Hilton Worldwide aims to swap out the tenured electronic room access swipe card for a smartphone by 2016. For now the hotel chain is beginning to rollout special check-in functions via digital devices.
No more leaving that hotel room choice up to the staff at the Hilton. The hotel chain is building a new digital system that will let visitors choose their own room, after viewing photos of available rooms, and access accounts before checking in using mobile devices from smartphones to laptops.
And by the end of 2016 the hotel plans to swap out those credit-card size room 'keys' and let visitors use their own smartphone, tablet or even laptop to access rooms.
The digital customer check-in process will be integrated at Hilton's 4,000 properties, according to a news report.
"For nearly a century, our guests have counted on us to consistently deliver exceptional experiences around the world, and in today's digitally connected culture, that means providing them with more choice and control over their hotel stay through technology," Christopher Nassetta, Hilton Worldwide's president and chief executive officer, said in a statement.
In 2016 the ability to unlock hotel rooms with smartphones should be in place, says the hotel chain.
Hilton says the digital access is in response to customer demand. A survey revealed that 84 percent of travelers want the ability to choose their own room.
"We are giving our guests the ability to do just that by enabling them to select not just their room type, but the exact location in the hotel, all the way down to their room number," said Geraldine Calpin, senior vice president and global head of digital at Hilton Worldwide
After choosing the room via a smartphone or tablet, hotel visitors will also be able to request upgrades and amenities such as extra pillows well before they arrive at the hotel.
"Travelers can use their smartphones as boarding passes to get to their seats on an airplane, so it is only natural that they will want to use them as a way to enter their hotel rooms," Nassetta said.
So within a few years it won't be a matter of leaving that swipe card at the hotel bar or the pool. You'll just have to remember not to leave your smartphone in the room.
