Hilton plans to completely replace room keys with smartphones by 2016

[Justin Kahn]

Hilton Worldwide has been investing heavily in upgrading its various hotel locations with smart features and it plans to continue to do so with even more extensive smartphone integration. By 2016, all Hilton (and Hilton owned) hotel locations will offer customers the ability to use their smartphones as room keys. Hilton plans to  have the tech implemented across all 4,100 of its business locations within the next two years.

While it will still be some time before we see the end of the classic plastic card solution, The Wall Street Journal reports that customers will be able to check-in as well as book and choose specific rooms (along with location previews) within the next month or so. 

While certainly not the most unique technology, Hilton feels its jump to being a fully smart device friendly destination will pull it ahead of its competitors. However, competitors like Starwood feel the same way and have already begun looking at similar technologies. We reported earlier this year that Starwood was launching a smartphone door key pilot program in Manhattan and Cupertino.

According to reports, the company has already dished out $550 million on becoming more of a tech friendly business over the last 7 years with as much as tens of millions into the smartphone check-in proposition. Already in place across many locations, it sounds like it wont be long before features like this come standard with any vacation or hotel stay.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/57551-hilton-plans-to-completely-replace-room-keys-with-smartphones-by-2016.html

 

[davislane1]

I predict this will make bad press in the future when Hilton is in the news answering for an outbreak of property thefts at "smart" locations.

 

[BlueDrake]

Pretty much the smarter you make things in the end, will usually result in a targeted effort to be exploited. Yes you have everything handing out info, or whatever it happens to do. What's going to stop those from finding holes in the security, and exploiting it for their own gain?

You make things 'better' for quality of life, but you also often leave things open for exploits too. Many think of one side of the coin, but then ignore the other side of the coin and the problems it can entail.

 

[Guest]

My, "here are the keys to my room" trick won't work anymore

Hot ladies lament.

 

[tonylukac]

As I've said a lot lately, dumb. My deceased friend martin didn't even know how to turn a dumbphone on and off. Neither does a relative who will remain nameless.

 

[HellcatM]

"Hilton plans to completely replace room keys with smartphones by 2016"

and the reality which you put in the article

"By 2016, all Hilton (and Hilton owned) hotel locations will offer customers the ability to use their smartphones as room keys. "

Are two different things. One seems like click bate and the other is reality. Now the thing is if you would have said the realty in your headline I would have still read it because it would have been just as interesting to me but I clicked it because I knew there had to be more to it because not everyone has a smartphone yet and if they didn't have the plastic cards anymore that would kill a nice portion of their business.

 

[wastedkill]

So how would you give a nice lass your key to your room? lol

 

[Chazz]

This is Hilton's underhand way of supporting hackers! They'll be giving them free rooms starting 2016!

 

[davislane1]

So how would you give a nice lass your key to your room? lol

You don't. You look her dead in the eye, smile (cocky like), and tell her to give you hers.

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

So how would you give a nice lass your key to your room? lol

I'd say a lass who accepts the key to your room (not you personally) can't be classified as a nice lass. **tongue in cheek**

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

The headline of the article is a bit misleading, before reading it I interpreted as instead of them handing you keys or a card, they'd hand you a smartphone instead.