Hilton iOS App Will Double As Room Key Starting in 2015

Hotels often make a big deal about how much their premises make you feel "at home," but according to the Wall Street Journal, Hilton's upcoming app will let you walk straight up to your room after your arrival like you own the place. No more of that nasty socializing with the folks behind the counter business; you'll be able to bypass human interaction altogether.

We've covered this kind of stuff before, but it's always been for comparatively small regional chains or tests before wider rollouts. (Back in January, for instance, Starwood Hotels and Resorts implemented a similar program for two of its Aloft hotels in Manhattan and in Apple's own Cupertino.) Hilton's adoption of the feature marks one of the first steps to making the practice common at internationally recognizable hotel chains.

Hilton, in fact, is already halfway there. The current app for the influential hotel chain lets you check in through the app, but you still need to run up to the front desk if want your keys. That'll change in the future, though — specifically, sometime next year. By 2016, according to the WSJ, you'll be able to use your iPhone has your hotel key at all of the company's locations worldwide.

Pity, then, that they'll probably still charge you an arm and a leg for Wi-Fi.

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