The World of Hospitality Issue 25 2018 | Page 24

24 the World Of Hospitality Dormakaba Dormakaba, Hetras And Village Hotels- Innovative Collaboration For Mobile Access We are now living in the ‘smart age’, according to Ofcom* the UK has become a smartphone society. Nowadays, two thirds of the population own a smartphone, using it for nearly two hours every day to browse the internet, access social media, bank and shop online. Now, they can also check-in to a hotel using their smartphone. Mobile access is an innovation that has started to shape the future of hotel access. dormakaba partnered with heteras to implement a fully-integrated Mobile Access solution for Village hotels. ‘Village Hotels is respected for pushing technology boundaries to bring ultimate convenience to its guests. The dormakaba-hetras partnership enables guests to choose to check-in before they arrive, receive a secure mobile code on their BLE device and go straight to their room,’ said Rob Paterson, Commercial Director for Village Hotels. ‘The hetras cloud-based property management system interfaces with dormakaba to provide an “innovative self -service guest journey” for Village Hotels’ clients,’ said Philip von Ditfurth, hetras Managing Director. dormakaba mobile locks use BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) to deliver a seamless, reliable and highly secure guest experience. The flexibility of dormakaba’s mobile access solutions ensure emerging demand for greater mobile compatibility. Guests can check-in online with their mobile device and use it during their stay as their very own mobile room key. ‘dormakaba is thrilled to be working with Village Hotels in the UK on the deployment of dormakaba’s mobile access solution through-out the Village Website: www.dormakaba.co.uk portfolio. Village Hotels is an exciting brand in the UK market. Its innovative approach enhances the guest experience and puts the convenience of market- leading mobile technology literally in the users hand,’ said Steve Bewick, Senior Vice President, UK, Ireland & BeNeLux. This innovative approach to the hotel check-in is being already well- received by many Village Hotel customers. The mobile mindset of today’s generation demands choice of service. Rod Reading, dormakaba Projects and Solutions Director added: ‘With dormakaba Mobile Access Solutions, hoteliers can meet those demands by turning the mobile device into a customer service tool, providing a convenient way for guests to fully-control their travel preferences’.