You have a long day of travel, you get the hotel and check in. You throw your key in your pocket, lug your bags up to the 38th floor. You walk a half mile down the hall to your room all the while dreaming of kicking off your shoes and having a cup of tea... and your key doesn't work. Gah! It has happened to everyone. Sometimes the clerk didn't assign the key properly. Sometimes it's your fault. (I took me years before I found out that putting your key next to your cellphone will cause it to lose magnetism. Yes, years. How pathetic!) Now you have to lug all of your stuff back down to the lobby to get a new key. All you wanted was that tea.*Finally a solution! Starwood is rolling out a new program where you can dispense with the key all together and USE your phone instead. Now that's what I am talking about! It's great for the smartphone traveler because it's one less thing to carry and worry about. I'm sure it saves the hotels time and money, much like electronic boarding passes did for Delta and other airlines. It's a brilliant idea and I'm sure other hotels will be taking up this idea soon too. I, for one, can't wait! Oh, and did I mention that you can use the app to check in and out? That's right, you don't even have to interact with anyone if you don't want to. I like to chat with the desk folks because I am personable like that. But I know others who would want to skip that step all together and head right for their room.
Now where's that tea?
- Anjee
* By "tea" I mean "wine". Obviously.
