VingCard’s VISIONLINE Wireless RF-online Solution Powers Smart Check-In Program at New Aloft Harlem

Technology is key at Harlem’s first new hotel in a century, allowing guests to skip the front desk and go directly to their rooms

DALLAS – 14/Feb – VingCard Elsafe, the global leader in hospitality security and part of the ASSA ABLOY Group, has announced that a combination of its proprietary technology solutions have been integrated as critical components of a revolutionary Smart Check-In program at one of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.’s (NYSE: HOT) newest hotels – Aloft Harlem. VISIONLINE RF-online, VingCard’s wireless Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) communication platform, and Signature RFID door locks are making it possible for Aloft Harlem guests to check in remotely through their PC or web-enabled mobile devices and completely bypass the front desk upon arrival. The first Aloft® Hotels property in New York City, Aloft Harlem is also the first hotel from a major brand to open in the historic Manhattan neighborhood in over a century.

Aloft Hotels recently selected VingCard to provide the advanced RFID technology behind its groundbreaking Smart Check-In program. Through the new program, select Starwood Preferred Guest® members who choose to participate receive an enhanced SPG/Aloft-branded RFID keycard. On the day of a planned stay at Aloft Harlem, a text message is sent directly to the guest’s mobile device that indicates their room number at the property. Upon arrival, guests can proceed straight to their guest room, where their encrypted SPG/Aloft-enabled keycard will unlock the door, providing unprecedented convenience, security and ease-of-operation for hoteliers and hotel guests alike.

[an error occurred while processing this directive]“The Smart Check-In program, which we have begun rolling out across the Aloft brand, is specifically designed to meet the changing needs of today’s busy, tech-savvy travelers,” said Brian McGuinness, Senior Vice President of Specialty Select Brands for Starwood. “Based on the positive feedback we have received from guests using the system so far, the ability to bypass the front desk is expected to become a valuable new amenity for guests at Aloft. As the hotel industry continues to adopt more innovative self-service solutions, VingCard’s RFID technology is providing a way to not only increase the efficiency of the check-in process, but provide added convenience for our guests.”

Featuring 124 loft-like guestrooms, Aloft Harlem is part of a mixed-use project that also includes Apex, 44 contemporary condominium residences, and retail space. The hotel offers easy access to Columbia University, as well as Harlem's most buzzed about destinations, from the iconic Apollo Theater to the cutting-edge Studio Museum. The location is just steps away from the 125th Street subway station and a quick and convenient ride to anywhere in Manhattan.

The historic opening of Aloft Harlem will prove to be one of the most important hotel launches of 2011, made all the more noteworthy by the inclusion of the Smart Check-In innovation. “Starwood and its Aloft brand are on the leading edge of hotel technology, and we at VingCard are thrilled to help them make the future of hotel check-in a reality,” said George Winker, vice president of sales for ASSA ABLOY Hospitality in North America. “It’s quite appropriate that this truly pioneering technology is now in place at such a history-making hotel as Aloft Harlem.”

VingCard Elsafe is the world leader in developing locking systems and electronic in-room safes for the hospitality industry, offering user-friendly security systems that meet the unique operational needs of hotels and resorts. For more information, visit www.vingcard.com www.elsafe.com.

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