Hotel Online
News for the Hospitality Executive




OpenWays Launches NFC Integration with Mobile Key DUAL - 100% Operating
with Any Mobile Phone Deployable TODAY

 
The only front desk bypass solution actually deployed by hoteliers around the
world and truly available guaranteed to turn any mobile or smartphone into a “virtual”
guest room key has been enhanced to fully support Pure NFC: Mobile Key by OpenWays
is deployable today and now even more future proofed for tomorrow



Chicago—June 25, 2012— The global leader in front desk bypass solutions, OpenWays, will be showcasing its Pure NFC capabilities at the Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition & Conference (HITEC) that deliver not only a solution that is fully deployable today, but future proofed for the anticipated consumer take up of NFC mobile and smartphones of tomorrow. The platform – Mobile Key DUAL with Pure NFC – is being integrated with electronic locks from the major manufacturers and enhances each lock’s capabilities to enable a guest carrying any mobile or smart phone, operating on any network worldwide, to use that mobile device as their room key.



Involving 26 patents and patent filings, Mobile Key and Mobile Key DUAL are available for both new locks and for upgrading existing hotel locks. Mobile Key DUAL with Pure NFC combines the ubiquity of the OpenWays Crypto Acoustic Credential (CAC)™ platform with future features that the NFC technology will bring. Despite a very slow start, NFC is seen as becoming important in mobile technology and usage in the next five to seven years. This is the first time any vendor has combined such technologies onto one platform, making it the most future-proof solution while being truly deployable today.
 
OpenWays has pioneered front desk bypass solutions, and with the only actual deployments, is the leading solution of its kind, chosen by international and national chains, and leading independent hotels as their standard for enabling guests to skip waiting in line when they arrive at their hotel and head straight to their rooms. Guests coming from anywhere in the world can use their own mobile phone regardless of carrier or operating system. 

Mobile Key DUAL with Pure NFC is available on contactless/RFID or magnetic stripe electronic locks.

“NFC is a complicated and confusing topic, but it is essential for hoteliers to understand and differentiate between NFC and RFID,” said Pascal Metivier, founder and CEO of OpenWays. “Having an RFID door lock does not future proof an investment when considering NFC – far from it! Similarly, having an NFC strategy without considering the wider implications of mobile phone and carrier dependency means anyone selecting NFC today needs to thoroughly research the topic to avoid making a costly mistake.

“The governing body for NFC, the Near Field Communication Forum, was established in 2004, and only now are NFC-equipped mobile devices becoming slowly commercially available," he said. "Less than 0.05% of the 6.2 billion cell phones on earth are NFC enabled. This means that critical mass in the consumer market will take at least another five years, possibly much more. While thousands of hotels rooms around the world are already enabled with OpenWays Mobile Key, we are happy to announce that one major chain will equip 2,500 of its hotel rooms with Mobile Key DUAL with Pure NFC before the end of summer 2012
 
“Guests are looking for efficiency in their travel," Metivier added. "Modern hoteliers understand the importance to adapt to new guest demands. Offering a mobile based front desk bypass solution is seen as strategic by the hospitality industry leaders.”
 
Guests choosing to use the Mobile Key option are sent a message on the day of their arrival at the hotel with their room number. They simply proceed directly to that room, hit a key on their mobile device and enter their room.
 
Hotels also are increasingly realizing the convenience of providing their staff with OpenWays Mobile Key for Master Keys. This enables hotel management to remotely grant and remove access privileges instantly and track and report usage real time, thereby enhancing operations and security.
 
Since there is a great deal of confusion on the matter of RFID and NFC, OpenWays invites readers and HITEC attendees to register with it for a white paper on demystifying NFC. Mobile Key DUAL with Pure NFC will be showcased at the OpenWays booth at HITEC (#2315), where visitors may register to receive the white paper. Readers not attending HITEC may contact OpenWays via [email protected].
  
OpenWays is a global solution provider of mobile-based access-management and security solutions. With offices in Chicago, Las Vegas, Seoul and in Europe, OpenWays provides technology solutions allowing for the secure issuance and delivery of access rights and keys process via any cell phone operating on any network. The OpenWays solution is truly unique as it is built on the concept of credential dematerialization. The OpenWays mobile room key solution works on ALL the 6 billion cell phones in service in the world today. For more information, please contact Andrew Sanders at (732) 707-1869 or email [email protected]. More information can be found by visiting www.OpenWays.com.

.
Contact:

Barb Worcester
PRPRO /OpenWays
Tel: (440) 930-5770
[email protected]

or

Andrew Sanders
OpenWays
Tel:  (732) 707-1869
[email protected]


.
Receive Your Hospitality Industry Headlines via Email for Free! Subscribe Here  

To Learn More About Your News Being Published on Hotel-Online Inquire Here

Also See: MIWA Unveils its Hotel Locks Integrated with Mobile Key by OpenWays; Leading global electronic lock provider partners with OpenWays to bring Mobile Key front desk bypass solution to leading hotel chains around the world / June 2012

'Key' Questions to Consider When Shopping for Future-Proof Locking Solutions with Mobile Phone-Based Front Desk Bypass in Mind / June 2012

Does Your Mobile Presence Measure Up to Guest Expectations? Five Top Tips to Fill the Mobile Gap by Driving Loyalty, Increasing Direct Revenues and Reducing Costs; Use these Top Tips as a guide and visit OpenWays in Booth #2315 at HITEC / Andrew Sanders / June 2012

8 Reasons Why a Mobile Key Front Desk Bypass Solution Aids Travelers' Psychological Health; An article in Psych Central titled '8 Reasons Why Waiting in Line Drives us Crazy' identifies key factors that make waits seem longer; Mobile Key by OpenWays eliminates those eight factors and more / Pascal Metivier / June 2012

Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Marion, Illinois, to Open Doors with Mobile Key by OpenWays; New construction hotel is scheduled to open in early May with OpenWays' front-desk bypass option that enables travelers to unlock their room doors via mobile device / April 2012

DOCOMO interTouch Announcing 'FREEDOM CHECK IN' Powered by OpenWays Mobile Key to Add Front Desk Bypass Solution to its Offering; DOCOMO InterTouch announces its strategic alliance with OpenWays / April 2012

Landmark Luxury Property 'The Hotel' Brussels is First in Belgium to Adopt Mobile Key by OpenWays; Highest building in Brussels is bristling with technology, including offering OpenWays' smartphone apps to allow guests to bypass any front desk line and get straight to their rooms without delay / March 2012

Made Only of Data, Mobile Key by OpenWays is 'Key' to a Greener Earth; There are no keycards greener than the OpenWays Crypto Acoustic Credential that enables hotel guests to unlock their rooms via mobile phone / February 2012

Ciena Hotels & Suites Sees Mobile Key by OpenWays as Key Differentiator for New Brand / February 2012

The Ascott Limited to Assess OpenWays Mobile Key Front Desk Bypass at Citadines Apart'hotels in Lyon and Cannes, France / February 2012

OpenWays Announcing: Mobile Key DUAL© with Pure NFC™ in Cooperation with Nordic Choice Hotels, NOKIA and NXP / January 2012

Mobile Key by OpenWays Named 'Top Innovation' by Lodging Magazine / January 2012

OpenWays CEO, Pascal Metivier, Addressed Hospitality Technology Leaders at HTNG's European Event About Front-desk Bypass Solutions / November 2011

Self-Service = More Service with Mobile Key by OpenWays; Hospitality industry's leading provider of front-desk bypass solutions is equipping mobile-centric travelers with tools that get them to their destination quicker and hoteliers with a means to deliver more services / November 2011

OpenWays Announces Next Generation Mobile Key Apps for Smartphones; Mobile Key Apps now available for ALL smartphone operating systems; Visit OpenWays in Booth #3172 at IH/M&RS Nov. 13-15 in New York / November 2011

OpenWays Introduces 'Mobile Key' for Independent Hotels;To meet the growing demand among non-branded hotels wanting a Mobile Key Front-Desk Bypass Solution, OpenWays is introducing a cost-effective and secure option for Independents that harnesses mobile technologies to reduce costs, improve financials, and drive guest loyalty / October 2011

OpenWays Introduces Mobile Master Key; OpenWays simplifies hotel master key management by harnessing mobile technologies to make all locks 'on line' without costly infrastructure: Visit OpenWays in Booth #3172 at IH/M&RS Nov. 13-15 in New York / October 2011

Delighting Guests Does Not Drive Loyalty; Reducing Their Effort Does; Mobile Key by OpenWays is driving loyalty and brand stickiness by easing check-in/out processes / October 2011

First Impressions Count: Five Things to Set the Scene for Your Guests’ Stay, Make their Arrival More Enjoyable, and Build Loyalty via Convenience and Choice / Andrew Sanders / September 2011

Mobile Key by OpenWays: The 'SMARTER' and 'Greener' Check-In; At HITEC 2011, OpenWays will present -- with Ariane Systems and KABA® Saflok™ -- the 'SMARTEST' check-in solution deployed TODAY! / June 2011

OpenWays Unveils its Next Generation Door Lock Upgrade Module for Mobile Key Front Desk Bypass Service / June 2011

OpenWays and KABA Unveil All-In-One Saflok RFID Lock with Factory-Integrated OpenWays Mobile Key / June 2011

Can Self Service Mean More Service? YES! With OpenWays' Mobile Key / May 2011

Offering Self-Service Options is Key to Hospitality Loyalty; OpenWays is the 'Mobile' Key to Making it Happen / January 2011

iPhone 5 will be Compatible with OpenWays CAC™; All next generation smartphones, including the iPhone 5, Google Android Phones, Windows 7 Mobile Phones, Nokia C7 and N8 Smartphones or Next Generation Blackberry's will be able to operate the OpenWays Crypto Acoustic Credential™ / November 2010

OpenWays: Check In Today All the Way to Your Room Using 'Your' Cell Phone, ANY Model and ANY Carrier / November 2010

Hotel Technology Veteran Andrew Sanders Joins OpenWays as VP Business Development / November 2010

Mobile-Key Platform Displayed at IHMRS Aiding in National Industry GREEN Efforts; There are no key-cards greener than the OpenWays Crypto Acoustic Data Credential that allows hotel guests to check in to their rooms via mobile phone / October 2010

"CHECK IN YOUR WAY" OpenWays Launches New Campaign to Aid Hotels' Mobile Marketing Initiatives / October 2010

OpenWays Mobile Application is Live at a Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express Hotel; The world's first mobile front desk bypass solution is up and running at two IHG properties / September 2010

Aitor Agueda Joins OpenWays as VP of R&D; Twenty-five year hospitality and security systems veteran instrumental in designing the most installed and successful electronic-locking systems in North America joins OpenWays to lead R&D efforts; Maurizio Zama promoted to Chief Operating Officer / September 2010

OpenWays Cell Phone Based Front Desk Bypass Solution is Adding to the Business Traveler Experience; HITEC attendees using OpenWays app to enter Guestroom 20X said the mobile room key solution, which gives travelers freedom to completely bypass the front desk by using their cell phone for guestroom access, is ideal for all guests who want to avoid lines at the front desk; Company answers new questions posed at the premier technology event / July 2010

Front-Desk Bypass Cell Phone Solution: OpenWays Announces First Pilots at a Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express Hotel; OpenWays and IHG will pilot a new cell-phone-based front desk bypass solution that offers guests the option to use their personal cell phone as a mobile room key / June 2010

OpenWays Mobile Phone Front Desk Bypass Solution Selected for Guestroom 20X at HITEC; Attendees of the 38th Annual Hospitality Information Technology Exposition & Conference will have an opportunity to check into a virtual hotel, bypass the front desk, and open their room door securely using nothing but their cell phone -- any mobile device, any carrier works! / May 2010

OpenWays Opening Doors to Gen Y Travelers Wishing to Bypass Front Desk; Allowing guests to check-in remotely by equipping door locks to open via any cell phone is ideal for attracting this green-conscious, tech-dependent, instant gratification generation / May 2010

OpenWays Selected by Microsoft® to Join Its BizSpark™ Start-Up Program; Developer of the world's first crypto acoustic solution for check-in/out and room access via any mobile phone to receive full Microsoft marketing support, tools, licensing, and global visibility / April 2010

ITB Berlin Attendees Flock to OpenWays' iPhone App for Front-Desk Bypass, Acoustic Room Keys; Attendees at world's largest trade show for the travel industry flocked to see world's first crypto acoustic solution for check-in/out and room access via any guest's mobile phone; OpenWays was one of 11,127 companies from 187 countries that exhibited at the record-breaking event / April 2010

OpenWays Presents its iPhone Application to Bypass Front Desks and Open Room Locks; Mobile solution provider that developed the world's first crypto acoustic solution for check-in/out and room access via any guest's mobile phone announces new services to further enhance operations and guest services. / February 2010

OpenWays Responds to FAQs Regarding its Front Desk Bypass Solutions that Securely Open Hotel Room Doors by Cell Phone; Mobile solution provider that developed the world's first acoustic solution for check-in/out and room access via a guest's mobile phone regardless of type answers hospitality industry's most frequently asked questions / February 2010

100% of the World Cell Phones to Open Doors with OpenWays' Apps; Hospitality's FIRST Check-In /-Out Solution with Mobile Room Key Delivery for ALL Cell Phones is at IH/MRS! / November 2009

4 Billion Cell Phones Now Opening Doors to Better Guest Service Thanks to OpenWays / October 2009

OpenWays Introduces the Fastest and Greenest Way to Check In and Open a Hotel Room Door; Mobile room-key application for ALL cell phones NOW AVAILABLE / October 2009
..
.

To search Hotel Online data base of News and Trends Go to Hotel.OnlineSearch

Home | Welcome | Hospitality News
| Industry Resources

Please contact Hotel.Online with your comments and suggestions.