Starwood expands access to SPG Keyless

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG), the award-winning loyalty program from Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, has announced the next generation of SPG Keyless with even wider access to the cutting-edge technology.

SPG Keyless, the travel industry’s first truly mobile and keyless entry system that allows guests to use their smartphone as a key to their hotel room doors, was first launched at 10 of its hotels in 2014. Starwood’s Aloft, Element, and W properties are already providing access to SPG Keyless, currently available at more than 160 properties in over 30 countries.

SPG Keyless is now extending this functionality to select Le Méridien, Westin, Sheraton, and Four Points properties worldwide, including Le Méridien Parkhotel Frankfurt, Le Méridien Hamburg, Le Méridien Columbus, The Westin Westminster, Westin Palo Alto, Westin Camino Real Guatemala, Sheraton Bloomington, Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas, and Four Points Cupertino.

According to Starwood, many additional properties will be going live with SPG Keyless on a rolling basis in the coming months. The wider roll-out of SPG Keyless acknowledges the role mobile is playing as the remote control for travelers’ stays across a broader range of brands.

Starwood is also expanding SPG Keyless to enable multiple guests sharing the same room to take advantage of keyless entry. All they need is an SPG account and the SPG app. In this upcoming product update, SPG is also expanding mobile check-in capabilities on the SPG app, to be launched over the next few months.

“Innovation and personalisation are at the center of everything we do, and we’re committed to making travel better for every SPG member by creating solutions for pain points that are custom-made for their mobile lifestyles,” said Alyssa Waxenberg, Vice President of Mobile at Starwood Hotels & Resorts.

“SPG Keyless is literally opening doors for SPG members. It is also transformative for Starwood’s hotel associates, allowing them to better-engage with guests. Rather than the first interaction being the swipe of a credit card, hotel associates can now focus on ways to better-personalize guests’ stays.”

Over 350,000 members have already registered for SPG Keyless, with SPG Platinum members being the most frequent users of the keyless solution, which provides a streamlined check-in process custom-made for their on-the-go travel needs.

According to the company, SPG Keyless has proven to be most popular in urban city-center hotel locations, especially at mid-size Aloft and W properties. The top five SPG Keyless cities are New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas and Miami, while the top five countries based on usage are the United States, China, Canada, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom.

SPG Keyless evolved from Starwood’s Smart Check-In, another industry-first that debuted at Aloft hotels in 2011. Building up on those early learnings to develop SPG Keyless, Starwood appointed ASSA ABLOY Hospitality, the world’s largest provider of security and access solutions for the hospitality industry,  to create an all-new, Bluetooth-enabled lock, as well as keyless software, designed to securely recognise and connect with a guest’s mobile device.

Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG®) is an innovative, award-winning frequent traveler program that unites each of Starwood’s 11 distinctive hotel brands and includes more luxury hotels in more destinations around the world.

SPG reinvented the hospitality loyalty landscape when it launched in 1999 with its breakthrough policy of no blackout dates, and over the years has continued its tradition of innovation with enhancements such as Cash + Points, SPG MomentsSM, and most recently Your24™ and SPG Lifetime™. In addition to Free Night Awards at more than 1,300 hotels and resorts and Award Flights on over 350 major airlines without blackout dates, the Starpoints® that members earn through SPG can be redeemed for access like no other to experiences in music, sports and the arts through SPG Moments. SPG offers the opportunity for meeting and travel professionals to earn rich rewards including Starpoints and elite status through SPG Pro.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with more than 1,300 properties in some 100 countries and over 188,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels, resorts and residences under the renowned brands: St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, W®, Westin®, Le Méridien®, Sheraton®, Tribute Portfolio™, Four Points®, Aloft®, Element®, along with an expanded partnership with Design Hotels™. The Company also boasts one of the industry’s leading loyalty programs, Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG®). Visit www.starwoodhotels.com for more information.

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