Use of Biometrics for Hotel Room Access Portends Strong Potential for Market

Spread the love
Could biometrics replace the modern hotel access card?
Could the hotel room access card be one day replaced by biometrics?

An article on the HotelierMiddleEast.com caught our eye this morning that could spell a new niche for biometric identification technology that has the potential for wide scale adoption. Here is a link to the article:

Hotel key cards to be replaced with biometrics (HotelierMiddleEast.com)

Seems that CADD Emirates out of the United Arab Emirates has implemented a hotel patron biometrics identification system that is replacing electronic key cards. The idea is to ditch the infamous electronic swipe cards that we all know so well in place of a biometric fingerprinting system that scans hotel patrons and allows them access to their rooms by placing their finger on a device, presumably attached to the hotel room door (the article didn’t go into a lot of details about the infrastructure of the deployment). The hotel hopes that , “the system will be able to remember guest preferences from hotel-to-hotel in locations across the globe, with information saved against their fingerprints.”

Our theory is that when customers opt into the biometric system, as they travel to other locations they will be easily recognizable at check-in and a detailed account of their history with the hotel can instantly be retrieved by simply placing their finger on a scanner at check-in. At least in theory this would seem like the most logical way to construct this system by capitalizing on the duality of both convenience and personal service that biometrics brings in a world where consumer personalization is a critical element for a business to succeed.

Read More: Will Biometric Technology Take Over Banking Security?

Bio-plugin-SDK

Bio-Plugin™ SDK

For Biometric Authentication

Works With:

Bio-Plugin Appserver:

C/C++, Delphi, Foxpro, Java, VB, Clarion, PowerBuilder.

Bio-Plugin Webserver:

IIS, Apache, WebSphere, Oracle, and WebLogic

Learn More

The article goes on to say that the plan to use fingerprint biometrics to identify guests is a way for the “hotel to stand out” and differentiate itself in an industry that is fiercely competitive and intensely loyal among travelers. Although the program is apparently designed to be for exclusive club members only, the creme de la creme of their patrons, it is conceivable that if the program is successful, it may eventually be rolled out to include all hotel patrons. It’s also possible that the use of biometrics to identify hotel patrons may become a lightning rod for personal privacy and civil liberty advocates who point to the collection of biometric data as invasive and potentially dangerous to individuals. However, since the deployment is in the Middle East where biometrics is generally much more accepted than in the West we guess that this won’t cause much of a stir internationally.

What are your thoughts? Is this a good idea and could there be potential for this kind of technology to reach hotels in the western world?

How useful was this post?

Click on stars to rate the post!

Average rating 0 / 5. Vote count: 0

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.

John Trader

John Trader is the Public Relations and Marketing Manager with M2SYS Technology, a recognized industry leader in biometric identity management technology. Headquartered in Atlanta, GA M2SYS Technology's mission is to pioneer the high-tech industry by delivering long-term value to customers, employees and partners through continued innovation and excellence in all aspects of our business. M2SYS continues to innovate, build and bring to market leading-edge biometrics solutions that revolutionize the industry and expand the applicability of biometrics technology in our marketplace. You can view their Web site at www.m2sys.com or contact them via e-mail at info@m2sys.com

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Need Help With Biometric Identity Management Project?

M2SYS Simplifies the development and deployment of biometric projects

Contact Us
Please enter the following information

Name (required)

Your Email (required)

Country

How did you hear about us?

Need help with a biometric project? (required)

Sign me up for the newsletter