InterContinental Hotels Group’s Even Hotels will let guests purchase waterproof wristbands that will enable keyless hotel-room entry as well as cashless transactions. InterContinental Hotels Group's Even Hotels will let guests purchase waterproof wristbands that will enable keyless hotel-room entry as well as cashless transactions, reflecting the new, wellness-oriented hotel brand's efforts to appeal to particularly active guests. The so-called Smart Bands are embedded with radio frequency identification (RFID) technology that enable them to be waved over the RFID-enabled room locks for keyless entry. Guests can also use the wristbands, via scanning, to buy food and beverages at the hotel. The hotels charge $8 for the wristbands. IHG opened its first two Even Hotels properties in Norwalk, Conn., and Rockville, Md., in June, and is planning to debut three hotels under the brand in New York next year. |