RFID Wristbands

[sparty]

I watched a fellow tug member's youtube video on SDO and noticed a RFID wristband was being used. Couple questions:
1) Where do you get SDO wristbands?
2) Are MVCI wristbands compatible at SDO?
3) Are Sheraton Hotel wristtbands compatible at SDO?

Interesting enough I just stayed at Sheraton Waikiki Hotel and then went over to Ko'Olina - they tried the Sheraton Waikiki wristbands but they didn't work at Ko'Olina so we hunted down our MVCI wristbands we got at Cypress Harbour and they worked. I am a fan of wristbands because I dislike carrying and often losing cards.

 

[dioxide45]

The wristbands I was wearing in that video aren't SDO specific. They have the Sheraton Vacation Club logo on them. I actually received them at Sheraton Vistana Villages in Orlando. They do work at any of the Sheraton properties, but they likely won't work at Marriotts. I tried to have Sheraton Vistana Villages program my Marriott wristbands to work there and they wouldn't register, that is when they dug up and gave me some Sheraton ones. I haven't had any issues having them reprogramed at checkin at any of the Sheraton Vacation Club properties. I don't think they will work at the hotels, but they might. I beleive the wristbands have to be registered to the system somehow, otherwise they can't be programmed on check in.

I have had an issue with some of the Westin wristbands. One of the two we bought at Westin Desert Willow couldn't be programmed at the Westin Mission Hills. The other worked, it was odd. I ended up buying another one at Mission Hills that worked there and also worked at Westin Kierland Villas.

About buying them. They are technically now being sold at Westin and Sheraton Vacation Club properties (Hyatt too). Marriott has sold them for years, but we just recently started seeing them show up at the front desk for sale at Sheraton and Westin properties. When we stayed at Hyatt, they said they had only received them a day or two before we arrived. One for $10 or two for $15. Hyatt Coconut Plantation was just charging $7.50 each, but I don't think they ever charged the two I got to our folio. They have them in different sizes and different colors. I did make a video last fall about them. I have added several more to the collection since then.

 

[controller1]

They had the RFID wristbands at Nanea when we stayed in September. They were $10 each and I overheard 100% of the proceeds went to support the Westin Team for their Maui charity walk.

 

[dioxide45]

They had the RFID wristbands at Nanea when we stayed in September. They were $10 each and I overheard 100% of the proceeds went to support the Westin Team for their Maui charity walk.

Proceeds from the sale of Marriott wristbands go to Children's Miracle Network. I don't think I have seen any signage around the Sheraton or Westin properties indicating what charity theirs benefited. It may vary by property.

 

[daviator]

And what do the wristbands do? They function as room keys? If that’s all they do, that’s not something I’d pay for, but if some folks like them then I’m glad they are offered.

I was just at WDW last week (and will be there again next week) and didn’t see or hear about any wrist bands.

 

[dioxide45]

And what do the wristbands do? They function as room keys? If that’s all they do, that’s not something I’d pay for, but if some folks like them then I’m glad they are offered.

I was just at WDW last week (and will be there again next week) and didn’t see or hear about any wrist bands.

They function as a replacement for a room key card. Nothing more. You should see a small display of them on the counter or behind the checkin desk at the resort.

 

[klpca]

We have been to a couple of places that used wristbands instead of a card key and I truly dislike them. I can't stand to wear anything on my wrist - watch, bracelet, or the wristband. It makes my skin crawl. I hope that the card keys stay around as an option for princesses like me I am reading this thread I am so shocked that everyone is ok with them, then I remember that I'm the weirdo.

 

[Henry M.]

Some hotels are starting to let you use your phone as a room key. The Marriott at Wailea does that. I think Marriott is rolling that out to most of its properties.

I found it convenient when I had to give the card to my wife, who doesn't like to carry her own card when she only has small pockets or no pockets on the clothes she's wearing. I almost always have my phone with me.

I don't feel like paying extra for a wristband or wearing yet another item on my wrists besides a watch, but I can see how it could be useful and more difficult to lose than a keycard.

 

[controller1]

Some hotels are starting to let you use your phone as a room key. The Marriott at Wailea does that. I think Marriott is rolling that out to most of its properties.

I found it convenient when I had to give the card to my wife, who doesn't like to carry her own card when she only has small pockets or no pockets on the clothes she's wearing. I almost always have my phone with me.

I don't feel like paying extra for a wristband or wearing yet another item on my wrists besides a watch, but I can see how it could be useful and more difficult to lose than a keycard.

I have tried the phone as a room key at three different Marriott properties and all three were failures and that is with different phones. Marriott's IT needs to catch up with Hilton where I regularly use my iPhone as the key and have never had a failure.

 

[dioxide45]

Fo far I am not sold on phones as a good substitute for keys. Most certainly not when you are behind someone at the turnstiles of a Disney park who is frantically swiping around on their phone to figure it out as you wait behind them to get into the parks. I can tell you now, phones are not faster. I sometimes notice similar things in the checkout aisle at the grocery store.

 

[1Kflyerguy]

We just purchased wristbands for MVC while staying at Crystal Shores. I found them really easy to use, there was one door in the resort that they never seemed to work with but otherwise it was really easy.

I have used my phone a few times with the various hotel chains, but i find that for me the phone is more of a hassle than its worth. Getting the phone unlocked, make sure I didn't get logged out of the app somehow, etc.. plus the phone apps don't work well with multiple guests..

 

[daviator]

I have used the "unlock your room with the Marriott app" a few times. Starwood did this first, it isn't all that new. I think it's more of a novelty than a key replacement, though it would be useful if you accidentally walked out without your key I suppose. But the effort involved to take out your phone, unlock it (even more cumbersome while wearing a mask), find the right app, open it, find the right menu/item to unlock the door, then MAYBE it will work or maybe you have to try it several times, force-quit the app and try again (in my experience, it often doesn't work the first time but usually eventually does.)

Or you pull the key card out of your pocket and open the door. I consider the phone app an emergency backup but that's it.

As for wristbands, I think they're probably great for children who would probably lose the key card, and maybe some adults. But I don't wear bracelets and would be a little embarrassed to be wearing one outside the resort (and cramming the bracelet in a pocket is a lot harder than dealing with a key card.) But like I said before, it's great that they're available for those who want to use them.