Audio Hotel Room Keys To Debut In Holiday Inns

Holiday Inn Hotels looks to be the first chain to implement OpenWays' Crypto Accoustic Credentials guestroom access system, USA Today's Barbara De Lollis reports.

I wrote about the OpenWays system back in the January issue of HOTELS. In short, the technology sends an encrypted, unique audio code to a guest's phone prior to check-in. When played back outside the guestroom, the signal unlocks the door, letting the guest skip the front desk—guests would also receive a text message with their room assignments—while also eliminating the need for keycards, which is green and saves money.

According to De Lollis' story, the Holiday Inn pilot program will require participating guests—and yes, participation is optional—to download a special smartphone app in order to receive and use the aural guestroom keys. But the OpenWays system is theoretically designed to work with any mobile device, assuming it has a speaker and can receive messages, meaning that even "dumb" phones could be compatible.

The potential benefits for Holiday Inn in implementing OpenWays are several.

First off, the technology will be marketed as a cutting-edge guest amenity, drawing the kind of tech-forward transients that tend to be some of the highest spending hotel guests per capita.

Secondly, because Holiday Inn will require participating guests to register online in advance, that could translate into increased revenue via channel shift—that is, extra motivation to book on the brand site rather than a third-party site.

Furthermore, because guests will have to provide an active mobile phone number in order to access the technology, Holiday Inn gets an easy way to build a highly targeted and accurate mobile marketing database.

If enough guests take advantage of the technology, the need for front desk staffing would be reduced, saving on payroll or allowing workers to be reassigned to meet other guest service needs. And from an environmental standpoint, every guest who uses a mobile device to unlock their doors means one less plastic keycard that inevitably ends up in the trash.

And it is a relatively cost-friendly upgrade for Holiday Inn. Installation costs range from US$15 to US$55 per key, according to OpenWays CEO Pascal Metivier, and existing locks can be upgraded without needing to be replaced.

As for the system's security, Metivier told me OpenWays is at least as secure as a keycard. Like with a keycard, the unique audio key becomes obsolete upon checkout. Additionally, hotel staff have the ability to track guestroom access remotely and to cancel the audio keys in real time.

The pilot will launch in June at Holiday Inn Chicago O'Hare Rosemont and the Holiday Inn Express Houston Downtown Convention Center, De Lollis reports.