What:
Starwood Hotels has launched SPG Keyless, which allows guests to learn their room numbers and unlock doors with their smartphones.
Why It Matters:
SPG Keyless is the hospitality industry’s first mobile keyless-entry system, helping hotel guests travel more efficiently by bypassing the front-desk experience completely. In addition to giving guests more control over their stay, SPG Keyless stands to lessen the demand for front-desk services, giving associates more time to customize guest experiences beyond the registration process. To use the program, travelers register their smartphones through the SPG App and allow push notifications. Then, approximately 24 hours prior to a hotel booking, guests will be invited to opt in to the system in order to receive room number information and a Bluetooth key. Doors will unlock when guests open their SPG App and hold their smartphone up to the door lock.
Fast Facts:
- SPG Keyless debuted at 10 hotels worldwide, including Aloft, Element and W Hotels sites in Beijing, Hong Kong, New York, Los Angeles and Doha, Qatar.
- Starwood plans SPG Keyless to be available on 30,000 doors in 150 hotels around the globe by early 2015.
- SPG Keyless is available to SPG members who book a hotel room through one of Starwood’s channels (hotel websites, SPG.com, the SPG app or customer contact centers).
- SPG Keyless is an evolution of Starwood’s Smart Check-In, another industry first that debuted at Aloft hotels in 2011 and allowed guests to bypass traditional check-in and access their rooms with a key card equipped with radio frequency identification (RFID).
What They Are Saying:
“Not only does SPG Keyless alleviate a perennial pain point for travelers, it also transforms the first interaction with our guests from one that is transactional to something more personal,” said Frits van Paasschen, president and chief executive officer for Starwood Hotels. “This is just the beginning because through mobile, we have the opportunity to marry high tech and high touch to transform the hotel experience in many exciting ways.”
The Details
SPG Keylesswww.spg.com/keyless
