Starwood Makes it Easier to Unlock Your Room with SPG Keyless 2.0
In 2014, Starwood became the first hotel chain to offer truly keyless technology, letting you unlock your hotel room door by using your smartphone or Apple Watch. There were definitely some kinks in the rollout, and by 2015, Starwood was encouraging more people to try out the SPG Keyless service with an incentive of 2,500 free Starpoints.
Yesterday, SPG announced the release of SPG Keyless 2.0, which is set to improve the user experience and sort out any issues that travelers had mentioned in the past. The upgrade, which is now available, includes:
- Significant expansion of the hotels where you can use it — now including select Westin, Sheraton, Le Meridien and Four Points by Sheraton properties worldwide
- Multi-key functionality so more than one person can use the same app to check in to the same room
- Overall increased functionality with a faster door unlock function and improved offline access
SPG Keyless is already available at more than 160 properties in over 30 countries. SPG says that more than 350,000 members have signed up to use SPG Keyless so, with Platinum members being the most frequent users of the technology (no surprise there!). The chain also says that the most popular properties for the Keyless technology are in urban city-center destinations — the top-five markets being New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas and Miami — and especially at mid-size Aloft and W properties.
Last year, TPG Editor-in-Chief Zach Honig tried out the SPG Keyless technology at the W New York — Downtown and would have had a great experience with the technology if he had booked directly through Starwood rather than through Hotel Tonight. However, the front desk was able to sort out what was wrong, and he had a good stay, successfully using the technology on his Apple Watch.
Have you used SPG Keyless? What was your experience like?
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