Mews has announced a pioneering integration that brings digital hotel room keys directly into guests’ smartphone wallets.
The new feature is the result of a collaboration between Vingcard, an ASSA ABLOY company, and Mews, and will be available to all properties with compatible door locks.
This latest development sees Mews become the first and only PMS to offer native digital key functionality for smartphone wallet platforms.
As the first property management system (PMS) to offer true native wallet-based room access – without the need for third-party apps or middleware – Mews hopes to set “a new standard” for hotel automation.
All guests need to do is hold their phone or compatible wearable device near the door’s reader to unlock it, eliminating the need for traditional key cards or extra app downloads.
It comes as more than a third of guests state that a perfect hotel would have keyless room entry, according to a survey of 1,000 American traveller and 1,000 hotel workers commissioned by Mews in 2024.
Guests can now check-in faster, seamlessly receiving their room keys via the guest portal and heading straight to their rooms without delay.
Hey Lou HOTELS, a forward-thinking German hotel group, is the first Mews customer to roll out the new wallet-based digital keys.
Guests at Hey Lou Karlsruhe are already unlocking their rooms using their smartphone wallet keys.
“Being the very first to launch wallet keys via an integration with Mews that leverages Vingcard technology underscores our passion for innovation and proves that pioneering technology can make hospitality both simpler and more personal,” said Martin Kemmer, founder & managing director of Hey Lou HOTELS.
Linus Bihn, head of digital processes and customer journey of the Germany hotel group, said:
“The wallet keys fit perfectly with our commitment to making hotel stays as uncomplicated, digital, and personalized as possible. Our guests expect simple solutions without any hassle.
“With the wallet key, they can open their room as intuitively as scanning a concert ticket. The key integrates seamlessly into our 360° digital guest journey.”
Matt Welle, CEO of Mews, added: “Travelers are telling us exactly what they want from their hotel experience: convenience, speed, and a room that feels truly theirs the moment they arrive.
“Our research shows that more than a third of guests now consider keyless entry essential to a perfect hotel stay – and 70% would skip the front desk queue entirely if they could.”
He added: “With smartphone wallet digital keys, we’re empowering guests to check in on their own terms and access their room with just one tap.
“This isn’t just a technology upgrade – it’s a giant leap toward the future of hospitality, where personalisation and frictionless service set hotels apart thanks to our collaboration with Vingcard.”
