Last August, Hilton Worldwide began rolling its Digital Key, offering keyless entry into guestrooms, elevators, side doors and fitness centers at select Hilton properties. Since its launch, Hilton has rolled out its Digital Key at more than 95 properties throughout the U.S. and has had over 45,000 Digital Key requests. The company plans to roll out Digital Key to all U.S. full service brands and select international locations by the end of 2016.
HOTELS spoke with Dana Shefsky, director of digital product innovation at Hilton, about the adaption thus far, the company’s goals for the app in 2016 and overall trends in the app marketplace.
HOTELS: What trends have you seen with booking apps over the past couple of years, and how is Hilton adopting to the changing market?
Dana Shefsky: The hotel app is evolving beyond the four walls of the hotel to enhance the entire travel experience, dream to departure. We like to think of our HHonors app as our guests’ top travel companion. Guests can search for the perfect hotel and book directly through the app, check-in and choose their exact room from a digital floor plan, and even request items like a bottle of Champagne or extra pillows to be ready in their room upon arrival. Once on property, guests can use the app’s Digital Key feature to access their hotel room and other hotel areas requiring a key. At the end of their trip, guests can view their past itineraries, HHonors status and more.
H: How has the app been updated?
DS: In September 2015, we partnered with Uber on two new features that are making it easier for our guests to travel like locals. Ride Reminder sends automated notifications to remind guests to order transportation to and from the hotel. You can also book an Uber directly from the app. Local Scene is an exclusive list of popular restaurants and nightlife locations hosted on the HHonors app and chosen based on Uber rider drop-off/pick-up data. We’ve also added the ability for elite members to give us in-stay feedback through the app and get immediate responses – giving us another touch point.
H: How effective has the app been with driving sales?
DS: Our HHonors app has been quite effective in driving engagement and guest loyalty, which overall strengthens bookings with our hotels. For example, since the app’s re-launch in July 2014, the HHonors app has been downloaded more than 4 million times and has received the highest average Apple Store customer rating of all hospitality apps.
H: How has Hilton updated any issues with its app?
DS: With any new digital tool, there were some obstacles and issues that we had to tackle. But our team has worked strategically to keep these issues to a minimum. During our Digital Key beta testing, we were able to identify issues our guests might run into and solve them in real-time. This prepared us to conduct a successful Digital Key launch nationally. Similarly, we had to figure out how to integrate Digital Key with the various tech systems already on properties, like the elevator. If a guest needs a keycard to access their floor from the lobby, we needed to ensure guests could also use their smartphone to gain access. We were able to solve challenges like these while beta testing to limit the number of issues when scaled nationally.