Club Quarters, a hotel brand and management company, has revealed that it will offer guests the ability to store and use mobile room keys within personal device digital wallets at all of its properties throughout the US and the UK.
While other hotel chains have implemented this technology at select properties within their portfolios, Club Quarters is the first to roll it out across all hotels.
To launch its digital wallet-enabled mobile key service, Club Quarters leveraged door lock and software solutions developed by Vingcard, a leading innovator of advanced technologies tailored to the needs of the hospitality industry.
Each Club Quarters location is equipped with Vostio Access Management, Vingcard’s cloud-based system responsible for generating mobile keys, ensuring use of the latest in data encryption, and providing seamless compatibility with guest digital wallets.
Previously digital keys were made available by downloading the hotel’s app.
Now, digitalised room keys are automatically activated once a guest checks in electronically and are ready to use as soon as a room becomes available, allowing guests to go without check-in lines and access their rooms with a tap of their phones.
It works without needing even having to unlock the device and is compatible with both Apple and Android devices.
The same digital wallet-based key can also be used to access the hotel’s fitness centre.
If guests choose to extend their stay, the key is automatically updated which sidesteps any need to visit the front desk.
Advanced features include the ability for a guest with a dead device battery to still use their mobile key for up to five hours, preventing the risk of experiencing a frustrating room lockout.
“We truly believe that soon digital keys will displace key cards, which have been shown to be less secure,” said Club Quarters CEO John Paul Nichols.
“We use our mobile phones to board planes and enter sports and concert venues. Entering your hotel room with a digital key on your phone will become another extension of that, and Club Quarters is incredibly proud to lead the industry in offering this convenience to all of our customers at all of our hotels.”
Physical key cards will continue to be available for use at its hotels, but Club Quarters believes that the convenience of digital wallet-enabled room keys will ensure that the features quickly gains mainstream adoption by its guests.
