MCLEAN, Va. - "Digital Key is fabulous!" "This is an extremely convenient benefit for being a Hilton HHonors member." "For a frequent traveler like myself, the ability to select my room and bypass the front desk is a competitive advantage. No other hotel group offers this type of service." These are just a few of the 55,000-plus Hilton HHonors testimonials since Hilton (NYSE: HLT) launched Digital Key one year ago. Since that time, Digital Key has opened 2 million doors for Hilton HHonors members at 400 hotels.
Digital Key, in conjunction with digital check-in with room selection, is available exclusively through the award-winning Hilton HHonors app and offers the hospitality industry's first-and-only opportunity for travelers to select the exact room they want based on both the hotel layout and its outside surroundings. Interactive digital floor plans make it easy for Hilton HHonors members to decide whether they want to be near the pool or the elevator, and integration with the Google Maps API lets guests determine if they prefer a view of the courtyard or the city skyline. After checking in and selecting their room from their phone, guests can proceed right to their desired room without having to check-in at the front desk. In just one short year since Digital Key launched, guest adoption has given Hilton plenty of reasons to celebrate.
- Two million doors opened for Hilton HHonors members - that's nearly one for every home in the entire state of Arizona.
- Digital Key has gone global - it's now available in Singapore, with plans for continued global expansion in 2017.
- Digital check-in with room selection is used over 1 million times per month. That's once every two-and-a-half seconds.
- More than 70 percent of those who use digital check-in also opt to use Digital Key.
- Nearly 7 million rooms have been selected through the digital check-in feature since the beginning of 2016.
- Our top Digital Key user has unlocked 350 doors. That's almost one door a day for an entire year!
"We've heard from our Hilton HHonors members that their mobile device has become their remote control to the world and that they rely on it to manage travel," said Geraldine Calpin, chief marketing officer at Hilton. "We test many types of innovations here at Hilton, always with a goal: does this improve the guest's stay with us in a meaningful way? With Digital Key, our members have agreed it does."
Digital Key has been adopted nationwide by every Hilton brand in the U.S. at 400-plus hotels. By the end of 2016, guests will be able to use it at approximately 700 hotels. Hilton HHonors members will soon enjoy additional Hilton HHonors app features that simplify and enhance their stay:
- An app redesign this fall will bring Hilton HHonors to the iPad with full iOS compatibility and easier access to Digital Key including push notifications triggered at different moments of the guest's travel journey to ensure a stress-free trip.
- By early 2017, multiple keys per room will allow family members and friends sharing a room to access Digital Key through multiple devices.
- In-app real-time chat will connect guests directly to front desk Team Members. Through the Hilton HHonors app, guests can request services such as housekeeping visits or a late check-out by simply sending a chat message as early as a day before check-in and up to a week after for any follow-up needs.
- "Pin My Room" will invite guests to mark their favorite room in a hotel so they can select the same room on future visits.
"With these new features, we're reimagining the travel experience by providing solutions to challenges our guests might not even know they have yet," said Joshua Sloser, vice president of Digital Product Innovation at Hilton. "We know every guest has their preferred way of connecting with our Team Members, so we make it as easy as possible to assist them on their own terms, whether it's through real-time chat, through social media channels or in-person at the front desk. These features complement our Team Members' ability to provide amazing service and hospitality, both in-person and digitally."
Digital Key, digital check-in, room selection and in-app real-time chat are exclusive benefits for Hilton HHonors members, available via the Hilton HHonors app, which is the highest rated hospitality app on the Apple App Store (4.8 stars) and is downloaded once every seven seconds. Hilton HHonors is free to enroll and offers members an exclusive discount every day at every hotel in the world, as well as access to unforgettable experiences on the Hilton HHonors auction platform. For more information and to join, visit the Hilton HHonors site here.
