Guests arriving at the Aloft Hotel in Manhattan or Silicon Valley will soon have a new way of checking into their hotel room. Instead of going to the front desk, guests can stroll right into their room, using their smartphone as as a room key.Guests who enter a participating hotel will receive a message on their iPhone via the hotel’s app. Bluetooth technology will allow the guests to tap or twist the phone to unlock the door to their room. The new technology will be installed at two hotels that are part of the Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide. One hotel in Harlem, NY and one in Cupertino, CA will be part of the pilot program. The technology will work with the iPhone 4s or newer. Starwood’s CEO Frits van Paasschen believes “this will become the new standard for how people will want to enter a hotel,” but not everyone is convinced. Robert Habeeb, president of the First Hospitality Group, says his hotels have dabbled with automatic check-in methods, but none have been successful because people actually enjoy the check-in. The hotel front desk is a bit a like a bartender,” Mr. Habeeb says. “It can be an interaction people enjoy.” Starwood is not deterred by the naysayers and plans to roll out the technology in all its 123 properties by the end of the year. [Via WSJ] Continue reading
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