My Blackberry killed my hotel room key!

I do a lot of traveling around the country by trains, planes, and automobiles.  I also spend a lot of time living out of a suitcase in hotels.  A few months ago I stayed at one hotel that had the credit card type keys to get into the rooms. 

Every night, after a long day at work, I would go to my 10th floor room hoping to get room services and a good night sleep.  Too bad my key didn’t open the door.  So every night, I would go back to the front desk and get my keys reprogrammed.  I thought to myself, what a terrible system, the hotel must do something about this.  I put up with this for 5 night. 

A few weeks later the same thing happened to me again at a different hotel.  I thought I was cursed. I started questioning why do we need credit card keys?  What happened to the good old days?  I just wanted an old fashioned metal key.  This happened over and over at different hotels over a 3 month period.

I finally figured out what was happening.  The Blackberry did it!  I keep my Blackberry in the leather holster that came with the device.  Most of the time, I keep my Blackberry in my shirt pocket but if I’m doing an install I have no other choice to put it in my pants pocket.  The minute I put my Blackberry in the same pocket as my room key, blamo, the key was wiped out.  I only knew this because I had asked for a second room key that I kept in my rental car.  That key worked just fine.

Inside the leather holster is a magnet that is used to turn the screen off and on when you put it in or take it out.  This magnet was killing everything that had a magnetic strip.  Room keys, Gift cards, D&B Power cards, you name it.  So, my tip to you, keep your Blackberry away from your room keys and you will be much happier traveler.

wizTEQ Staff