The InterContinental Hotels Group has introduced new technology that will allow travellers to check-in to hotels through smartphones.
Mobile check-in services have already been introduced by airlines including Virgin Blue and Qantas, but two Holiday Inn locations in the US are now set to jump on the bandwagon.
Travellers wanting to take part in a trial will need to download an application onto their phone, access a confirmation email and then use the app to unlock their room.
“The proliferation of smartphones is growing in such a way that we have to look at what people are already bringing with them to make their stay more enjoyable,” IHG executive Bryson Koehler said in a statement.
The technology will be trialled for about three months at two Holiday Inns in Chicago and Houston in the United States.
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
