than 25 % of all 115 million Hilton Honors members choosing to use digital key daily .
Gathright added that since Hilton launched digital key in 2015 , it estimates reducing roughly more than 114 tons of plastic as a result of Hilton Honors members downloading more than 30 million digital keys .
With all that downloading comes a bit of consumer stress about potential hacking . Gathright said before new technology is deployed to hotels , more rigorous internal testing is supplemented with certification by external security experts .
To address the traditional human authentication to check photo IDs and reduce fraud , Hilton ties each digital key to a specific guest account on the reservation , which cannot be shared or placed on another device . “ We have various system checks in place to detect any unusual activity that might , for any reason , indicate a problem with the digital key request ,” Gathright adds . For additional confirmation , he said every time a digital key is requested under an account , Hilton sends a confirmation email to the email address in the guest ’ s Hilton Honors profile confirming that he or she requested the key . “ Based on their preference , we ’ ve also given our guests the option to hide their room number after the first time they unlock the door ,” he adds .
The next priority in this area for Hilton is a focus on the contactless arrival / departure , contactless payments and in-room technologies . In fact , in early June , Hilton launched a technologically advanced booking experience that enables individuals to book and instantly confirm at least two connecting rooms on Hilton . com or through the Hilton Honors app .
THE WAY FORWARD Acceleration of the digital key rollout industrywide is only going to further accelerate , according to leading suppliers such as Supra & Onity at Carrier and ASSA
ABLOY Global Solutions , with independent hotels queuing in line for systems that do not require building out a large IT infrastructure .
While suppliers have customizable , off-the-shelf mobile apps to deploy mobile key solutions , budgets , especially these days , are the biggest challenge for smaller groups to deploy digital keys . But beyond that , the other challenge often heard is “ where do we start ” without having to make a huge infrastructure investment , according to Fayyad Sbaihat , president , Supra & Onity at Carrier .
Cloud-based solutions offer myriad options . “ For instance , you can use an offthe-shelf mobile app and reskin it , you can integrate it into your brand ’ s existing PMS , or if you don ’ t have your own app , but still want additional services , you can integrate a digital key into a third-party application , too ,” Sbaihat says .
A recurring issue that hoteliers can encounter is ensuring that digital key technology is compatible with existing door lock hardware , access management software or is capable of integrating with third-party property systems , according to Cris Davidson , vice president of Global Key Accounts for ASSA ABLOY Global Solutions . “ Some hotels may find that they may need to first invest in costly upgrades or complex integrations before being able to adopt digital key functionality ,” Davidson says . However , such issues can be overcome . For example , with VingCard door locks , in most instances , activating digital key does not require the replacing of existing hardware and can be achieved with minimal disruption to operations .
HOTELS THAT HILTON GUESTS HAVE OPENED HOTEL DOORS WITH DIGITAL KEY MORE THAN 121 MILLION TIMES , WITH MORE THAN 25 % OF ALL 115 MILLION HILTON HONORS MEMBERS CHOOSING TO USE DIGITAL KEY DAILY .
MIKE GATHRIGHT , SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT , CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AT HILTON
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