I was in Portland this past week for OSCON, and I stayed at the Aloft Portland Airport at Cascade Station. As my stay approached, I got an e-mail from Starwood, letting me know that my upcoming stay was eligible for SPG Keyless Entry.
Neat! SPG Keyless allows you to use your smartphone to unlock your room door. It also checks you in automatically, such that you never need to physically go check in at the front desk. Given that I both love technology and greatly dislike unnecessary human interaction, being able to use SPG Keyless is a huge win! This is especially the case for an airport hotel, where I don’t plan on haggling for upgrades.
I suppose the simplest way to explain the process is to just show you the video of my using it! See below:
In short, it works! It works quite well, actually. I actually had two separate stays at the hotel this past week, and SPG Keyless worked without issue both times. I also tested it on the fitness center door, and it worked there too. It’s a bit awkward that it pulls up the Apple Pay screen right after you open the door, but this isn’t a big deal. I’m guessing the NFC chip in the door automatically triggers Apple Pay after the door opens. Hopefully they can fix this with iOS9 and some future software updates.
Let me know if you have any questions about SPG Keyless Entry!