For years now, hotel chains have been toying with alternative ways to letting patrons check-in, access their room and run up their bill with all-too-convenient in-room services. Marriott began testing smartphone check-ins way back in 2006, and select boutique locations (like The Plaza Hotel in New York and Boston's Nine Zero) have relied on RFID, iris scanners, biometric identifiers and all sorts of whiz-bang entry methods in order to make getting past a lock that much easier (or harder, depending on perspective). This month, InterContinental Hotels Group announced that they would soon be trialing OpenWays at Chicago's Holiday Inn Express Houston Downtown Convention Center, enabling iPhone owners to fire up an app and watch their room door open in a magical sort of way. Other smartphone platforms will also be supported, and as we've seen with other implementations, users of the technology will also be able to turn to their phone to order additional services, extend their stay or fess up to that window they broke. There's no word on when this stuff will depart the testing phase and go mainstream, but we're guessing it'll be sooner rather than later. Video after the break, if you're interested.
If this goes mainstream, there will be stories of people who get their iphones stolen, and by the time they get to their hotel room, all their stuff will be gone.
@Gaurav42 Well hopefully the software won't mention your room number and preferably not even your hotel's name. It's like the key cards: the cards themselves don't mention the room number, although some have the hotel logo and the room number might be on an envelope that you might want to throw away.
That was my first thought as well. Seems awfully easy to capture that sound and then play it back. I guess traditional keycards are pretty easy to hack as well but still ... I would be hoping that we are making things more secure not making it simpler or just going status quo.
@Peytral Nothing wrong with key cards. This is just forward-thinking. Eventually when smart-phones are ubiquitous, this will pay off one way or the other.
@Peytral : So that people don't have to wait in line at the desk to check in. The last constraint was getting people a physical key.
Every time I've checked into a hotel tell they always seem surprised that people might want to come in and are trying to develop a process on the spot. I just want them to let me into a damn room.
yeah it a bit tricky and risky, but i think more people let their phones die than lose keys. Everyone i talk to that has an iphone say their battery sucks and you cant even remove it. I think their just trying to profit from it but i would like to see where this ends up
Y'know what's easier than pulling out a phone, unlocking the screen, starting an app, selecting the room key option and holding it up to the door? Using a keycard.
A sound would be pretty easy to capture... I think if they wanted to do this type of thing, the door lock should have optics to read a QR-code like an e-boarding pass for planes. At least it's silent...
They put in all this security, and yet all it takes is to tap a cleaning lady on the shoulder and ask her if she could let you into "your" room por favor.
How does it do that? It seems like the demo uses a naked iPhone. Is the information transferred via wifi? Bluetooth? Cell network? If it's the last one, what if you don't have signal? LOL. I mean come on, we're still talking about AT&T here.
I can dig it. People are commenting about dead phones vs lost key cards. But I wanna bring up a point some people haven't mentioned. Demagnetized key cards. Put your card in the same pocket or near your cellphone and chances are it'll go dead. I had this happen to me and I know other people who've had it happen to them.
As for the "can't people record the sound?" Looking at OpenWays website, they say each sound is unique and obsolete after the moment it is used, so someone can't just capture the sound and reuse it. Not sure if that means it requires the phone be connected to service or if the encrypted sound contains some sort of timestamp encoded within it, the website's not too clear on that.
What you guys don't understand is that this doesn't need to be useful. Herds of apple faboys will pee themselves silly opening and closing doors with their Iphones. Publicity alone is worth the cost.
Call me old fashioned but I like those keycards. They are handy unobstrusive and very easy to use. I really have no desire to fidget around with an app on my phone to open a door.
You know, I give them credit here - they said "all smartphone platforms" will eventually be supported. At least this company realizes everyone doesn't have an iPhone. That's not always the case nowadays...
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posted May 30th 2010 1:31AM
I doubt it will catch on, but I'd do it if it were available.
@Becauseitsnotgoogle2
If you lose a lot of phones you might have a problem. Also, I'd bet they have a backup card key or something for that situation.
I'd be more worried that I "lost my phone" more than getting into my hotel room.
@mKTank Hacking potential limitless
@mKTank Hilton San Diego Bayfront has a guest services portal for their hotel http://www.hiltonbayfrontservices.com
I can see the benefits (when working) and the nightmares (when the lock doesn't respond to the app). The hackers must be salivating right now.
@aubreyq i'm not trying to be negative.. but i see no benefits...
So if your batteries run out and you come around late at night you have to go through the trouble of contacting the front desk?
@Fadakar Same thing you would do when losing your key-card.
@Fadakar Same thing you would do when losing your key(s)...
@aubreyq Your keys doesn't run out of battery you dumbass
@evan081
he said when LOSING your keys you fucking idiot.
@amrkvati
@evan081
Wow, you guys are assholes!!! YAY!!! :)
If this goes mainstream, there will be stories of people who get their iphones stolen, and by the time they get to their hotel room, all their stuff will be gone.
@Gaurav42 Well hopefully the software won't mention your room number and preferably not even your hotel's name. It's like the key cards: the cards themselves don't mention the room number, although some have the hotel logo and the room number might be on an envelope that you might want to throw away.
@Gaurav42
or someone just puts a recording device by your door . . .
@bolezhinkov
That was my first thought as well. Seems awfully easy to capture that sound and then play it back. I guess traditional keycards are pretty easy to hack as well but still ... I would be hoping that we are making things more secure not making it simpler or just going status quo.
@bjsguess : No reason to use the same sound every time. With an audio-based one time pad it would be better than a key.
@Gaurav42 : Because physical keys are never stolen, right?
What is wrong with just using a card? Basically everyone has to carry a card of some sort anyways..
@Peytral Nothing wrong with key cards. This is just forward-thinking. Eventually when smart-phones are ubiquitous, this will pay off one way or the other.
@Peytral
Nothing bad about having more choices. It's not like they're replacing key cards and letting only people with smartphones book rooms.
@Peytral : So that people don't have to wait in line at the desk to check in. The last constraint was getting people a physical key.
Every time I've checked into a hotel tell they always seem surprised that people might want to come in and are trying to develop a process on the spot. I just want them to let me into a damn room.
@radarskiy
So sitting there downloading some lame app ain't going to slow u down either? Geez I can't believe I had an iphone at one time
Same thing you would do when losing your key(s)...
yeah it a bit tricky and risky, but i think more people let their phones die than lose keys. Everyone i talk to that has an iphone say their battery sucks and you cant even remove it. I think their just trying to profit from it but i would like to see where this ends up
Tomorrow there will be an article about how the system was hacked by some kids in Japan using a Furby and a bag of Doritos.
@Shatter Actually it will be a Tickle Me Elmo, a rubber band, and a can of MTN Dew. Normal. Not that diet crap.
... its what ppl need....an easy access for some physco hacker to break into their room
Ahh I see its being made by Micros company which has poor night support and operators who sleep while talking. Fix freaking Fidelio first !!!!!
Y'know what's easier than pulling out a phone, unlocking the screen, starting an app, selecting the room key option and holding it up to the door? Using a keycard.
@Paul Ryan:
But then the level of smug is so much lower.
That was a hell of a good explaining video. Now I know everything I need to know about this system! Woohoo!
A sound would be pretty easy to capture... I think if they wanted to do this type of thing, the door lock should have optics to read a QR-code like an e-boarding pass for planes. At least it's silent...
I live in Korea. They can get money out of the ATM machine with their cell phones!
Classic solution looking for a problem here
They put in all this security, and yet all it takes is to tap a cleaning lady on the shoulder and ask her if she could let you into "your" room por favor.
How does it do that? It seems like the demo uses a naked iPhone. Is the information transferred via wifi? Bluetooth? Cell network? If it's the last one, what if you don't have signal? LOL. I mean come on, we're still talking about AT&T here.
@pika2000
Turn on your sound! It's using the speaker to play a audio 'code'. Close to the lowest level analog way of doing it!
I can dig it. People are commenting about dead phones vs lost key cards. But I wanna bring up a point some people haven't mentioned. Demagnetized key cards. Put your card in the same pocket or near your cellphone and chances are it'll go dead. I had this happen to me and I know other people who've had it happen to them.
As for the "can't people record the sound?" Looking at OpenWays website, they say each sound is unique and obsolete after the moment it is used, so someone can't just capture the sound and reuse it. Not sure if that means it requires the phone be connected to service or if the encrypted sound contains some sort of timestamp encoded within it, the website's not too clear on that.
"Chicago's Holiday Inn Express Houston Downtown Convention Center"
Someone want to tell me what is wrong with the above?????
Earth to Darren, earth to Darren:
Are we in Chicago or Houston?
What you guys don't understand is that this doesn't need to be useful. Herds of apple faboys will pee themselves silly opening and closing doors with their Iphones. Publicity alone is worth the cost.
Call me old fashioned but I like those keycards. They are handy unobstrusive and very easy to use. I really have no desire to fidget around with an app on my phone to open a door.
You know, I give them credit here - they said "all smartphone platforms" will eventually be supported. At least this company realizes everyone doesn't have an iPhone. That's not always the case nowadays...
The Hilton San Diego Bayfront is already running something like this - although it only works for iPads currently --
http://www.hiltonbayfrontservices.com