The Scandinavian hotel chain Strawberry announced that it has officially launched support for the Apple Wallet app to be able to house room key cards on a customer’s iPhone or Apple Watch.
The company stated that support for this is starting at Clarion Hotel Post in Göteborg, Sweden. It is the first of Strawberry’s hotels to have this type of feature.
It is working with ASSA ABLOY Global Solutions and Zaplox on providing this new tech to customers.
Torgeir Silseth, CEO of Strawberry, said adding Wallet app support for hotel guests is a win for said guests and the company.
“We always strive to deliver outstanding and seamless guest experiences and the launch of room keys in Apple Wallet at Clarion Post Hotel is an important milestone to fulfill that promise,” he said. “Many of our guests have requested this feature and we’re excited about the security, privacy and convenience that room keys in Wallet provides to guests, and we look forward to continue bringing it to even more customers in the future.”
Here is how customers can add their hotel room keys to their Wallet app:
“Adding a room key to Apple Wallet is easy. From the Strawberry app, guests can add their room key to Apple Wallet after completing a reservation. Once added, the room key in Apple Wallet will send a notification to let guests know when it’s time for check-in. Once a guest is checked in and the room is ready, room key in Apple Wallet will be activated and can be used immediately. A room key will not activate until the guest is checked into the hotel and a room has been assigned.”
Those that have Express Mode turned on will be able to easily tap their iPhone or Apple Watch to get into their room without having to use Face ID or Touch ID.
Hotel guests that change rooms, stay longer, or have a late checkout can have their cards changed remotely by the hotel.
Strawberry also made an emphasis on the security and encryption with this new feature.
“Room keys in Apple Wallet are stored on the device and take full advantage of the privacy and security built into iPhone and Apple Watch. When or where a guest uses a room key in Apple Wallet is never shared with Apple or stored on Apple servers.”
Special thanks to the tip provided by @ContactlessWiki on Twitter!
