NEW YORK—One concept that’s created a big buzz recently in the hospitality space is the idea of mobile check-in and keyless entry. And, while several lock vendors showcased their technological advances at this year’s Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC), there have been some developments since then that bring us closer to making keyless entry a reality.
Both Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. and Hilton Worldwide have made strides in their plans to introduce keyless entry. In early November, Starwood’s loyalty program, Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG), introduced SPG Keyless, its mobile keyless-entry system that is powered by Assa Abloy, in 10 hotels across the Aloft, Element and W Hotels brands: Aloft Beijing; Aloft Cancun; Aloft Cupertino; Aloft Harlem; W Doha; W Hollywood; W Hong Kong; W New York-Downtown; W Singapore; and Element Times Square. According to the company, SPG Keyless will be available on 30,000 doors in 150 hotels worldwide across those three brands in early 2015.
Additionally, Hilton HHonors members staying at U.S. properties of Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts and Canopy by Hilton will be able to use keyless entry beginning in late spring of 2015, following the company’s rollout of digital check-in with room selection last summer. Available on both the Apple and Android versions of the Hilton HHonors mobile app, smartphones will be able to open guestroom doors and other areas of the hotel, such as the fitness center, executive floors, elevators and parking facilities. In 2016, Hilton plans to deploy the technology at scale across 11 brands globally.
With major brands already on board, it’s not surprising that Alastair Cush, Kaba’s director of product marketing, called 2015 “the year of mobile” at the recent International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show (IHMRS).
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“Mobile key is what everyone wants to talk about; it’s really taken off since HITEC,” he reported. “I think we’re all doing test sites and our first customer installations right now, so it’s exciting times. We are implementing mobile key across all markets, but hospitality is a huge focus for us right now because that’s where that customer wants to go.”
“Everybody is reaching out to us,” agreed Cris Davidson, VP, key accounts, Assa Abloy Hospitality. “Door locks are going the way of TVs. Five years ago, TVs were an FF&E purchase. Now, it’s technology because of integration. Door locks were FF&E but are becoming technology because there’s integration into energy management. You have to have a whole infrastructure in place and the right networks—it’s becoming a true technology.”
Davidson noted that hotel owners and guests definitely understand the value of keyless entry. “What they don’t understand is all of the technology behind it,” he said. “People think it’s ‘I download something on my phone and it works.’ No, there’s a lot of infrastructure in place. Do they have the end-to-end infrastructure with security?”
Cush agreed, noting that traditional magstripe and RFID locks and keycard systems operate in a closed environment. “When I’m sending a key to a mobile device, I’m sending it over a third-party network and I’m keeping it on a mobile phone, so it’s open. That’s where the lock vendor comes in. They ensure the security of getting the key to the phone and the security of keeping the key secure,” he said.
Kaba recently released a white paper aimed at helping hoteliers understand secure mobile key solutions. “It’s really just to identify some of the conversations that have to take place as the keys move from plastic, front desk, traditional methodology to mobile deployment. The technology is getting there and hotel operations need to get there,” said Cush.
According to Kaba, there are three steps hotels need to take to assess their own readiness for keyless entry. First, answer these questions: Is your property equipped with RFID door locks? (If it’s not, the retrofit upgrade cost should be factored into the decision.) Is there a demand from your guests for secure mobile access, and will mobile add value? Then, hotels must identify their motivation for going mobile and, finally, evaluate the implementation process for a secure mobile strategy.
There are six initial steps to do this, according to Kaba: 1) Open a dialogue with the property management system (PMS) vendor to evaluate the criteria needed to develop a fully functional mobile key interface; 2) Develop a process with the PMS vendor that addresses your company’s policies to manage and message visual check-ins on day of arrival; 3) Verify that your loyalty program is able to interact with guests who book rooms and check in or out via the secure mobile access function on the hotel app; 4) Analyze the impact of secure mobile access on other systems, such as the central reservation system; 5) Evaluate app development; and 6) Finally, address non-technology issues, such as marketing communication, security procedures, legal issues and issuing additional keys for non-mobile-using guests and children.
While there are certainly infrastructure issues to work on, Davidson noted that mobile isn’t a fad that will go away. “The hotel industry is changing,” he said, noting that many in leadership positions come from a generation where mobility is king. “That’s the reason why technology is taking off. They demand technology, where the older generation did not. We’re not laggards anymore in the industry,” he said. “That’s a major driving force of it. Most everybody now is going to an airport and bypassing check-in with their phone. You’re becoming used to it, so why not do it in the hotel world?”
And while technology usually starts in the luxury segment and trickles down, Davidson said that the interesting thing about mobile is that most segments are looking at it. “I’ve gone to conferences the last seven weeks, and any of the limited-service hotels—it doesn’t matter what brand—they’re saying, ‘How do I get this?’ They understand it’s the buzz in the industry.
“You’ve got the cool factor at a trendy hotel,” he continued. “You’ve got the functionality where the road warriors are staying at. They stay at the same hotel every week or every other week. They don’t need to go to the front desk. Then, there are the convention hotels. If you go to some of the casinos in Vegas, you could be standing in line two hours to register. What’s the guest experience?”
Osamu “Tani” Tanizaki, general manager of Miwa Lock Co., Ltd., noted the lodging industry is enthusiastic regarding the newest advancements in keyless access control including the use of smartphones in the hospitality and multi-housing industries. One of the solutions Miwa has in development involves Bluetooth communication, which simplifies guest interaction with the Miwa lockset and offers increased key-credential security, he said. Tanizaki noted, “The lodging industry is still purchasing some magnetic stripe locks, but the trend is definitely focused on RFID and advanced mobile solutions.”
All agreed that mobile will have a relatively quick adoption. “Some chains really have had a mobile strategy for a long time, so it’s just a nice add-on to that,” said Cush. “For some other chains, mobile credential will be a catalyst to really go mobile. Different customers in different market segments will take to it quicker.”
“I think it’s going to be very quick relative to the amount of infrastructure,” added Davidson. “That’s going to take time. The average independent hotel is not going to have it for quite a while, but it’s not something that’s 10 years out. I think, in the next two years, you’re going to see massive penetration. That’s not a very long period.”