>Aren't hotel room locks already easily cracked?
They are, but this will only make them worse.
They are, but this will only make them worse.
Moreover, the electronic mechanism pretty much never opens the lock: it activates a relay, which opens ... drum roll ... the physical lock. So the old, mechanical lock vulnerabilities are preserved, and new electronic ones added on top. What could posibly go wrong?
I've never been to a hotel that uses an ordinary key since those can be easily replicated, so that point is moot: all the electronic locks (most common these days) already have this "vulnerability" ("so why put a lock there in the first place?").
Second, since this system is being developed to use a smartphone, the security is easier to manage than a PIN code (such as 000000...). One can use centralised key-servers, etc.
Third, the company making these locks (the physical part) is ASSA Abloy, which is an extremely reputable lock company instead of the one in your link.
Fair enough, maybe they thought about the physical side then; Abloy make what is arguably the best mechanical lock in the world.
Still doesn't mean the authentication side is secure though.
It doesn't mean it cannot be made secure, either.