The end of check-in is on the cards in Japan
A Japanese consortium has revealed plans to open a network of hotels using technology that could eliminate the checking-in process.
Under the scheme, when guests reserve a room online with a radio frequency identification-enabled (RFID) credit card, a "key" is assigned to the card. This can also be passed to the customer's mobile if it is enabled with a "smart" chip.
The technology means guests can then bypass the check-in process on arrival and go straight to their room, where the door will automatically open on reading the RFID tag.
The consortium said RFID - which is widely used in retail and manufacturing for tracking goods - could mean an end to the lobby front desk and the arrival of the fully automated hotel.
However, Bob Cotton, chief executive of British Hospitality Association, warned that take-up by customers and hotels is unlikely to be widespread in the UK until RFID credit cards are more easily available.
"There is also always the issue of how secure these innovations are," he added. "They may seem to be the latest technology now, but there is always the question of whether they can be doctored, infiltrated or copied."
Cotton did say there was potential for larger hotel brands to use RFID technology to provide an extra service for their loyalty scheme customers.
Robert Cook, chief executive of boutique hotel brands Malmaison and Hotel du Vin, echoed Cotton's concerns over the issue of guest security, and added: "To miss out on the welcome at reception might be a little too far down the line of IT taking over from hospitality, especially for the Mal and HDV brands. But it might be a fantastic idea for budget operations."
A trial of the new system began on 24 October at a 14-bedroom hotel on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu. The consortium plans to have 12 similar hotels offering more than 2,000 rooms by 2008.
British Hospitality Association website >>
By Emily Manson
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