I had missed an opportunity a few months ago to try out SPG’s new keyless feature, and was super excited when I realized I could try it out at the Aloft in Portland, OR.

So what is SPG Keyless? Glad you asked!

In certain SPG properties, the Aloft, Element, and W hotels, you can check-in via your smartphone using the SPG app as long as you have a valid credit card on file. When your room is ready, the app will send you a push notification (around the same time I received a bank push notification that my card had been charged). Once received, using the app again, you walk with all of your luggage straight to your room, hold your phone up to the keypad and voila, like magic the door opens.

I loved this feature. Not having to wait in-line to check-in, especially after a long day of travel was fantastic. It was also great knowing that my phone was the key. How many times have you misplaced a room key, or worse, had it next to your cellphone or credit card to get up to your room to find your key no longer works? This removes those inconveniences, especially in today’s world where my phone is literally an extension of my body.

There are however some cons.  When setting up keyless entry for a particular stay, you need to enter your presumed arrival time (fairly standard), but as a result, the app and hotel stick to that time.  There is no wiggle room.  Often times plan change, and I do love the flexibility and that little bit of luck that is involved in showing up to a hotel early to find that they do have a room available well before check-in time. In this instance, I lost the flexibility to do so. And while that wasn’t a deal breaker, I can imagine taking a red eye to an overseas destination, desperate for a hot shower and having to wait.

One of the things I did not try out with this keyless entry is the use of the gym. After checking with SPG, the keyless entry seems to only work for your hotel room at the moment, not the fitness facilities, so you will need to swing by the front desk for a key if you want to use those amenities.

With that being said, the pros outweigh the cons (and are those really cons?) and I would gladly use this feature going forward.