I am staying at my usual Courtyard and thought I'd give the mobile key a try. I opted in when I did mobile check-in the day before my arrival. Then when I stopped by the desk I mentioned the mobile key and she told me to refresh the app and the message changed to "Stop by the front desk to show your ID and get your mobile key" or something to that effect.

Three confused employees and 10 minutes later my mobile key started working. Is there anything I need to do in my profile to "fully" opt in or otherwise speed up this process? It was a new employee at first so maybe that explains it.

When it works properly, does it actually allow you to bypass the check-in counter and go right to your room, or do you still have to stop by the desk and show ID? Part of me appreciates the security, part of me likes avoiding 10-min queues when my usual check-in transaction takes about 30 seconds.