is received and the test is over, IHG will determine whether or not to continue with this program. The keyless lock system is part of a program called OpenWays. Guests would need to preregister on the Holiday Inn website and then their key information would be sent to them the day of check-in. A few thoughts from a 17-year hotel veteran come to mind. This could potentially become a huge part of a “greening of hotels” effort as significantly less money would need to be spent on key packets and plastic keys as well.

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