Keyless Entry Coming to Walt Disney World Resorts
 

Walt Disney World has announced that keyless entry is coming to Walt Disney World resorts. With the first resort to see the new 'Digital Key' feature being Disney’s Wilderness Lodge.

The My Disney Experience app will allow guests to quickly unlock their hotel room using a digital key on their mobile devices, providing them with another seamless room entry option that brings added ease and flexibility to their experience.

Guests can also use their digital key to unlock the hotel entrance gate and common area doors requiring a key, which may include pools, fitness centers, elevators and club level lounges. Arriving travel parties that have checked in online may even use their digital key to bypass the need to visit the front desk, giving them the opportunity to go directly to their room when it is ready and start their vacation even faster.

To enable the use of this new “digital key,” guests will have to activate the feature at check-in through the app.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kczqjyv2f_o

Don't see any benefit from this, surely you will still need to go to the front desk to get your magic bands anyway for your park entry and if you have had them sent to you before won't you still have to go to reception to get them linked to open your room door.

Don't really see the benefit of this unless you don't have a Magicband and if your phone died you wouldn't be able to get in.

I would suggest this is the start of the mobile phone/My Disney Experience app being able to replace/compliment Magic Bands. I have been wondering how long this would take. There is no reason the benefits of Magic Bands can't be utilised via iPhone, Apple Watch, other wearables and Android phones. It would suit me better as I don't really want to wear a Magic Band, I tend to keep mine in my wife's handbag or ask front desk for a keycard instead for my wallet.

If you are American and have your magic band sent to you / if you are a guest returning who already have magic bands from a previous trip, you don't need to go to the front desk you can go straight to your room. They don't link them at the front desk, they are already assigned to your MDE and they just assign a room to you on MDE.

Guests with Magic Bands already, can already go straight to their rooms and bypass check-in as your room number now shows on MDE.

I once accidentally left my magic band in the room, so this would actually be helpful in these situations too as you still have a way of getting back in

I take it you can still use your magic band to open your resort door.?

Thanks I didn't know that when they sent them out to you you don't have to go to reception to be able to access your room, I presumed it was just so you could head in the parks early if you wanted to before going to your hotel.

Hopefully this is the start of being able to use other methods alongside magic bands.

I’d love to use my Apple Watch as my magic band.

Great idea, except I don't always take my phone with me as I really like the idea of being phone-free when on holiday! Sometimes Disney don't think about international visitors either, as we don't all have data packages we can use in the USA if the WiFi is patchy.

I used this at a hotel in Hershey last year. It was great. You had the mobile within close proximity to the room and pressed the 'open' icon and it worked. Also worked at laundry room, gym etc. I suspect Disney are using the same software.
Another thing about it was you were able to pick your room from a map yourself. Now that would be really good. We got exactly the room we wanted.