Phones to replace hotel keys?

The key card could become a thing of the past after a hotel chain announced it would allow guests to access their rooms using their smartphones. Instead of a key card, guests could download an application to their mobile device that would enable them to open their door simply by holding their phone to a sensor. If successful, this would mean that guests could choose to avoid the hassle of checking in at the front desk.

The technology is to be trialed at two hotels next month – at the Holiday Inn Chicago O’Hare Rosemont and the Holiday Inn Express Houston Downtown Convention Center, starting next month.

Bryson Koehler, an InterContinental Hotels group executive told USA Today: “The holy grail item for us is to simplify the room-key hand-off moment at the hotel.”We don’t need to burden people with additional items; it just clutters up their lives. The beauty of the smart phone is that they’ve already got it.” He said the technology would be compatible with most smartphones, including the iPhone, BlackBerry and Android phone.

Concerns: Does it alienate customers from the brand? After all, some guests, especially Baby Boomers, simply prefer human interaction and personal service. Younger generations, however, may be different, as Millenials and Gen Ys want removal from the connection to the front desk. “They’re totally fine because they’re connected through social media as they travel around, and connecting to the person behind the desk isn’t top of mind,” Koehler said.

We look forward to the test results and will report back later this summer.