Starwood expands keyless entry to hotels worldwide

Starwood

The Bluetooth-based mobile keyless entry solution unveiled by Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide in November 2014 has been extended to select Le Méridien, Westin, Sheraton and Four Points hotels, with “many additional properties” expected to go live with SPG Keyless over the coming months... More




What's New in Payments

Alibaba checks in simple hotel booking

Hotel customers with high credit scores will be able to book rooms on Alibaba’s online travel booking platform Alitrip without having to provide their credit card for room deposits and bypass check-out with payments automatically deducted from their Alipay accounts... More



Transit Ticketing Today

Starwood’s mobile keys go live

The Bluetooth-based mobile keyless entry solution unveiled by Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide earlier this month is now live in 10 hotels in Beijing, Hong Kong, New York, Los Angeles and Doha and will be rolling out to Aloft, Element and W Hotels across the globe... More


Starwood Hotels picks Bluetooth for mobile room keys that work on smartphones and Apple Watch

Starwood's SPG Keyless Bluetooth mobile key

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide has unveiled a mobile keyless entry system that will allow guests to use smartphones to unlock rooms using Bluetooth at 150 hotels around the globe by early 2015. The service will also be available via an Apple Watch app when the new wearable device ships next year, the hotel chain has told NFC World+. More


NFC World

Transcript: Apple VP Kevin Lynch and CEO Tim Cook show off how Apple Watch can be used beyond payments

Apple Watch with Milanese strap

As well as using the device to make payments with the new Apple Pay mobile payment service, Apple Watch wearers will be able to use their smartwatch as a boarding pass and to unlock their hotel room doors, Apple’s VP of Technology Kevin Lynch explained during the unveiling of the new device on 9 September... More