The NCR Express Key: Welcome to the New Self-Service Revolution

Frustrated at the long wait to collect your hotel room key, frantically searching for a lost hotel key or resignedly walking back to the hotel desk to exchange a key that doesn't fit? Not any longer for NCR Corp. (News - Alert), who has launched the NCR Express Key that does away with it all.

Part of an advanced hotel check-in solution portfolio, NCR Express Key is a hotel check-in kiosk that reportedly allow guests, who check in online or via mobile device bypass registration, to obtain the room key with no hassle.

The pilot solution is currently available in North America and will be launched in Europe later in 2012.

An Opinion Research Corporation survey on behalf of NCR revealed that 25 percent of respondents waited 30 minutes or longer to check in while more than 50 percent were issued a key that didn't work. Both the groups expressed that they were very frustrated.

NCR’s kiosk allows a room key to be obtained by scanning printed or mobile-delivered confirmation barcodes, mobile acoustic keys or NFC-enabled mobile devices.

Hence, placing this low-profile kiosk at different convenient points in the hotel will give guests more options to obtain a key while hotel operators can concentrate on providing better service for all guests by freeing up staff time.

“Travelers have come to expect mobile convenience throughout their journey, and many hotels are beginning to offer the ability to book a reservation and check in on-the-go,” said Tyler Craig, vice president and general manager at NCR Travel.

Research by Opinion Research Corporation on behalf of NCR revealed that a large percentage favored being able to check-in ahead of time, and 41 percent preferred a hotel that had this convenience.

Although there is widespread adoption of the mobile and hotel room bookings, increasingly made either online or through a mobile device, the check in facility has yet to catch on. But with larger numbers indicating their preference for mobile or online check-in, it's only a matter of time before a greater number of hotels offer this option.