Keyless Hotel Entry

We see that the Holiday Inn Chain are trialing a new keyless application that is claimed to work on every cellphone on the market.

Guests at two Holiday Inn locations now have the option of bypassing the reception desk and opening their hotel doors with their phone.

The new app has been developed by OpenWays that works with more than 4 billion phones worldwide and can be integrated with all the major hotel e-lock brands.

So how does it work?

"The new app uses the speakers in your phone to emit a distinct sound (specific to your door) which is then picked up by the OpenWays technology in the lock. Because a sound can easily be recorded, the sound becomes obsolete the instant it is used. If recorded, and someone tries to use the recorded sound, the lock will reject the entry attempt. This is due to the latest in research in cryptography, where keycard data is wrapped in an "encrypted acoustic envelope," thus never compromising your safety. According to OpenWays, the sound is no louder than what you would normally hear over your phone, and the speaker is not necessary. And here's one added benefit: it doesn't waste any plastic on those pesky access cards, making this a greener technology.

Future capabilities of the app (possibly integrated with a hotel app) may include extending your nights at the hotel, ordering room service, and paying for it, too!"

Sounds like smart technology that regular travellers will appreciate AND apparently it saves the planet too!