TeliaSonera in NFC pilot - replacing hotel room keys with mobile phones

TeliaSonera has announced that five companies have joined forces to replace hotel room keys with NFC-enabled mobile phones including ASSA ABLOY, Choice Hotels Scandinavia, TeliaSonera, Venyon and VingCard Elsafe. The technology makes it possible for hotel guests to check-in and out using their mobile phones.

The goal of the pilot at Clarion Hotel Stockholm, Sweden is to get feedback from guests and employees using the NFC phones for a variety of services. Guests will be able to check in to the hotel and receive the hotel room key directly onto their mobile phones before arriving at the hotel. Guests can also access other services via their mobile, and on departure, the check-out process using the phone promises to be easy and stress-free.´

The pilot starts 1 November and will last for four months. The experience gained from the Clarion Hotel Stockholm pilot is planned to be enhanced and expanded over time to other hotels as well as to commercial and residential buildings.

Mobile-contactless services such as payment, ticketing and loyalty have enjoyed successful pilots and are now being made available to the commercial market. Following the success of those pilots there is now a new category of services – mobile keys that can be added to the mobile-contactless industry.