A new way to check in

By Dana Niland
CJ Contributor

Hilton Worldwide has introduced its new Digital Key, a new feature of the Hilton HHonors app which provides frequent guests the option to bypass the hotel’s check-in desk and access their rooms, along with all other areas of the hotel that require a key, directly via their smartphones.

Since Hilton’s initial launch of digital check-in with room selection last July, the HHonors app has been downloaded over 2 million times, and members have used it to digitally check in over 5 million times to date, the company said.

Digital Key beta testing began earlier this summer at the Hilton Alexandria Old Town in Virginia, and the app will gradually expand to availability at more locations, including some of the chain’s Caribbean locations, which include Barbados, Puerto Rico, Curacao, The Bahamas, Cartagena, The Dominican Republic, Trinidad, and Aruba.

“HHonors members can use digital check-in and room selection at more than 4,100 properties globally – and those who have used it have shared exceptional feedback,” said Geraldine Calpin, senior vice president and global head of Digital, Hilton Worldwide. “With Digital Key, we are making the guest experience even more seamless through our improved mobile app.”

The HHonors app also provides additional benefits to members of the program who book their reservations directly through the app, including the option of selecting their own room and the ability to customize their stay by requesting amenities before their arrival or during their stay.

“Through our app, we’re giving HHonors members the ability to better control and personalize their stay with us,”Calpin said.