Once at the hotel, guests can skip the check-in line and go straight to their room, where their keycard will unlock the door. © Aloft Hotels
Practical und comfortable
After a successful pilot, Aloft Hotels will roll out its pioneering automatic check-in at five more hotels worldwide.
By the end of 2011 Aloft's Smart Check-In, the hotel industry's first such program, will let guests zoom to their rooms at Aloft Harlem, Aloft Brooklyn, Aloft Dallas Downtown, Aloft Jacksonville Tapestry Park and Aloft London. Here's how Smart Check-In works: Select Starwood Preferred Guest members who opt to participate receive a new enhanced radio frequency identification (RFID) keycard. On the day of a planned stay, a text message is sent to the guest's mobile device with their room number. Once at the hotel, guests can skip the check-in line and go straight to their room, where their keycard will unlock the door - giving guests control of their check-in experience in the palms of their hands. The RFID keycard may eventually act as an all-access pass throughout the Aloft stay, allowing guests for example to purchase cocktails and bites at the hotel's bar. The pilot program partner is VingCard Elsafe, a cutting-edge security technology leader for the hospitality industry. Smart Check-In made its debut last year. It caters to a new generation of guests who are interested in high-tech. Technology has been a vital component of the Aloft brand's DNA from day one, when their first hotel made its debut in virtual reality on Second Life.
