Starwood Hotels today officially launched its SPG Keyless service, allowing guests to skip check-in and use their iPhone, Droid, or Apple Watch (coming later in 2015) to unlock their hotel room doors. There are currently only 10 properties participating, however in 2015 all Aloft, Element, and W hotels and resorts are scheduled to launch SPG Keyless. Note that Apple TVs are already connected to the LCD screens in all Aloft hotels.
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.
Here’s how it will work:
1. 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.
2. Approximately 24 hours before arrival, the guest receives his/her room number and Bluetooth key via the app.
3. Upon arrival at the hotel, the guest can completely bypass the front desk (where available) and go directly to his/her room.
4. 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.
Yes, the keyless entry works based on Bluetooth and not NFC, meaning you don’t need the latest iPhone to take advantage of the feature (iPhone 4s and up). However, it appears that only reservations made for no more than one room will work with the feature, not reservations for multiple rooms.
Lots of good questions answered in the FAQ here, or check out the full PR.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6yb2TprJkc
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