Originally Posted by
GUWonder
Phone NFC to open hotel doors has definitely become more common in some parts. But I've also noticed how some hotels that used to provide my wifi-connected phones with mobile phone keys are no longer doing so unless I first enable the phone's cellular network. I haven't cared to look into what caused the changed requirement at some hotels to get mobile phone/NFC keys on my iOS devices, but something definitely changed on the hotel side in some parts.
I have to assume there are some offices that have mobile phone keys using NFC even as there are some employers who would prefer not to have phone NFC as an option for employees to unlock doors.
Hotel doors actually use Bluetooth LE, not NFC. Perhaps it's not so much you have to enable the cellular function as that you have to enable Bluetooth - both are off in airplane mode.