Accor Hotels starts facial recognition trials in Brazil The French hotel chain is investing further in the technology in a bid to enhance guest experience.

Selected guests of the hotel's loyalty program will be the first users the new technology at a Pullman hotel in São Paulo.

Under the trial, guests are able to register at the desk or an information pillar at the reception then use facial recognition to access the room, therefore removing the need for keycards.

According to the company's vice-president for information technology for South America at Accor, Erwan Le Goff, the aim of the project is to offer more personalization and therefore a market differentiator for the brand.

"We realize this technology is a big market differentiator and will be utilized by the sector in the years to come. For that reason we decided to roll it out to improve our guest experience," the executive says.

"The purpose of the project is to improve the way we serve [guests]. Whether it is by giving more control or speeding up the check-in process at our hotels, we always strive to make everyone feel welcome, " he points out.