In an interview with USA Today IHG executive Bryson Koehler explained that “The holy grail item for us is to simplify the room-key hand-off moment at the hotel,” and he feels the smartphone may be the answer.

The test is going to run for a minimum of 60 days at two properties. These include Holiday Inn Chicago O’Hare Rosemont and also the Holiday Inn Express Houston Downtown Convention Center.

The trial slated for June will require guest participating to register for the trial and be directed to download the Open Ways application to their smartphone.  The system would require a guest to pull up the confirmation email on their device and hold their device up to the door sensor.

If all goes well Holiday Inn plans to roll out the technology in about 20% of their rooms at each location and an “Open Ways” option would be available when making a reservation.

Compatible devices include:

• iPhone
• BlackBerry
• Android

Would you use this technology and skip the front desk?