SKIRMISHER

In Japan, a consortium of five companies are working to remove human front desk staff in the whole hotel business. Because humans are quite a burden — they file sick and maternity leaves, they’re fond of office politics, they love to gossip about semen stains on the bedsheets of staying celebrities — they’re being replaced with a neat little thing called RFID.

When hotel guests reserve a room online with their RFID-enabled credit card, a “key” is assigned to the card. Since the credit card is the key, guests can bypass the check-in process and proceed directly to the room at the allotted time. The door lock recognizes the IC chip embedded in the credit card, opening for the guest upon arrival. The system eliminates the need for front desk staff to remain on duty.

A dozen or so of these hotels are scheduled to begin operations nationwide in 2008.

via PINK TENTACLE

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