Hotel Check-In? Forget About It!
This is a topic that excited me and scares me at the same time.
Anyone that is familiar with me and my taste already knows that I love to come up with occasions to stay at a hotel. For the last few years I have been celebrating birthdays, new years, anniversaries, Valentine's Days, and whatever other days I can deem appropriate in hotel rooms. My absolute favorite family is the Starwood Hotel family. From Aloft, to the Westin, The W Hotel and Four Points, to Sheraton, I can't say that I have ever had less than exceptional service. I have always been a fan of the ambiance of these boutique hotels: They are clean, the service is awesome, as a preferred guest I feel like I matter, and most of all, Starwood hotels are modern.
Starwood hotels are known for innovation. Aside from having an application that allows users to keep up with membership points and book stays are hotels and resorts worldwide, Starwood will soon be releasing and iPhone application that will allow guests to unlock their rooms using their smart phones.The locks will use "Bluetooth proximity keys" in order to give guests access to their rooms (http://appleinsider.com). This would allow guests to bypass the check in and check out process completely. The program will be piloted at two of the Starwood's "hot spots", The Aloft Hotel in Manhattan and the Aloft Hotel in Silicon Valley, before the end of the quarter (http://online.wsj.com). The application will be available to users operating an iPhone 4S, 5, 5C, or 5S, and Android users running on 4.3 and newer.
Starwood is not the first to try to integrate technology with their check-in processes to reduce service times, but they will be the first to implement a "keyless" entry. Marriott International and InterContinental both allow guest to check-in using a phone, tablet, or kiosk, but they still have to report to a separate front desk in order to pick up their keys (http://online.wsj.com).
For those that enjoy the interaction and personalization of checking into a hotel in a traditional manner, the new technology will not eliminate the "front desk" concept. But, there are other concerns other than a desired personal interaction with hotel employees. It will be interesting to see how Starwood will try to eliminate security risks: What happens if a guest loses or misplaces their cell phone? Will Starwood be able to remotely deactivate the "key"? Also, what happens if there are technical difficulties? Will the boutique hotels have staff on-site that will be able to troubleshoot and resolve issues with the Bluetooth lock technology?
Although there are several risks, barriers, and issues to consider, Starwood officials are confident that this virtual key technology will win over guests especially as more people become reliant on their smart phones.
Anyone that is familiar with me and my taste already knows that I love to come up with occasions to stay at a hotel. For the last few years I have been celebrating birthdays, new years, anniversaries, Valentine's Days, and whatever other days I can deem appropriate in hotel rooms. My absolute favorite family is the Starwood Hotel family. From Aloft, to the Westin, The W Hotel and Four Points, to Sheraton, I can't say that I have ever had less than exceptional service. I have always been a fan of the ambiance of these boutique hotels: They are clean, the service is awesome, as a preferred guest I feel like I matter, and most of all, Starwood hotels are modern.
Starwood hotels are known for innovation. Aside from having an application that allows users to keep up with membership points and book stays are hotels and resorts worldwide, Starwood will soon be releasing and iPhone application that will allow guests to unlock their rooms using their smart phones.The locks will use "Bluetooth proximity keys" in order to give guests access to their rooms (http://appleinsider.com). This would allow guests to bypass the check in and check out process completely. The program will be piloted at two of the Starwood's "hot spots", The Aloft Hotel in Manhattan and the Aloft Hotel in Silicon Valley, before the end of the quarter (http://online.wsj.com). The application will be available to users operating an iPhone 4S, 5, 5C, or 5S, and Android users running on 4.3 and newer.
Starwood is not the first to try to integrate technology with their check-in processes to reduce service times, but they will be the first to implement a "keyless" entry. Marriott International and InterContinental both allow guest to check-in using a phone, tablet, or kiosk, but they still have to report to a separate front desk in order to pick up their keys (http://online.wsj.com).
For those that enjoy the interaction and personalization of checking into a hotel in a traditional manner, the new technology will not eliminate the "front desk" concept. But, there are other concerns other than a desired personal interaction with hotel employees. It will be interesting to see how Starwood will try to eliminate security risks: What happens if a guest loses or misplaces their cell phone? Will Starwood be able to remotely deactivate the "key"? Also, what happens if there are technical difficulties? Will the boutique hotels have staff on-site that will be able to troubleshoot and resolve issues with the Bluetooth lock technology?
Although there are several risks, barriers, and issues to consider, Starwood officials are confident that this virtual key technology will win over guests especially as more people become reliant on their smart phones.
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