The Latest Hospitality Technology: What Hotels Can Use Now

Planning guide

The latest hospitality technology is moving the room key into the guest’s phone and putting more of the building on one shared network. This guide summarizes which access and connectivity standards are certified now, which are announced, and how to write specifications that stay open to them. It contains no market forecasts, and every claim is sourced.

Illustration of a hotel manager using a tablet in a large multi-storey hotel atrium — Illustration: managing access across a large hotel from a tablet. Concept image, not a Novatelia project or client.

Last reviewed 19 October 2026. Published by Novatelia. Labels used on this page: Documented means shown in a CSA certification record or stated in an official manufacturer, platform or regulator document. Announced means officially announced as future or roadmap work. Not documented means no public source was found, so it must be confirmed with the manufacturer.

What is certified today

Aliro 1.0 (CSA, 26 February 2026): an open standard for phone and wearable access over NFC, Bluetooth LE and UWB (documented).
Aliro-certified products, for example Nuki Keypad 2 NFC and Last Lock C100 in the CSA database (documented). Novatelia is evaluating these products and is not a partner of either manufacturer.
Wallet software: Google Wallet and Samsung Wallet Frameworks hold CSA Aliro 1.0 certificates (documented).

What is announced or still on the roadmap

Secure key sharing as a future Aliro phase (CSA) and server-based provisioning (Samsung Research): announced.
Google said in February 2026 that it was working with partners to bring Aliro to Google Wallet in the coming months (announced); its release notes of 15 September 2026 say Campus ID passes support Aliro (documented).
Apple: an Aliro-capable LG lock for Apple Home from December 2026 in the US and Canada (announced).
Hotel PMS issuing Aliro guest keys into phone wallets: not documented.

Five principles for a future-ready hotel specification

Specify standards, not brands. For new mobile-access doors, ask for “CSA Aliro 1.0 certified, certificate ID provided”, alongside a card fallback.
Design the network first: floor distribution rooms, a fiber backbone, and separate guest, staff and IoT networks. See network and infrastructure design and fiber and structured cabling.
Keep the back-end open. Aliro does not mandate a back-end, so require documented APIs and verified PMS interfaces. See API integration.
Plan for offline doors: require documented offline behaviour, expiry with a trusted time source, and revocation.
Budget for the lifecycle: firmware updates, batteries, spares, local support and a maintenance SLA.

Illustration of a technician servicing an electronic lock on a hotel guest-room door — Illustration: a technician servicing a guest-room lock. Concept image, not a Novatelia project.

Beyond the door: connected guest services

Room controls, Wi-Fi, CCTV and staff access share the same infrastructure. Matter is the CSA smart-home standard that complements Aliro: Matter manages and controls devices, and Aliro handles the credential at the door (documented, Silicon Labs and Samsung Research). Hotel room-control platforms have to be verified one by one.

Risks to plan around

Wallet feature availability differs by brand, region and phone model. Availability in Oman is not documented.
Vendor support, spares and warranty in Oman.
Type approval for radio equipment under TRA rules.
UWB spectrum: CSA’s position paper flags WRC-27 studies that could affect UWB Channel 9.
Depending too heavily on any single vendor’s roadmap.

A phased roadmap for hotels in Oman

A planning suggestion, not a forecast; each phase starts when the previous one met its criteria
Phase	Focus
Phase 1: assess and pilot	Assess, write Aliro-ready requirements, run a showroom demo and a pilot on non-guest doors, strengthen the network.
Phase 2: expand	Expand the pilot once vendors document PMS issuance, expiry and revocation.
Phase 3: scale	Scale where the pilot met the agreed criteria, and keep a card fallback.

Related guides: what Aliro 1.0 is, mobile keys for luxury hotels and NFC, BLE and UWB compared. For project scope, see hotel technology and smart lock systems.

Questions and answers

What is the latest hospitality technology hotels should plan for?

Plan for standards-based mobile access such as Aliro 1.0, robust segmented networks, Matter-compatible room devices where suitable, and documented APIs between the PMS and access systems, with a card fallback and lifecycle support.

Is Aliro worth specifying in a new hotel project?

It is worth specifying for new mobile-access doors, with a CSA certificate ID, while keeping an RFID or PIN fallback. Hotel PMS guest-key issuance is not yet documented publicly, so guest-room scope should follow a pilot.

Does Novatelia publish ROI or energy-saving figures?

No. Novatelia does not publish unverified statistics. Benefits are measured during a pilot against criteria agreed with the property.

Is Novatelia an authorized partner of the manufacturers mentioned?

No. Novatelia is evaluating products and is in discussion with manufacturers, but is not a partner or authorized reseller.

Where can a hotel in Oman start?

Start with a technical assessment of doors, network, PMS and the guest-phone mix, followed by a small pilot. The request form on this site can be used to describe the property.

Discuss an Aliro or mobile-access requirement

Tell us about the property, the doors, the systems already in place and the timeline. Novatelia will reply with an engineering scope that separates what is verified from what still needs confirmation. No price is published on this page.

Request an Aliro readiness review Contact the Muscat team

Sources

Public sources checked on 19 October 2026. Product and wallet support changes often, so confirm each item with the manufacturer before a commitment.