Starwood hotel guests will be able to open their hotel room by turning the lock with their smartphone prior to the first fiscal quarter finishing The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.
"We believe this will become the new standard for how people will want to enter a hotel," Van Paasschen CEO at Starwood told The Journal. "It may be a novelty at first, but we think it will become table stakes for managing a hotel," Van Paaschen told The Journal.
Starwood is implementing the feature at its Aloft Hotels in Manhattan, and the Silicon Valley The Journal reported.
Guests will be able to undo the lock to their designated room with a digital key via a notification on the hotel chain's app The Journal reported.
"Everybody has to check in, but we are all doing it pretty much the same way we were 100 years ago," Christopher Nassetta, chief executive officer at Hilton Worldwide told The Journal. "It's something we are seriously addressing," Nassetta told The Journal.
Starwood will change the door locks to accommodate the new technology, and provide machines at hotel front entrances that allow guests to check-in electronically The Journal reported. Physical front desks are expected to remain in place.
"The hotel front desk is a bit a like a bartender," Robert Habeeb president of the First Hospitality Group told The Journal. "It can be an interaction people enjoy," Habeeb told The Journal.
The new technology is expected to be the most monumental change since free Wi-Fi became available in the 21st century The Journal reported. Starwood hopes to institute the upgrades in all of its 123 W and Aloft branded hotels before 2016.
The brand caters to youthful guests familiar with technology The Journal reported.
Marriot International has mobile check-in at 350 locations across the globe The Journal reported. The company plans to have another 150 hotels equipped with the service before summer.
