Following a successful pilot program at a pair of its properties, the Starwood hotel chain announced today the official launch of its SPG Keyless program that allows hotel guests to check in and even unlock their hotel room doors via their iPhones, or Android device.
The system will go live this Wednesday in ten hotels around the world under Starwood’s Aloft, Element, and W brands and expand to 150 hotel comprising 30,000 hotel room doors by the end of next year.
SPG members will be required to register their phone once via the SPG app, allowing push notifications. Following the booking of a reservation at a keyless property – approximately 24 hours prior to their scheduled arrival – SPG members will be invited to opt-in to SPG Keyless. Guests will receive a push notification noting that they are checked in and the SPG App will update with his/her room number and Bluetooth key when the room is ready.
When arriving at the hotel, the guest can completely avoid the front desk, and go directly to their room. Bluetooth must be enabled on the guest’s device, and after confirming that, the guest opens the SPG app, holds the smartphone up to the door lock, and waits for a solid green light that indicates they can now enter the room.
Starwood’s SPG: Starwood Hotels & Resorts app [DIRECT LINK] has been updated today to support the iPhone check-in program. Hotels in Beijing, Cancun, Cupertino, Harlem, Doha, Hollywood, Hong Kong, New York City, and Singapore will support the service in the initial stages of the rollout.
