There are a number of different things you can do to share your Hilton digital key. These include using it to restrict access, or sharing it with other guests.
Share a digital key with other guests
Hilton has announced that it will upgrade its digital key technology, which allows guests to access their rooms via their smartphone. The company is currently offering digital keys at more than 80 percent of its properties. In the coming months, all Hilton properties will be able to offer this service to their guests.
With this upgrade, Hilton will also allow guests to share their Digital Key with up to four other individuals. This service is part of Hilton’s mission to make their guests’ stay more digital. These digital keys will have the same level of access as physical keys. To share, all you need is a smartphone and a valid Hilton Honors account. You can request a Digital Key by logging into the app and selecting “Share Digital Key.” If the recipient accepts the invitation, they will receive a link to unlock the room. It will be their responsibility to go through an instant security check. However, if the security check fails, the guest will not be able to continue sharing the Digital Key.
Hilton’s Digital Key Share feature is designed to simplify the process of sharing a room. It will work through the Hilton Honors app, which is free to download. Each person receiving a Digital Key Share invitation will receive a unique link. Once the person opens the link, the recipient can view all of their active shared keys. They will also be able to revoke any or all shares. Additionally, the primary guest will be able to manage their Digital Key shares from within the app.
In addition to the ability to share a Hilton Digital Key, the company will also roll out an upgraded Confirmed Connecting Rooms program. This feature will allow guests to confirm two connecting rooms when booking a reservation. Guests can also book an upgrade directly through the Hilton Honors app, without having to go through the front desk. Guests will be notified of their room upgrade at least 72 hours before their arrival.
As a part of the new digital key technology, Hilton has rolled out a series of tech updates across its 18 brands. These enhancements include an upgraded app, automated room upgrades for Hilton Honors elites, and a new suite of upgrades for Diamond and Gold Hilton Honors members. Some of these new technologies are incredibly helpful for travelers who travel often. While these are all improvements, they are not perfect.
Using the Hilton Honors app to share a Digital Key is a great way to ensure that your family’s needs are met. If you have a smartphone, you can turn it into a room key, allowing you to unlock your room from just about anywhere. And when you leave your room, you can use your phone to open a garage or other on-site facilities.
Restrict access
Hilton Digital Key is an innovative hotel technology that allows guests to unlock their room with their smartphone. Currently, Digital Key is offered at more than 80 percent of Hilton properties globally. This new technology will now allow Hilton Honors members to share their room key with up to four other guests. Guests can also access the hotel’s amenities using this technology.
Hilton Worldwide recently announced a number of innovations to enhance their technologies. In addition to Digital Key, they will begin offering complimentary room upgrades for elite Hilton Honors members. The company has also committed to reducing its environmental footprint by half by 2030.
The hotel chain is not the first to provide mobile key technology to its customers. Hyatt Hotels has also tested their own version, and Marriott International is planning to add more hotels to their portfolio before the end of the year. Now, Hilton is making its mobile key technology available through its HHonors app. HHonors members can use their smartphones as room keys at 250 US-based hotels.
Hilton is partnering with Onity, which has provided a cloud-based platform for hotel IT to easily integrate mobile key access. During a four-month trial, more than 100 Hilton properties in the United States used Onity’s DirectKey system to provide convenient mobile access to guest rooms. During the trial, guests had a high satisfaction rate with the service.
Hilton plans to expand its mobile key feature to full-service hotels in the United States by the end of the year. Initially, this feature will only be available to HHonors members. However, it will eventually be made available to all Hilton guests. Using the Hilton Honors app, HHonors members will be able to digitally check-in and select their desired room on their mobile device. After checking-in, they can then press a virtual “unlock” button on their mobile app to unlock the door. Alternatively, HHonors members can opt to request a regular room key instead.
In order to use the Hilton Digital Key, a guest needs an Android phone running iOS 8 or later and a Bluetooth-enabled iPad. They can then download the Hilton app from the Apple Store or Google Play. To start, the guest must clear the adaptive authentication. Afterwards, they will need to accept the invitation to share the digital key with their travel companions. Upon receiving the invitation, the primary guest will be able to share their room key with up to four of their friends or family members.
Currently, Hilton offers the Digital Key at nearly 5,400 hotels around the world. At these locations, the key has opened more than 135 million guestroom doors. Approximately one new Hilton property is equipped with the technology every day. By the end of 2015, the company plans to have more than 2,000 Hilton properties offering Digital Key.
Save on plastic waste
If you’re a hotel enthusiast, you may be familiar with the Digital Key, a digital key card that uses Bluetooth low energy (BLe) technology to let you into your room in under ten seconds. Aside from the obvious benefits of a digital key, you won’t have to pay hotel staff to unlock it for you. You can also take a shortcut in the parking lot, as the key can open eligible doors within about a meter or so.
The aforementioned card has been implemented at over 2,400 Hilton properties worldwide, and the company’s laudable sustainability efforts have resulted in 40 tons of plastic waste saved, which is roughly equivalent to a year’s worth of waste in a landfill. This is the latest in a line of initiatives to reduce the chain’s carbon footprint, and is just one of many steps the company is taking to make its properties more environmentally friendly.
In order to get the most out of its digital key, the company has upgraded its website to offer guests the chance to book connecting rooms online. As part of the new initiative, Hilton is also launching the aptly titled Digital Key Share program. Although not yet available at all properties, it will eventually be the norm. Some hotels have been experimenting with the new system, which is a great thing for travelers and hoteliers alike.
One of the aforementioned properties has also rolled out a paper straws-only scheme. While you’ll still have to request the gizmo if you want to savor a frosty brew, it’s a start. There are also a number of other innovations in the works at some of the chain’s more eco-friendly properties, including the launch of a paper towel recharging station at select Hilton properties in the UK, and a new recycling program in Singapore.