Two Holiday Inn properties have officially started letting guests use their Apple iPhone, Blackberry or Android smart phone as a 21st-Century room key, enabling customers to bypass the front desk.
Here is what the system is all about:
IHG is piloting a real world application of OpenWays, the hospitality industry’s first mobile-based front desk bypass solution, which we are calling MobileKey, at The Holiday Inn & Suites Chicago O’ Hare Rosemont and The Holiday Inn Express Houston Downtown Convention Center.
The purpose of the MobileKey pilot is to test the OpenWays technology and see if it effectively provides our guests with check-in options. Guests choose whether they want to be able to use their cell phone as their room key or check-in at the front desk and get a standard room key.
The pilot began in September and will run for at least three months. During this time, we will evaluate how our guests use and respond to MobileKey, and assess whether the technology delivers a quality guest experience.
This pilot is a part of the ongoing work we do to look at future technologies, and understand what our guests want now and will want in the future. MobileKey is also a step toward continuing to go green and reducing the number of plastic keys produced.
Here is the video
Editor | I think it is brilliant.
I actually left a comment for the tech team on the IHG blog too.
Now if only an app could tell the staff what I like and dont like!!