Another Trick Up The Virtual Sleeve Of The New Apple Watch: It Unlocks Hotel Room Doors
It monitors heart rate, exercise and calories. It makes and takes calls, texts and emails. It surfs the internet.
And for Starwood Preferred Guests staying at select hotels in the W, Element and Aloft chains the new Apple Watch can open doors — specifically, the door to your room.
There’s a Maxwell Smart quality to this. (Hey, Rolex — jealous?) The Apple Watch works at Starwood hotels wired for keyless systems where you can open guest room doors using your iPhone or Android.
But all hotels are not created equal. Your Apple Watch will open doors at Aloft Harlem but not Aloft Brooklyn.
Other New York City hotels where the Apple Watch works its key-free magic are W New York Downtown, W New York, W Union Square and Element New York Times Square.
Once outfitted with the SPG app the Apple Watch lets you access details about your stay, call up transportation and parking options at the hotel and contact the hotel for requests, among other things.
Oh — it also tells time.
Beats having to rummage through a purse for the room key or card, no matter the time.