The hotel chain Holiday Inn will be piloting a new keyless entry system allowing vacationers to use their personal smartphones as a method of unlocking their hotel rooms.

The first locations to test the new system will be the Holiday Inn Chicago O’Hare Rosement and the Holiday Inn in Houston, Downtown Convention Centre. The technology that powers the new system is provided by Open Ways and is compatible with a number of different smartphones including Android devices, the RIM Blackberry and the Apple iPhone.

Over the two to three months, the system will be rigorously tested to ensure that it will be functional at all hours of the day so as to not lock out party goers that are returning to their rooms after midnight. Another big item being reviewed is security features. Obviously, a secure system that has strong safeguards in place to prevent hacking will be required to offer peace of mind to hotel guests.

Via: Switched, Gadget Venue