Stockholm hotel starts cellphone check-in and room unlocking trial

by Scott Carmichael on

Swedish lock maker Assa Abloy may not be the first to develop a cellphone based hotel room key system, but with their live trial this month, they are the first to actually get a system in place.

Their technology allows hotel guests to check-in to the hotel, and use a special mobile phone to unlock their room. The system relies on a Samsung mobile phone with a built NFC chip, which uses the same kind of technology found in RFID credit cards.

During the trial, select customers of the Clarion Hotel in Stockholm will be given one of the phones, and after four month test period, the results will be evaluated.

The idea of completely keyless entry is interesting – but I’ve also had very good results with ATM style room key dispensers, especially since they can provide a key in under 30 seconds. As with all mobile phones, I’d hate to arrive at night, only to discover the the app has crashed, or that the battery has died. After the jump, you’ll find a video clip showing the system in action.

[Via: Engadget]

Keep your keycards – Souvenir tip

by Gadling Staff on

Most hotels now use keycards to unlock room doors (instead of keys). Some hotels suggest you return the keycard after your stay, or leave it in your hotel room.

However, you don’t have to do either of these things. Hotel keycards are deactivated as soon as your stay is complete, and you are free to take them if you wish.

Keycards can provide a fun memory of the hotels you’ve stayed in, and you can even show off your growing pile to admiring friends and family members.

Wooden hotel keycards to debut next week in Denver

by Meg Massie on

From changing linens and towels daily to keeping the air conditioner in every room turned to 55 degrees in the summer, hotels have been coming under fire for a long time over their wasteful use of resources. With the environment in the spotlight as the 2008 US Presidential election approaches, hotels are beginning to take steps toward better environmental practices.

This morning, Sustainable Cards, maker of the United States’ first wooden hotel keycards, announced that 70,000 biodegradable wooden keycards will be used in Denver hotels during next week’s Democratic National Convention.

Wooden keycards have been used in European hotels for almost ten years. Sustainable Cards argues that these keys are just as durable as the plastic versions, but unlike plastic, wood is renewable and biodegradable. Right now, it is estimated that hotels in the US produce 1,300 tons of waste each year from plastic keycards alone.

If you are one of the first Americans to use these eco-friendly keycards in Denver, Sustainable Cards wants your feedback on their website. Of course, we want to hear about it, too. Leave your comments with us, and if you want more hotels to embrace these biodegradable keycards, let them know about it, too. Fill out comment cards when you stay or send suggestions via hotel websites.