RFID may make plastic key cards even easier to use.

Many hotels are discovering the advantages of RFID.

Very few hotels nowadays give actual keys to their guests. Travellers around the world have grown accustomed to using a credit-card sized rectangle of plastic to open the doors to their rooms.

RFID may make those plastic cards even easier to use.

New-generation key card systems feature RFID readers in the doors and RFID chips in the cards themselves. Instead of sliding the card into a slot, a hotel guest only needs to wave the card over the door handle to unlock the door.

These systems can also allow guests to pay for drinks or dinner and to access the hotel's pool or its parking lot. The technology provides added layers of safety and security to travellers and to staff, and of course the data and information on the cards are encrypted.

Regular guests can be issued permanent RFID cards, allowing them to check in and check out extremely quickly and, if they wish, record their preference for certain types of pillows and other personal requests.

The RFID door lock systems are also energy efficient, generally requiring fewer battery changes than traditional electronic locks. Hotels benefits from lower costs and the planet benefits from less waste.

With its user-friendliness now reaching into the hotel industry, RFID is really opening doors.