The US hotel chain Starwood, with more than 1000 establishments around the world, has become the first to enable access to its rooms using smartphones without guests having to visit the hotel's reception.
Clients will have to download the hotel's application on their iPhones or Android-based mobile phones to make reservations.
They would then be allotted their room number 24 hours before arrival and their rooms will unlock as the bluetooth-enabled mobile device is brought close to the door, the company said on Monday.
Apple's iWatch, which is scheduled for release in 2015, can also be used for this purpose.
From Wednesday onwards, 10 Starwood hotels - Aloft Beijing, Aloft Cancun, Aloft Cupertino, Aloft Harlem, W Doha, W Hollywood, W Hong Kong, W New York-Downtown, W Singapore and Element Times Square - will have this new technology available for their guests.
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The hotel chain plans to incorporate this new mechanism in 30,000 doors at 150 of its Aloft, W and Element hotels around the world early next year.
"Not only does SPG Keyless alleviate a perennial pain point for travellers, but it also transforms the first interaction with our guests from one that is transactional to something more personal," Starwood president Frits van Paasschen said in a statement.
"This is just the beginning, because through mobiles we have the opportunity to marry high tech and high touch to transform the hotel experience in many exciting ways," he added.
