kipper

LOL, that would require me to step foot into a Travelodge.

jamesteroh

Good idea but I can think of a couple problems.

It would be a real pain if there is more than person in the room. What happens if it is a family and the kids want to take off and so do the parents and you only have the one diamond card. Or husband wants to go someplace and wife the other and they arrive back at different times?

I could also see this being abused. A diamond has a friend with no status that wants to take a trip for a weekend and diamond member is staying home that weekend. He just puts the reservation in his own name and gives his friend the diamond card to use for the weekend and since no ID is being checked the no status friend ends up with lounge access or free breakfast plus internet and a possible upgrade.

Also not sure if the proximity card systems like they have at the Hilton Fashion District in NYC could even work with something like a hilton card. I thought those systems required their own brand of proximity cards. I could see systems with regular magnetic swipe cards being programed tow ork with them.

What I would rather see is a dedicadted elite line at all hotels where only diamonds can use it for check in instead of just a general HH line (or no HH line at all). If no one is in that line the clerk just takes the next person in the regular line and then if a diamond shows up he gets in that line waits till the clerk is finished and he takes the next diamond in line. There have been times where I have just wanted to get my key and go to my room and it would take the clerk 2 minutes at the most to do my transaction while I waited in line behind kettles that took over 10 minutes to check in because they would have to ask anything imaginable to the clerk.

kipper

Perhaps the loyalty card could be used to open the door initially, but room keys would be left in the room?

I understand the frustration about check-in and waiting in line. However, if there are two clerks, and one is standing there, not doing anything, and there is a line at check-in, you'll upset those waiting in line especially if told, "I'm not able to process check-ins for anyone other than our elite guests."

jamesteroh

That is why I said they could process the next person in the general line if no one else is waiting in the elite line. If no one is in the elite line take the next person in the general line. If an elite shows up, the clerk finishes the transacdtion and takes the elite next. Hyatt does that for their elites. Marriott does it at many of their properties for elites, if there is no one waiting in the elite queue the clerk offers to process the next guest.

kipper

Yes, but what if the next guest in line is a kettle that takes 10 minutes? It's basically how it is now unless you make it a dedicated elite line, but then you annoy other customers.

jamesteroh

Depends on the length of the regular line and the kettle. If there are five people in the general line and just a couple clerks waiting, I would rather take my chance in the elite line. The system works pretty good at the courtyard I like to stay at in TO and at the Hyatt on Wacker in Chicago.

The SF Marriott has a different area for elites and that works well since it's a large conference hotel. Hilton needs to do that with their bigger properties, especially since they are handing out gold so easilly.

stifle

You can do this already at hotels in (at least) the UK and Ireland, where receptionists don't ever check ID.

RogerD408

Been there, done that...

Hilton's use to have a kiosk that would issue room keys. Most are now set to just print boarding passes, it is as long as the airline site does not use popup windows. From what I've been told they had too many people that couldn't figure them out or had issues using them.

One thing most don't realize with today's typical door lock is there is no link to a central system. The keys are coded with a sequence number pre-determined by the door lock with a date & time. If the encoder loses track or the batteries die in the door, the locks have to be reset. I was checking in one property that was resetting all the doors due to a long power shortage (no UPS on the encoder). I had to wait for the maintenance guy to finish my floor before the front desk would issue my room key.

diamond404

Ouch.

Liar

ratina scan. it's the future

RogerD408

Sorry, violates ADA rules.

BBFD

I read an article recently that Hyatt was going to be piloting the concept of using the elite card as your room key when used with web check in.

JDiver

Maybe Hilton ought to check some of the Japanese "love hotels" to see how they can fully automate checkin. Er, something like that!

stewaran

If I checkin online and choose room number, does this then mean I have no chance of being upgraded(I am gold if that makes a difference)

Cheers

stewaran

Just posted from iPhone app, this should be in Hilton forum!