SmartStay, the hospitality technology platform from New Zealand’s Liverton Group, has added Apple Wallet and Google Wallet integration for digital hotel room keys, allowing guests at more than 400 SmartStay-equipped properties to unlock their rooms using the wallet already on their smartphone without downloading a dedicated app.
The digital wallet key feature works as follows: guests complete digital check-in via a web browser, mobile browser, or self-service kiosk; the SmartStay system takes payment and preauthorization, generates upsell offers, checks the guest in through the property management system, and then issues either a QR code, an Apple Wallet key, or a Google Wallet key as the room credential. Keys grant access to approved common areas including lifts and gyms. Keys are automatically deactivated at checkout and credentials are stored encrypted on the guest’s personal device. Once inside the property, the platform converts to a digital compendium for in-room services, food and beverage ordering, and guest request management.
“Guests already expect to use their phone for almost everything,” said Justin De Lille, CEO of SmartStay. “They pay with it, fly with it, access event tickets with it.” De Lille added that “most guests don’t want another app,” and that “the best hospitality technology should feel almost unnoticeable to the guest.”
SmartStay’s hotel keys join Apple Wallet’s expanding credential ecosystem in iOS 26, which added domestic passport support alongside state IDs and is increasingly the digital identity touchpoint across travel verticals. The launch is part of the same wallet-based access wave as Aliro-certified digital wallet tap-to-unlock for smart locks, with five ULTRALOQ models receiving Aliro certification just ten days before the SmartStay announcement.
SmartStay reports that more than 2 million guests have been processed through the platform, with an average check-in and check-out time of 2.5 minutes. Properties using SmartStay report an average 10 percent revenue increase, according to the company. Liverton’s platform emphasizes integration with existing property management systems and locking providers, requiring no infrastructure overhaul by the property. The company’s offices are in Auckland, Sydney, and Dallas, reflecting Liverton Group’s APAC-primary, expanding-globally footprint. SmartStay’s implementation is positioned for the mid-market hotel segment given its emphasis on ease of integration and no-app deployment.
Sources: Idealog, SmartStay by Liverton, Hotel Tech Report
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By Ali Nassar-Smith
