Mobile phones to be used as room keys for Holiday Inn

Intercontinental Hotels will soon begin trailing the usage of smartphones in place of the traditional room key at two of its North American Holiday Inn properties, claims a new report.

Holiday Inn Chicago O' Hare Rosemont and the Holiday Inn Express Houston Downtown Convention Center will in June launch a trial run of the technology which allows Blackberries, iPhones, Android mobiles and other smartphones to avoid the front desk and go directly to their rooms.

Trial participants will need to download a specialised App for their mobile phone, which will call up their booking confirmation details in order to synchronise with a sensor on the door lock.

For the trial, which will last at least 60 days, and possibly up to Christmas if successful, the two Holiday Inn properties will add the new sensor locks to 20% of their rooms.