Gadgetory

Hotel Union Square in downtown San Francisco is packed with history that hotel guests can now unlock with very modern technology we are in the dashiell hammett suite and it's kind of a coincidence that we are filming here because he typed on a typewriter and we're talking about mobile key wireless access to your room when a guest checks into this hotel she can download the free personality hotels app onto her smartphone once the desk clerk assigns a room it alerts the app when the guest reaches the door she presses the key icon to emit a sound that activates the door sensor and unlocks the room I think that our guests are embracing that because they're right here where all the high-technology and new technology is happening as a security measure in case the phone is lost or stolen guests can create a special pin for the app in addition to the pin on their phone it doesn't say which hotel it is they wouldn't know the room number personality Hotels isn't the only group to experiment with mobile keys some properties in the Starwood Hotel Group like aloft are expected to roll out their version of the technology in the coming months besides guests convenience there's also the environmental impact Ivonne deterred from personality hotels estimates that at least 100,000 plastic key cards are handed out at her for San Francisco hotels every year five years from now it may just be your thumbprint it may be the glasses you're wearing that have the computers set into it they just blink at the lock and you're in plastic key cards are still available for those who prefer the old fashioned way in San Francisco I'm Kara Tsuboi cnet.com for CBS News