A coalition of five companies has launched a pilot program at Clarion Hotel Stockholm in Sweden to replace hotel room keys with near-field communication (NFC)-enabled mobile phones. ASSA ABLOY, Choice Hotels Scandinavia, TeliaSonera, VingCard Elsafe and Venyon, a fully owned subsidiary of Giesecke & Devrient have developed the program, which also allows guests to use their phones for check-in and check-out. The technology also increases security. If a mobile phone is lost, the access credentials can be revoked remotely and then reissued, making it impossible for unauthorized people to use a lost or stolen NFC mobile phone.
The goal of the pilot, which will last for four months, is to get feedback from guests and employees using the NFC phones for a variety of services.
