Smartphones to replace hotel room keys

Soon you won't need hotel room keys -- you will just need your iPhone, tablet or Androiddevice to check into an accommodation and unlock your bedroom.

That is, at least, if you're staying at one of the Hilton's hotels, which has announced a couple of tech-based upgrades to its properties.

In addition to being able to unlock doors with your smartphone, Hilton guests will be able to pre-select exact rooms from a hotel floorplan in a way reminiscent of how most airlines operate their seat reservations.

Specifics surrounding the technology have been vague, such as whether the smartphone keys will use NFC, or an app, or some alternative. Answering Wired.co.uk's questions this morning, a Hilton spokesperson in the UK arm of the business said "there will be a mobile enabled room key", which is only moderately more useful to know than the company's existing statement that "we are developing proprietary technology that is safe and reliable for our guests to use, and cost-effective for our hotels to install".

Extracting logic from semantics, it seems guests will download and install a proprietary app on their devices, which will allow visitors to log into their Hilton internet account and select an option to unlock their door with a password -- no front desk will be required.

There are other methods emerging onto the market that could, in future, be used in hotels. One such example is the forthcoming Nymi wristband, which uses a person's unique heartbeat to unlock doors and other devices simply by approaching them.

Additionally, security expert at the University of Cambridge, Frank Stajano, was recentlyquoted in the Guardian discussing how an "electronic aura" broadcast from a device worn on the body could be detected by supported devices and used as a replacement to computer passwords.

Hilton is to roll out its mobile door unlocking and related features worldwide between now and 2016.

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Smartphones to replace hotel room keys