Testimonial provided by Jim Gist, Principal Advisor, Integrated Resort Advisors.
Industry Experience
I’ve spent my career designing, deploying, and operating integrated resorts. Based in Draper, I advise companies including Unifi Labs, Cypher, Teem, and K4, and I founded mybluprint.com. My background spans being a licensed California Low Voltage Contractor (1991–1996), THX Theatre Designer, and ISF Certified engineer. I’ve designed and programmed control systems for marquee projects such as Disney and CityCenter Las Vegas (ARIA and Mandarin Oriental). I hold multiple U.S. patents, including the Secure Device Discovery Protocol (SDDP) and Automation Control of Electronic Devices. I have been involved with CEDIA since 1990, and have been a Vistage member since 2013. My focus is strategic planning, sales, and business development—bringing artistic engineering to every engagement.
Success at Resorts World Las Vegas
From an integrated hotel technologies standpoint, I look for solutions that measurably improve how properties are designed, deployed, and operated. Several months ago, we partnered with Alliants to implement wallet-based digital keys on iPhone and Apple Watch. That work culminated in a major deployment at Resorts World Las Vegas in early 2025.
The results were a highlight at HITEC Indianapolis 2025. Stakeholders from the Resorts World project—dormakaba, Alliants, me, and another hotelier—shared our experience on a packed panel. There’s been plenty of talk about digital keys over the years; this was the moment the stars aligned and the industry started adopting at scale.
The Challenge
The challenge was familiar: hotels are pitched countless gadgets that rarely deliver on the promise. We approached the project skeptically. Resorts World needed tangible efficiencies—faster, smoother check-in and guest flows—while integrating the consumer technologies guests already use, like Apple Wallet. Success required multiple platforms to synchronise flawlessly, not just a single app or device.
The Solution
The team at Alliants really delivered on what they said, which is seldom found today. After going live, digital key adoption increased by three to five times compared to prior efforts. The solution improved operational efficiency, unlocked better back-end analytics, and—most importantly—made the experience more convenient for guests.
Security also took a meaningful step forward. Traditional keycards can be lost or expose room numbers; Apple and Google wallet-based keys add stronger security and enable controlled key sharing. Combined with modern locksets, the overall system is more secure and guest-friendly. As a traveller, I appreciate spending less time on things that shouldn’t take time.
In a tight labour market, technology that elevates the guest experience while optimising staff productivity is the winning formula. Training, staffing, and timing are challenging; tools that build efficiency help hoteliers run more effective operations. That’s exactly what we achieved by partnering with Alliants on this project.
Award Winner
In recognition of this digital achievement, Parks Associates and Smart Spaces 2025, Apartments, Hospitality, and Community Living, presented their 2025 Property Innovation Award to Resorts World Las Vegas, Genting Group, in collaboration with dormakaba Americas and Alliants. This event took place Sept. 17 at the beautiful HALL Arts Hotel in Dallas, Texas. The award presentation noted that, “The new solution was built on Alliants’ mobile check-in suite and dormakaba’s Ambient Access Management software, allowing Resorts World’s 2,000 daily guests to more easily check into their suites and access their guest room, elevator, and hotel amenities using their iPhone or Apple Watch.”
Gareth Fraser
Vice President Sales & Marketing Operations
Alliants
