Salto Adds Room Keys Support in Apple Wallet

Salto Systems, the hospitality tech company, announced this week it’s “transforming the guest experience” by adopting support for Apple’s Room Keys feature in the Wallet app. It means guests can unlock their door with only their iPhone and/or Apple Watch.

“Salto Hospitality smart access solutions support Room Keys in Apple Wallet for iPhone and Apple Watch users. This represents the next evolution in room key convenience, security, and operational efficiency for hotels and guests alike,” Salto wrote in its blog post published on Wednesday. “This solution integrates seamlessly into a hotel’s existing Salto Space Hospitality smart access platform. This means that, with Room Keys in Apple Wallet, guests can access their hotel rooms and shared spaces using just their iPhone or Apple Watch. They simply tap the reader or hold the device nearby to unlock—no apps, no friction. Hotel front-desk teams can forget the hassle of issuing physical keys to guests or dealing with long lines in the lobby. With Room Keys in Apple Wallet for iPhone and Apple Watch, hotel operators can streamline guest key distribution and management across their entire property.”

The company continued: “Tne standout feature is the ability for guests to share Room Keys with family members, friends, or colleagues through Apple Wallet’s key-sharing functionality. This eliminates the need for physical key duplication or complicated third-party apps. Shared keys come with customizable permissions that allow guests or hotel operators to control when, where, and for how long recipients can access specific hotel areas, with instant revocation if required.”

Apple introduced Room Keys in 2021 with iOS 15 and watchOS 8.

Although I’ve never used Room Keys, the obvious analogue is Home Keys. I’ve been using the Level Lock Pro on my front door for the last few months, and the experience of locking and unlocking with my phone or watch has been revelatory. The lock comes with a physical key and a key fob as backup solutions, and I use both when need be, but the Apple Wallet integration is clutch and truly a de-facto accessibility feature. While I can use physical keys in absolute terms, it’s a bit of a rigamarole due to my lackluster hand-eye coordination. Not only do I need to identify the correct key from my keychain, I must orientate it such that it’ll slide into the lock and turn. As I said, eminently doable for me but not without struggle. By contrast, I simply double-press the side button on my iPhone or Apple Watch, hold it close to the door, and the Level Lock springs into action. What’s more, since the door handle itself is a passage lever with no lock—the Level Lock replaces only the deadbolt—all I do is twist and push the door open to get into the house. It gives me so much joy each and every time I use it.

My old Nest × Yale smart lock is/was great, but using Home Key is even better.

Now we wait to see if other hotel chains like Hilton adopt Room Keys as well.