Marriott, Alibaba trial facial recognition at China hotels
Check-in with a smile: Marriott, Alibaba trial facial
recognition at China hotels
By Clare Jim, Adam Jourdan JULY 11, 2018
HONG KONG/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Chinese guests at Marriott
International, the world’s largest hotel chain, may soon be able to check in
with a quick scan of their facial features.
The chain will work in a joint venture with Chinese
e-commerce giant Alibaba Group to test facial recognition check-ins at two
China hotels this month, the firms said on Wednesday, with ambitions for a
global rollout later.
China is spearheading the use of facial recognition for
everything from helping control major live events to ordering fast-food, but
also bolstering a growing domestic surveillance system that has raised fears among
human rights activists of privacy being invaded.
The joint venture said the new technology would help
guests jump queues and cut the check-in process to less than a minute, compared
to at least three minutes at a normal counter.
Chinese guests will need to scan their IDs, take a photo
and input contact details on an automated machine, the firms said. The device
will then dispense room key cards after verifying identities and booking
information.
The pilot will roll out at two Marriott hotels in Hangzhou
and Sanya on the tropical island province of Hainan.
Marriott got in hot water in China earlier this year when
local authorities closed down its Chinese website for a week as punishment for
listing Chinese-claimed regions such as Tibet and Taiwan as separate countries
in a customer questionnaire.
In September last year, Yum China’s KFC launched a “Smile
to Pay” facial recognition system at a store in the eastern Chinese city of
Hangzhou, looking to lure in tech-savvy younger consumers.
Editing by Himani Sarkar
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