Smartphones may soon play a much larger role in hotel access control.

Integrators who provide hotels with security technology can soon use Assa Abloy’s Mobile Keys Platform to eschew key cards in favor of Near Field Communication (NFC) enabled mobile phones.

Instead of using a key card or key, hotel guests can open their doors by simply touching the door lock with their smartphone.

During ASIS 2011 in Orlando, Fla., Assa Abloy demonstrated how the technology allows credentials to be distributed securely and allows security managers manage credentials from a central access control system and issue mobile keys to mobile phones.

From an Assa Abloy press release:

The credentials are stored in a tamper-resistant memory space in the phone, called a secure element. Credentials can be revoked if the phone is lost or stolen, and new keys can then be re-issued to a temporary phone.

Instead of using a printer to encode a card or assigning a pre-encoded card to a user, a virtual key is delivered to and stored on an NFC-enabled mobile phone. The mobile key allows the user to open a lock with his/her mobile phone. The Mobile Keys Platform ensures end-to-end security and is applicable for residential, commercial and hotel applications.

Several contactless services, such as payments, ticketing and loyalty, have already been integrated into mobile phones. The same development is now happening with keys.

Smart Customer Experience

In Sweden, NFC technology is being tested at Clarion Hotel Stockholm. “What makes this trial unique is that it’s the first complete solution for hotels using mobile keys in the world,” says Daniel Berg, VP mobile keys for Assa Abloy.

The access control manufacturer posted a YouTube video on the Stockholm trial (watch it below), in which it describes the hotel guest’s NFC technology experience.

1. The hotel reservation is made as usual, through a website, for instance.

2. On check-in day, the user receives a welcome text message that includes a web address where they can check in remotely.

3. The check-in is confirmed and a “room key” is sent to the phone.

4. Upon arriving, the guest can walk past the front desk and directly to their room.

5. The guest unlocks the door by simply holding their phone against their lock.

6. Upon leaving the hotel, the guest can check out by touching the phone to a checkout point near the front desk and pressing a confirmation button.

About the author

Tom LeBlanc - Editor-in-Chief, CI, Tom

Tom has been covering electronics integration since 2003. Prior to being named editor-in-chief of CI, he was senior writer and managing editor of CE Pro. Before that, he wrote for the sports department of the Boston Herald. Migrating to magazines, he was a staff editor for a golf publication and an outdoor sports publication. Follow him on Twitter @leblanctom.

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