We had a hotel experience a couple of weeks ago unlike any before. It teeters between neat and eerie.
You decide.
When we rent a room, which isn’t incredibly often, it’s as likely as not a Hampton Inn. Therefore, a few years ago, I downloaded their app to my phone. I’ve used it a time or two to select a room. Once, I tried to utilize the digital key, but something didn’t work right.
The digital key uses your phone’s Bluetooth to pair up with your room lock. Hold your phone near the door, a button lights up on your phone, press it and the door unlocks.
In this pandemic world we’re living in, the idea is even more inviting. By checking in online, picking our room, and utilizing a digital key … we did not have to exchange a credit card, sign anything, receive a key … nothing.
In fact – and this is the eerie part – we never even saw anybody.
Certainly, there was someone in charge of the front desk and would have shown up soon had we not walked right by it.
Surely … right?
We walked through the lobby. I punched the elevator buttons with my elbow. When we reached the room I had selected online, the digital key image on my phone lit up, I pressed it and we walked in.
So, tell me, am I too easily entertained? Maybe you’ve all been doing that for years.
But it hasn’t really gotten weird yet.
After getting settled into our room, we left to get my COVID shot, walking through the lobby. We returned through the lobby. Later, Leah wanted to see the indoor pool and I kind of wanted to see if my digital key would work there as advertised. It worked and we saw nobody.
The next morning, Leah volunteered to go downstairs and pick up breakfast, which they served on disposable plates and asked you to go back to your room to eat. She actually talked to an employee there. Shortly before we were ready to leave, a woman knocked on our door to see if we had left so she could clean it. (I don’t know why, with all this technology, they have to do that.)
I checked out with my phone app and we left, seeing no one but another guest in the hallway.
Neat or eerie?
I like the idea of the digital key and checking in online, but I look forward to again being able to have little conversations with strangers.
Steve Martaindale 
I had to borrow Steve’s phone to go fetch breakfast. It won’t be long before they figure out how to have multiple “keys.” And just think–no more lost or stolen keys!
Leah
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I have heard of the digital key and not having to interact with other people. but we haven’t come across it yet. Our daughter Jacque works Front Desk and would probably love it!
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That’s some benefit, not having to deal with people like us!
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Jacque can tell you about some pretty creepy people!
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I have never heard of the digital key before. This day and age of technology it makes sense. We’ll have to try it one day. Thanks for the info. Sherry
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