One of the best things about the annual Google I/O conference is that many of the biggest and most active development houses save their coolest updates to share with that group. To that end, Hotel Tonight announced yesterday that they feel they are the first online travel agency to offer mobile check-in as well as keyless entry to guests of hotels using their service.
The express check-in functionality makes the process of getting your room entirely painless: just two taps on your touchscreen and then wait to be notified that your room is ready.
Even more exciting than checking in quickly is the ability to unlock your hotel room with your Android device (anybody who has locked themselves out of their room because they forgot that silly credit card style key will be cheering along with me… besides, who ever leaves a room these days without taking their phone?). Using NFC capabilities and a Brivo Labs API, users hold their device up to the lock and moments later they are passing through the door.
Both features are expected to be implemented soon, though it may take some time for hotel chains to get on board.
Hotel Tonight is a fantastic way to save money on hotel rooms anytime you are willing to wait until the last minute. Before you start to plan your next trip, be sure to download Hotel Tonight.
Jillian Koskie is an experienced software developer, content writer, project manager and usability design expert. With over 17 years in these roles, Jillian has enjoyed applying her skill-set to assist clients and users across a wide variety of sectors including: legal, health, and financial services. Combining these professional opportunities with a love of technology, Jillian is pleased to contribute articles, opinions, and advice to numerous news outlets, websites, and publications.