As technology continues to drive the travel industry forward, it’s becoming increasingly common to open hotel room doors with nothing more than a swipe or tap on a smartphone.
In early 2015, major hotel groups introduced Digital Key technology that lets guests use an app to access their rooms. Marriott, Hilton and Starwood rolled out this capability to provide a frictionless experience: travelers could check in through an app and go straight to their rooms without stopping at the front desk. Initially available to Hilton Honors members, the feature expanded rapidly—eventually reaching thousands of properties worldwide as chains aimed to make mobile room access a standard convenience.
Seeing this shift, OpenKey moved to extend digital door access beyond large chains to independent and boutique hotels. With OpenKey, guests download a hotel’s app, complete check-in, and unlock their room using the app’s digital key. The company established partnerships with groups of independent properties, helping smaller brands adopt mobile key technology and deliver the same streamlined, contactless arrival experience that guests expect from larger hotel groups.