MCLEAN, Va.—Hilton Worldwide is opening more doors for its guests through the scaled deployment of its mobile-enabled room key. Beginning in late spring of 2015, Hilton HHonors members staying at U.S. properties of the Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, and Canopy by Hilton brands can simply and securely use their smartphones to access their rooms.
In July, Hilton Worldwide debuted digital check-in with room selection technology, now available at more than 3,700 hotels, and worldwide by the end of this year. This technology enables Hilton HHonors members to check in via their HHonors profile on desktop, mobile, or tablet and choose the exact location of their room, down to the room number. Mobile-enabled room key goes a step further, allowing travelers to check-in, choose their room, and access their room upon arrival entirely via the HHonors app on their smartphone.
“Our mobile room key technology gives our guests greater choice and control over their entire experience,” said Geraldine Calpin, global head of digital at Hilton Worldwide. “Never before has a hotel guest been able to check-in, select their room from a digital floor plan, request items to be ready upon arrival, and then access their room via their smartphone and find it exactly the way they requested it.”
Hilton is rolling out the technology in three phases across all U.S. properties of four brands. Pilot testing will take place at 10 U.S. properties in early 2015. Mobile room key will be enabled at all U.S. properties of Conrad Hotels & Resorts beginning early 2015. The rollout will continue across the U.S. properties of Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, and Canopy by Hilton properties beginning in summer 2015.
First available on the Apple and Android versions of the Hilton HHonors mobile app, guests can use their smartphone to access other areas of each property that require a room key, such as the fitness center, executive floors, elevators, and parking facilities, among others. Looking ahead to 2016, Hilton plans to deploy the technology at scale across 11 brands globally.
The company is delivering the global deployment of Hilton’s digital check-in with room selection functionality one month ahead of schedule. “Room selection will be rolled out in its entirety by the end of this November at more than 4,100 properties globally,” Calpin said.
Since the launch of room selection this summer, one-third of eligible guests have already used the function. “We are providing guests with the digital tools they desire. We expect high adoption of mobile room key, just as we’ve seen with room selection,” Calpin said.
