Road warriors usually look forward to getting to their rooms at the end of the day, but the part that is no fun is standing in line waiting for a room key. It’s late, and so often the one in front of you seems to be the one with so many questions, you wonder if you’ll ever see your room. Well that will never happen again if you are staying at an SPG (Starwood Preferred Guest) property that has the new SPG Keyless system.

SPG Keyless

This is the latest iteration of Aloft’s Smart Check-In technology which started in 2010. Now, with your smartphone, you literally can have your key in your hand.

The day or the day before you’ll be checking in, you’ll get a push notification that your room number has been assigned and you can go directly to your room upon arriving at the hotel.  So, that’s exactly what we did when we arrived at the Aloft Cleveland Hotel. From the parking area, we took the elevators directly to the fourth floor and walked right over to our room

Getting it all to work

It was simply a matter of holding my phone flat against the door lock. A green light started blinking on the door lock, and within two seconds, using Bluetooth technology, the door could be opened.

Starwood has partnered with Assa Abloy for the hardware and software to enable this new system. For the system to work, the guest needs to load the SPG app on their phone and to make sure Bluetooth is enabled. You’ll also want to sign-in to the app and leave a credit card number on file. That way, there will be nothing to stand between you and that room you’ve been anticipating.

Aloft Cleveland

And our anticipation was well founded.  The mattress in our room was possibly one of the most comfortable we’ve seen in a while – two nights of perfectly relaxing sleep.

Aloft Cleveland puts you close to all the new action downtown. Cleveland has become quite the foodie city and there are actually five drinking and dining destinations right here in the building:

W XYZ Bar – right in the hotel lobby

Re:fuel – the 24/7 “grab a quick bite” shop, also in the lobby

Ken Stewart’s East Bank for seafood and steak

Lago’s for room service and a wide variety of dining fare

Willeyville for specialty cocktails and seasonal foods

 

And if that weren’t enough, construction is underway for up to seven additional restaurants just minutes away along the riverfront.

It’s great to see the vibe that permeates the entire Aloft property.  From people enjoying the W XYZ bar, to folks enjoying the full size pool table to those just enjoying the comfortable lobby seating; this is a happy, happening place.

Disclaimer:  Aloft Hotels invited us to check out the new keyless system in Cleveland, but all opinions expressed are our own.