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Digital Room Keys – Innovative or Unnecessary?

ByDW
A hand is holding a smartphone displaying a digital key interface. The screen shows the text "Your Room" at the top, with a large green circle in the center containing the text "Touch to Unlock" and a padlock icon. The background is dark brown.

I have never been handed a plastic hotel room key and thought to myself, “how inconvenient!” Man lugging this thing around is going to be such a hassle…

Well, in the past couple years in an effort to fix a problem you never thought you had, hotels began implementing “keyless entry” or “digital keys” in order to replace the plastic keycards we know and love! I am just not sure digital hotel keys serve a purpose, provide an advantage, or are really even necessary… other than for the hotel property to be able to state “We have digital hotel keys!” for anyone that may care about that?

A hand is holding a hotel key card. The card has text in both Spanish and English. The Spanish text reads "MAS DE 200 HOTELES MARAVILLOSOS ALREDEDOR DEL MUNDO," and the English text reads "MORE THAN 200 GREAT HOTELS ALL AROUND THE WORLD." The card also has the logo and name "FOUR POINTS BY SHERATON" at the bottom. The background shows a tiled floor and part of a person's shoe. A hand is holding a hotel key card and a small booklet or card with the word "EDITION" printed on it. The hand is positioned in front of an elevator control panel with illuminated buttons.

I won’t be giving up on these bad boys any time soon!

We live in a digital age…

I get it! Keyless and touch-free offerings are on the rise and are only climb as time goes on! The idea of a hotel key on your mobile phone was all the rage a couple years ago, but in current practice (led by Starwood and Hilton programs) I think they flop hard and have failed to ever really catch on.

And while I am currently unsure on digital hotel keys, just to prove that I am hip and cool with other mobile offerings – I am all for…

Digital Boarding Passes – I am a BIG FAN ever since 5 years back when I lost my boarding pass going through security in Atlanta as I was rushing to a catch a flight! I was able to pull up my boarding pass on phone while riding the ATL “Plane Train” and have been all mobile boarding pass ever since!

Starbucks touch free payments… OH YA! Link your rewards card, load money onto your account, and scan your phone with each purchase. Simple, easy, fast – my cup o’ tea… er coffee!

Apple Pay (and Other Touch-free Payments) – ApplePay… meh, for me so far, but I recognize the potential! That said, what is the point of having METAL credit cards if I am not able to flash them during checkout and impress the unsuspecting cashier!?

The image is of an American Express Platinum credit card. The card features a detailed design with the American Express logo at the top, the word "PLATINUM" below it, and an image of a Roman centurion in the center. The card also displays a chip on the left side, a number "7997" on the right side, and the name "C F FROST" at the bottom left. The number "95" is also visible on the right side of the centurion image.
MY CARD IS METAL = I AM IMPORTANT (in my own mind)

Do Digital Keys Provide Efficiency?

Touch free should be more efficient… right?

The driving thought behind big brand hotel;s mobile check-in and digital key offerings is (or at least should be) improving traveler efficiency – especially as it relates to business travelers. Guests should be able to bypass the check-in counter altogether and have no interruption from curbside to hotel bed!

But, if you never encounter a hotel employee (like you would at a check-in desk)… What about room upgrades? And what about free water bottles for elites? What about DoubleTree cookies!?

Hmm…

Do Digital Keys Provide Security?

Are digital hotel keys more secure that the traditional plastic keycards? Great question! I am not a security expert and really don’t have a definitive answer…

In Hilton’s case, the digital keys operate via Bluetooth signal sent between the lock and your smartphone. In the FAQ Hilton goes on to says that this Bluetooth signal is “super secure,” so it seems that they believe the security to be on in line or better than standard practice.

The image is a screenshot of a FAQ section related to Digital Keys. It lists twelve questions, each with a dropdown arrow to expand for more information. The questions are: 1. What can I do with my Digital Key? 2. When do I get my Digital Key? 3. Can I still use a standard key? 4. How does it actually work? 5. What if there are multiple guests per room? 6. Where will I find my Hilton Honors benefits? 7. What if my smartphone is lost or stolen? 8. What if I need to arrive early? 9. What if I decide to stay longer? 10. Who is eligible to use Digital Key? 11. Can I use Digital Key on an iPad? 12. Having trouble?

How secure is “super” secure, you ask?

…

The image shows a four-story hotel building with a sign that reads "Courtyard" at the top. In front of the hotel, there is an outdoor swimming pool surrounded by a fence. There are lounge chairs and umbrellas around the pool area. The sky is partly cloudy, and there is greenery, including bushes and trees, around the hotel.
Image courtesy of the DoubleTree Hotel Livermore

My Experience – Digital Keys are Unnecessary

I recently traveled to California on business and had the “pleasure” of staying at the Doubletree Hilton in Livermore. It was a basic no frills Doubletree, but it happened to offer Hilton’s digital check-in and digital room key!

The image is a screenshot of a mobile app interface for a hotel reservation at DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Livermore. The top section shows the reservation details, including the dates (Sunday, 12th February to Monday, 13th February), the hotel name, address (720 Las Flores Rd, Livermore, CA, 94551), and phone number (+1-925-443-4950). Below this, there is a highlighted green box with a key icon and the text "Digital Key - Your key is ready to use." Other options visible on the screen include "Favorite This Room," "Floor Plan," "Check-in time: 3 PM, Check-out time: 12 PM," "My Stay," "Hotel Info," and "Tell us about your stay." The bottom navigation bar has icons for "Home," "Stay," "Account," "Offers," and "More." The image shows a smartphone screen displaying a hotel room key app with a green screen indicating that the room is "Unlocked." The phone is being held in a hand. Above the phone, there is a digital door lock with a green light. At the top of the image, there is a message that reads, "Check in Complete. Would you like to use your iPhone as a key to your room?" with two buttons below it labeled "DECIDE LATER" and "YES." There is also a "LEARN MORE" button at the bottom left corner of the image.

I took advantage of both, not because I wanted to, but because I thought it might be interesting to see what it was all about!

It wasn’t.

While the mobile check-in and digital room key features seem to have worked… I just couldn’t bring myself to fully trust the effectiveness of the mobile check-in, so I ended up at the check-in counter despite the “efficiency”offerings…

PLUS – I wanted a free Doubletree cookie! (Which are delicious… and also over 300 calories apiece! Who woulda thunk!?)

And was even given a spare plastic hotel key card – “in case the digital key didn’t work…

Spoiler Alert – The digital key worked just fine.

The image shows a hallway in a hotel or apartment building with white walls and a patterned carpet. There are two white doors on the right side of the hallway, each with a door handle and a small plaque or number above the handle. The hallway is well-lit with ceiling lights. The image shows a close-up of a modern door handle with an electronic lock. The handle is metallic and has a sleek, curved design. Above the handle, there is a rectangular black electronic lock mechanism, likely used for keycard access. The door itself appears to be white.

The image shows a smartphone screen displaying an app interface for unlocking a door. At the top, there is a green button labeled "Pool Access." Below that, it says "Room 118" and "Floor 1" in green text. In the center of the screen, there is a large circular button with a green outline and a lock icon. Inside the button, it says "Touch to Unlock." At the bottom left, there is a label "Key manager," and at the bottom right, there is an orange button labeled "Help." The time displayed at the top of the screen is 8:32 PM, and the battery is at 36%. The image shows a smartphone screen with an app interface. At the top, it displays the time "7:49 AM" and the battery level at 93%. Below that, it says "Room 118" and "Floor 1" in green text. In the center of the screen, there is a large green circle with the word "Unlocking" and a white padlock icon inside it. There is a small "X" in the top right corner of the screen, likely to close the app or go back.

Final Thought – Will Digital Keys Ever Catch On?

The in person check-in/plastic key card paradigm is going to be a tough one to break. Only when we see the cost of maintaining digital key systems and security dip below the cost of thousands of plastic key cards, then I think we may actually see significant shifts in the key space…

I’ll try anything once (within reason and legal parameters), and did in the case of digital keys during my recent Doubletree Hilton Livermore stay. I have no desire to use it again.

Am I missing some value-add here? Does anyone out there actually use digital key offerings? Or are digital keys just an unnecessary offering/change provided by hotels?

Happy Touch-free Travels!

DW

 The image shows a simple white line drawing of a paper airplane on a blue circular background.

5 Comments

  1. I can answer your question about free water bottles for elites, at least where I’ve stayed. They put them in your room when you choose a digital key. And if you also stop by the front desk, you’ll get double…

    So far, I love the digital key. One less thing to keep up with. No more “You must have put your key in the same pocket as your cell phone” nonsense.

    I’m a fan.

    Reply

    1. Thanks for the input! Nice to see someone is putting them to use! And nice hack on the free water bottles 🙂

      What about DoubleTree cookies though!?

      Reply

      1. Yeah, I forgot to mention that my experience is with Hilton. Have done it at Hampton Inn Downton San Diego and at Hilton Miami Airport.

        Reply

    1. Tell me about it! DT is generally not my go to… but I knew I wanted Hilton given my status, but when in Livermore, California, your alternatives are limited…

      Reply

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