OpenWays Mobile Phone Front Desk Bypass Solution Selected for Guestroom 20X at HITEC

Attendees of the 38th Annual Hospitality Information Technology Exposition & Conference will have an opportunity to check into a virtual hotel, bypass the front desk, and open their room door securely using nothing but their cell phone – any mobile device, any carrier works!

OpenWays has been identified as one of the “most innovative technologies" of 2010 by Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP®) for its ability to deliver a room key over the air to the right cell phone in order to open the correct door lock or access control reader. The cutting-edge solution – which removes the need for a guest to stop at the front desk upon arrival to streamline check-in and eliminate the frustration of waiting in line – will be on display as part of GUESTROOM 20X, a prototype hotel room and pavilion at the 38th Annual Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference, June 22-24 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.

"The Guestroom 20X committee, a group of hospitality technology experts representing hospitality projects from throughout the world, selected OpenWays as a representative of possible future technologies that might become a standard in guestrooms," said Frank Wolfe, HFTP CEO. "HFTP is pleased that they will participate in the 2010 version of Guestroom 20X."

GUESTROOM 20X, sponsored by Microsoft, is a model guestroom featuring the latest and near-future technologies for the modern hotel room. HFTP produces a new version of the special exhibit every other year, after a worldwide, comprehensive search of existing, cutting-edge and future guestroom innovations.

OpenWays uses the principle of Crypto Acoustic Credential™ (CAC™) and text messaging (SMS) to enable travelers to use any cell phone on the market today to check in or out of a hotel, bypass the front desk and securely open their room door.

The integrated CAC™ solution is compatible with the major electronic door locks brands, ALL 4.4 billion cell phones on the mobile consumer market today, ALL cell phone network technologies (GSM, UMTS, CDMA, 3GCDMA, 4G, LTE, WIMAX…) and ALL Mobile OS standards (BlackBerry, Apple iPhone, Symbian, Google Android, JAVA J2ME, MICROSOFT WINDOWS mobile and more).

Retrofitting an existing lock to support CAC™ only requires adding an OpenWays decoding listening device to the existing lock or access control reader. At HITEC, OpenWays will introduce a new upgrade module for existing electronic locks. The solution is delivered to hotels via a variety of integrating partners, including the major electronic-locking system vendors and specialized channel providers, such as PMS, CRS and kiosk companies.

The ‘Smarter’ Way to Check In

OpenWays is the smarter front desk bypass solution because it serves as a complete business solution:

• Enhancing Guest Service: OpenWays offers freedom of choice to guests. Busy business travelers and tech savvy Gen Y guests will prefer to use their mobile phone and go straight to their room while others have the option to proceed to the front desk to get a room key.
• Enabling a Mobile Strategy: With 4.4 billion cell phones in service, and with most hotel guests owning one, OpenWays being compatible with ALL cell phones worldwide, becomes a strong enabler to a hotel’s mobile services and marketing strategy.
• Going Green: Issuing plastic keycards and plastic loyalty cards has a negative impact on the environment. It can also put a property in a bad light, giving the impression that the property doesn’t care about the planet. As a zero emission, zero waste solution, OpenWays clearly is the “greenest” way to check in. Given the choice “plastic or data” for check-in, environmentally-conscious travelers will choose data every time.
• Modernizing loyalty: Gen Y has very little interest in loyalty cards, and like business travelers prefers custom value-added information provided by a widget on their smartphone. Plastic is passé.
• Increasing security and improving operations: With OpenWays, staff Master keys can now be managed and controlled in real time while using proven and cost efficient standalone locks. It is no longer needed to walk to each lock to cancel a lost master key.
• Trusted network and very strong authentication: Security and encryption is in the OpenWays DNA. The solution is designed to run within the secured and trusted IT environment of the service provider (hotel chain, management company, system integrator…) or by leveraging the benefits of cloud computing. With OpenWays, cell phones and servers are connecting through very strong authentication techniques.
• Reaping a strong return on investment: OpenWays offers an affordable pay-per-check-in / SaaS business model, combined with operating cost reductions and the opportunity to leverage the application to increase both margins and cash flow. This provides owner and operators with a tool to boost business results while providing better service.

"During the G2X tour, HITEC attendees will have the opportunity to securely receive a room number and room key via their cell phone (any type or brand and using any carrier network worldwide), proceed directly to the guestroom, and open/unlock the door lock,” said Pascal Metivier, Founder and CEO of OpenWays. “If they enter with an iPhone, BlackBerry, NOKIA, Android or other Windows-based mobile cell phone, an application (embedded or mobile web-based) will allow them to open the door to their room by simply pressing a 'key' icon on their mobile device."

While at Guestroom 20X, visitors will witness OpenWays working with electronic locks regardless of the card technology being used (magnetic-stripe card, smart card, RFID cards, etc). The solution interfaces to the hotel’s PMS,/CRS, and can facilitate mobile bookings and mobile confirmations, mobile upgrade offers, e-payment/e-ticketing vouchers, e-concierge, social network localization, mobile loyalty apps, mobile convention services, mobile partner programs and more.

“We are thrilled that OpenWays has been selected for Guestroom 20X this year,” Metivier said. “Since its release, OpenWays has been inundated with queries from hoteliers looking for smart front desk bypass solutions. The industry is very sensitive to the benefits offered by the OpenWays solution, including its contribution to building a truly mobile strategy for chains, management companies and individual hotels.”

OpenWays continues with its open architecture and fully interoperable multi-technology platform (including CAC, NFC, NDST, OTP, VSA and IVR technologies) to be the best way to make the right investment into a front desk bypass solution while being truly ubiquitous and future proof. With OpenWays 100% of guest cell phones are addressable today and tomorrow enabling users to securely open all kind of access management systems.

"We look forward to seeing everyone in June in Orlando at the Guestroom 20X display and share with HITEC visitors the OpenWays solutions that major hotel chains will be deploying this summer,” OpenWays’ Metivier said.

For more information on OpenWays contact Pascal Metivier at ++ 33 6 85 622 306 or [email protected].

About OpenWays | OpenWays is a global solution provider of mobile-based access-management and security solutions. With offices in Chicago, Las Vegas, Seoul and Paris, OpenWays provides technology solutions allowing for the secure issuance and delivery of access rights and keys process via any cell phone operating on any network. The OpenWays solution is truly unique as it built on the concept of credential dematerialization. The OpenWays mobile room key solution works on ALL the 4,4 billion cell phones in service in the world today. For more information, please contact Pascal Metivier at ++ 33 6 85 622 306 or email [email protected] or Barb Worcester at +1 440 930 5770 or email [email protected].

Barb Worcester
+1 440 930 5770