Whitbread launched mobile room keys at hub by Premier Inn on 28 October 2026. The brand runs compact hotels in London and Edinburgh.
A guest checks in online before arrival. The key lands in the wallet on the phone or the watch. A QR code at the hotel issues the same key. Reception desks and self-serve kiosks stay open for guests who prefer them.
Whitbread tested the system at hub London Farringdon (Old Bailey) before the launch.
Yasmin Mukhida-Olushola, head of marketing for hub, said guests choose the brand for a quick recharge before a day in the city. "Every moment is precious," she said.
A wallet key needs four parts. One party issues the wallet pass. A lock reads the credential. A credential provider signs it. A platform ties the three together.
Alliants supplies that platform. Premier Inn runs the Alliants Experience Platform on a software-as-a-service basis. Apple and Google carry the wallet passes. Dormakaba, Legic and Assa Abloy supply the lock-side hardware and credentials.
dormakaba signed a binding agreement to buy Alliants on 15 September 2026. The announcement describes Alliants as the platform behind more than 100,000 hotel rooms.
Whitbread describes the programme as the largest mobile-key rollout in hotels.
The hub launch is the first phase. Premier Inn holds more than 850 hotels in the UK and Germany across over 97,000 rooms. Whitbread targets completion across that estate by the end of 2027.
Frontline teams move from key encoding to guest hosting. Whitbread also expects fewer plastic key cards.