18 Jan Smartphone-app hotel room entry at village hotels UK
Over two thirds of the British population now 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 and open their hotel room using their smartphone as a virtual key.
Mobile access is an innovation that is shaping the future of the hotel industry. A good example is the UK’s Village Hotel chain (www.village-hotels.co.uk). Village Hotels has 31 locations throughout the UK catering to both locals and travelers alike through its extensive food and beverage offerings and health and fitness club amenities.
To implement the smartphone-based solution, Swiss-based dormakaba partnered with LEGIC and Village Hotel to implement a fully integrated Mobile Access solution. Based on embedded LEGIC security technology, dormakaba locks implement Bluetooth Low Energy to deliver a seamless, reliable and highly secure guest experience.
During the current COVID pandemic, the virtual key solution also allows guests to benefit from a contactless experience, bypassing crowded situations including check in and check out, the elimination of physical room key, as well as contactless housekeeping requests.
“Technological innovation is a core part of our brand DNA – Village Hotels is respected for pushing boundaries to provide a better experience and ultimate convenience to our guests. This new mobile solution has been rolled out across all of our hotels, allowing guests to check-in before they arrive, receive a secure mobile code on their Bluetooth device and go straight to their room – a service that many of our guests value after a long journey,” said Jon Davis, Chief Technology Officer for Village Hotels.
For an overview of the benefits of Village Hotel’s contactless hotel key experience, watch the 1-minute video “Keeping you safe during your stay”.
The solution is built on the cloud-based security platform LEGIC Connect which enables the Village Hotels mobile app to communicate via BLE with LEGIC security modules which are embedded in the room door lock.
The flexibility of the mobile access solution ensures 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.
Benefits for hotel guests:
- Convenient booking of hotel rooms based on a smartphone app
- Allows guests to by-pass checking and go directly to their room
- Acts as secure mobile room key for the duration of a guests’ stay
LEGIC products and services:
- LEGIC Connect software service
- LEGIC mobile SDK
- LEGIC Security Module with Bluetooth Low Energy for contactless communications
LEGIC Partners in this project:
dormakaba (www.dormakaba.com)
For more information, visit www.legic.com