DIGITAL KEY PROGRAM GUIDE FOR NEW HOTELS, CONVERSIONS AND PIPS Overview As Digital Key continues to expand to additional brands and regions, it is quickly becoming a way of life at Hilton. Eventually, Digital Key will become part of the footprint of every hotel in every brand. We have formulated a plan to start equipping new and renovating hotels with Digital Key enabled locks and activating Digital Key for guests where possible. This guide is intended to give you an overview of the current process and affected brands and regions. For additional questions or concerns, please send an email to
[email protected]. Beginning March 1, 2016, only Digital Key-approved locks will be implemented in new or renovating hotels in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. All Digital Key-approved locks must contain a device called “the broker,” which is a module included in the locks that allow the guest’s smart phone to communicate with the lock. Digital Key-enabled locks with the broker will be installed in the following cases: • A new hotel is opening. • A hotel is being converted from one brand to another. • A hotel is converting to the Hilton portfolio of brands and its locks are to be replaced as part of a product improvement plan (PIP). • A significant refurbishment is taking place, and locks are being replaced.
Lock vendors If the hotel is being converted or is replacing locks and has a Ving lock system, it must be replaced with a lock system from an approved vendor. The currently approved Hilton Supply Management lock vendors are Onity, Kaba/Saflok, Miwa and Salto.
Availability Beginning January 1, 2016, Digital Key broker-enabled locks will be available for ordering from the Hilton Supply Management approved lock vendors in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. These locks will be available outside the U.S. shortly thereafter.
Costs As always, the hotel is responsible for the cost of the locks and their included brokers. When purchasing a new lock system, the price the hotel pays for the broker-enabled locks is agreed upon between the hotel and the lock vendor the hotel selects. Note: The additional cost for the broker-enabled locks is expected to be around $33 per lock, which will be included in the price of the lock quoted by the lock vendor.
Applicable regions and brands This approach is applicable to the regions and brands listed in the table below. APPLICABLE BRANDS AND REGIONS Region
Brands
U.S.
All brands except Hilton Grand Vacations.
Canada
All brands except Hilton Grand Vacations.
U.K.
All brands except Hilton Grand Vacations.
Note: In some cases, there may be local laws that prevent guests from going straight to their room with a Digital Key due to passport and identification requirements. In these cases, the hotel will implement Digital Key locks but Digital Key will not be active and available to guests until a later time. We are continually enhancing the Digital Key functionality to accommodate these types of registration requirements.
Activation Once the hotel installs their Digital Key-enabled locks, the hotel will become Digital Key active when: • The Hilton IT deployment team is on site to install OnQ or other services and is conducting training. AND • Current Digital Key functionality supports activation in that location. The deployment team will advise the hotel of its eligibility. When the Digital Key-enabled locks are installed (and Digital Key training has been completed), the hotel will be go live, offering guests Digital Key. Since the Deployment team will be on site to support the new opening or conversion, the hotel will go live even if the brand as a whole is not yet live. As mentioned above, if the Hilton IT Deployment team is not on site or the current Digital Key functionality does not support activation in the location, the hotel will remain Digital Key inactive until a later date. When the locks are installed by the lock manufacturer, they will be left inactive until deployment begins for that particular geography and training is scheduled with the Deployment team. Until then, the Front Desk will continue to issue key cards to all guests as normal.
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Other regions As mentioned above, the current approach to new and renovating hotels only applies to hotels in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. We will regularly review opportunities to expand this policy to other regions as we advance the Digital Key technology and lock vendors start making Digital Key-enabled locks available in other parts of the world. Should a hotel outside of the U.S., Canada and the U.K. be interested in investing in Digital Key-enabled locks and if the lock vendor provides these locks in that region, they are welcome to do so. However, Digital Key will be inactive and unavailable to guests until a later time, when we make it available for that region or brand.
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