Hotel's Guests Embrace Iris-Recognition TechnologyHotel's Guests Embrace Iris-Recognition Technology

In recent months, eight out of 10 guests staying in the presidential suite of Boston's plush Nine Zero Hotel have willingly participated in a pilot project for technology that identifies people by detecting the unique patterns of the irises in their eyes. The technology, which is primarily being used to control employee and vendor access to a loading dock but is offered as an alternative to a room key for the suite, was put in place just before the Democratic National Convention.

Participants have images of their irises recorded at the hotel concierge's desk, and the images are stored in a database. When trying to gain access to the suite, a video-cameralike device takes a picture of the iris and matches it to the database record. Guests' iris images stored in the database are set to expire upon checkout. Gavin Philipp, director of guest services at Nine Zero, says the hotel is likely to deploy the technology for all of its guest rooms at a future time.

David Johnston, VP of marketing for LG Electronics' iris technology division, which makes the equipment being tested at the Nine Zero Hotel, says LG's iris-recognition products are getting interest from large financial, insurance, and high-technology companies, as well as airports in the United States and Canada. Demand in the casino and hotel industries is growing, Johnson says, and some retailers see it as a possible replacement for loyalty-card programs. Applications of the technology, he says, most often center on security, customer convenience, and workforce management.

Johnston declined to divulge LG's iris technology revenue, but he says the unit is generating a small portion of revenue for LG, which is best known for its cell phones.