During Apple's keynote earlier this week, it was revealed that the Apple Watch is partnering with Starwood's app to open room doors. Apple VP Kevin Lynch introduced the watch and the third-party app demo on stage in Cupertino, Calif.
Apple is opening up the watch to developers for the first time, reports Geekwire. Through the Starwood Hotels app, wearers can unlock their hotel door by waving the watch in front of the door. The Apple Watch will also let wearers make mobile payments.
In the beginning of this year, Starwood Hotels and Resorts introduced a pilot program to unlock hotel rooms with guests’ smartphones, reported USA Today. The Aloft Harlem in New York and Aloft Cupertino were the first to try the new technology, powered by Assa Abloy, a lock company in Sweden, said Brian McGuinness, senior vice president of Starwood's Specialty Select brands. Guests will see the new technology roll out at three Starwood brands, Aloft, Element and W Hotels, by 2015.
