Remember the days of hotel keys? Not the flimsy cards they give you nowadays, but the actual metal keys that you picked up from the front desk clerk. Seems like forever ago, right? Well pretty soon those little cards will be a thing of the past as well. This week Hilton Hotels announced that they are going to be launching an app that will let you select room preferences and check in and out all from your phone. By early next year you will be able to unlock your hotel room door straight from the app. Once that is implemented, there will be virtually no reason to visit the check-in desk. This is exciting news for frequent travelers who have to deal with front desk hassles often. Hilton isn’t the originator of the hotel app; Starwood hotels and resorts came out with their app earlier this year. If that name doesn’t sound familiar, Starwood owns the fancy “W” hotels along with chains like the Westin and the Sheraton. With these two heavy hitters offering this service, imitation will surely follow with smaller hotels.