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  • Hilton Hotels to Replace Room Keys With Smartphones…What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

    07.29.2014 | |

    File this one under “just because we CAN do something doesn’t mean we SHOULD.” Who came up with this idea, Paris Hilton?

    Hilton Hotels has just announced its new initiative, which will see hotel room keys go the way of the Dodo and be replaced by smartphones. I suppose proponents of the move will compare it to the technological advances that allowed traditional keys to be replaced by plastic key-cards oh-so-many years ago. But something feels pretty off about this one. Besides, the key-card system hasn’t been all fun and games in the first place. Every time I’ve ever had to return back to a lobby to have one replaced, I’ve thought to myself that I’d much rather just have a regular key. At least with that, you know there’s a 99.9% chance that you won’t run into any problems.

    Yet here’s Hilton Hotels, about to hand each and every visitor a smartphone. I weep for the elderly men and women who will simply stare at the thing, bewildered. To be fair, Hilton hasn’t been completely clear about whether patrons would be able to use their own mobile devices to unlock their doors, which could at least have some practical value. After all, I wouldn’t want to be walking around with two phones for no reason. And God forbid you drop and break the phone that Hilton provides you with. Then what? There are still plenty of questions about this one, not the least of which being whether these phones/apps can be hacked. And what if the battery dies, just as you’re returning from your dip in the pool? Yeah, maybe they’re rushing into this one a wee-bit quick.

    What do you think? Are you shaking your head because this sounds like a huge waste of time? Or is this not a big deal at all, considering that we already do just about everything else on our smartphones anyway? Sound off in the comments section below.


    Matt Fox

    Senior Editor

    Fox has history in broadcasting that spans two decades. From his early days as an FM host and club DJ in the mid-90′s to his later experiences in political talk radio, he has always had a knack for combining topical news with his love for popular culture. Those experiences culminated in his position as executive producer for several radio shows featured in the TALKERS Heavy 100. Originally from New York, Fox has made the great pilgrimage down to sunny south Florida.

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