Marriott International is teaming up with Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group to test facial recognition check-ins at two of its China hotels.
The facial recognition technology, which comes from Fliggy, Alibaba’s travel service platform, will enable the check-in process to be completed in less than a minute, compared to the current average queue time of three minutes.
Guests can simply scan their IDs or passports, input their contact details and take a photo. Once the software verifies the identities and booking information, room keys will then be dispensed.
The project will kick off at Hangzhou Marriott Hotel Qianjiang and Sanya Marriott Hotel Dadonghai Bay this month, with a global rollout planned in the future.
This latest announcement follows the joint venture’s recent global rollout of the Post Post Pay (PPP) functionality and redesigned storefront on Fliggy.
Moving forward, the joint venture will seek to personalise the experience for Chinese travellers by enhancing the storefront and linking the loyalty programmes of Marriott International and those of the Alibaba ecosystem.
