Mobile phones: an intelligent wall pass

Like Lufthansa and Air Canada, Air France-KLM has launched its e-boarding pass for mobile phones. Since the second semester 2008, passengers traveling between Paris and Amsterdam only have to pass their telephone containing their booking confirmation in order to pass through the different control areas. This fluid, paper-free solution has been expanded to many domestic flights and will soon be adopted for European flights. Hotels may undergo the same evolution and soon see their guests’ mobiles become room keys. Signature locks from Vingcard and now Génération 790 by Kaba-Saflok have adopted Near Field Communication, a derivation of contact–free RFID technology that enables dialogue between a cell phone and a lock or payment kiosk.At a time when all these actors – geopositioning and telephone – are in the process of converging, mobile marketing for tourism could take on an all-new importance. In just a few minutes, customers will be able use their telephones to book a room at the closest hotel, find the restaurant in town with the best reputation and, why not, fall prey to a special last minute offer in the town – or the street – they are standing in. Expedia and Nokia, the same battle?In addition to its role as a wall pass, the smartphone could quickly become an essential vector for hotel reservations. Telephones have enormous potential for becoming the most obvious means of organizing and facilitating travel for businessmen. A study by Amadeus Hospitality last year reveals that almost all the road warriors used their mobiles to receive and send emails. And 69% use them to surf on Internet. Hotel groups are positioning themselves to exploit this potential. Accor and Travelodge have adapted their reservations to the WAP and Imode formats. Starwood Hotels offers an identical service to members of its SPG loyalty program.Cell phones...