\nNEW YORK \u2014 Hotels don\u2019t want guests to have to linger at the front desk \u2014 or even stop by at all.<\/p>\n
\tNew programs are helping speed up the check-in process for busy travelers, or in at least one case, letting them go straight to their rooms by using their smartphone to unlock doors.<\/p>\n
\tThe innovations are still being tweaked as hotels scramble to catch up to airlines. Fliers today use their phones to check in, select seats and as a boarding pass. Hotels envision a similar relationship, with guests ultimately ordering poolside drinks via an app.<\/p>\n
\tStarwood Hotels and Resorts on Monday became the first chain to let guests unlock doors with their phones. The feature is available at only 10 Aloft, Element and W hotels but will expand to 140 more properties in those brands by the middle of next year.<\/p>\n
\tHilton Worldwide is the only other hotel chain to publicly acknowledge plans for mobile room keys \u2014 which it plans to roll out at the end of 2015 at more than 250 U.S. properties in its Hilton, Waldorf Astoria, Conrad and Canopy brands.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cGuests want this because it makes their lives simpler,\u201d says Mark Vondrasek, who oversees the loyalty program and digital initiatives for Starwood. \u201cThe ability to go right to your room, gives them back time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tOther hotel companies are finding other ways to streamline the arrival process.<\/p>\n
\tMarriott International launched the ability to check in through its app at 330 North American hotels last year. By the end of this year, the program will be live at all 4,000 hotels worldwide. When a room becomes available, a message is sent to the guest\u2019s phone. Traditional room keys are pre-programmed and waiting at the front desk. A special express line allows guests to bypass crowds, flash their IDs and get keys.<\/p>\n
\tAt Hilton, all 4,000 properties worldwide will have a similar check-in by the end of the year. The one added feature: Guests can use maps on the app to select a specific room.<\/p>\n
\tInterContinental Hotels Group is testing express check-in for its elite loyalty program members at 500 hotels, primarily in the U.S.<\/p>\n
\tThe services are geared toward road warriors who don\u2019t want to slow down, even for a second. Guests who like personal interaction can still opt for a more leisurely check-in, and hotel companies say the move isn\u2019t about cutting jobs.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cIf you\u2019re at the end of a long day, you might want a little less of a chatty experience. But if you\u2019re showing up at a new resort, you may want to know what the pool hours are,\u201d says Brett Cowell, vice president of information technology for Hyatt, which is testing permanent keys for frequent guests at six hotels.<\/p>\n
\tThe push isn\u2019t just about avoiding frustrating check-in lines. Hotels are trying to get more travelers comfortable using their mobile apps to interact. In some cases, that means using an iPad to request a wakeup call. But ultimately hotels would like to see people purchasing suite upgrades, spa treatments and room service though their phones and tablets \u2014 and at some point wearable devices like smartwatches.<\/p>\n
\tMarriott guests made $1.25 billion in bookings last year through its mobile app, according to George Corbin, senior vice president of digital for the company.<\/p>\n
\tSwitching to smartphone room keys won\u2019t be easy. Starwood\u2019s app communicates using a Bluetooth data connection. Each hotel room needs to have a new lock that can communicate with phones.<\/p>\n
\tThe top 15 hotel companies have more than 42,000 properties worldwide with a combined 5.2 million rooms, according to travel research firms STR and STR Global. Many hotels have made updates over the past few years, but they remain the minority.<\/p>\n
\tThen there is the issue of security. If there is knock on the door late at night and a guest goes to the peephole to see who is there, nobody wants the phone in their pocket to accidently unlock the door. That\u2019s why Starwood requires the phone to actually touch a pad on the outside of the door to open it.<\/p>\n
\tFinally, only one phone can be linked to a room at a time. So if two people are staying in the room, they still need to get a traditional key for the second traveler.<\/p>\n
\tMarriott says it is holding off on smartphone keys until all the potential bugs can be resolved.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cIf there was ever a moment that matters,\u201d Corbin says, \u201cit\u2019s the moment when you go up to your door and the key doesn\u2019t work.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tBut for the frequent business traveler, this might just be the time-saver they are looking for.<\/p>\n
\tBruce Craven spends about 100 nights a year on the road, traveling between his California home and New York where he does executive training programs and teaches at Columbia Business School. He\u2019s been testing Starwood\u2019s smartphone room key since March.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cIf you\u2019re traveling all the time, little things can take on a symbolic importance,\u201d Craven says. \u201cThis is one less thing that I need to think about.\u201d<\/p>\n
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