Experiencing the “Hilton Digital Key not working” problem? You’re at the right place!
Regardless of the comfort and ease that the Hilton Digital Key could bring into your stay, it could sometimes refuse to work and unlock rooms for you.
In situations like that, users have reached out and shared their experiences as well as the solution so let’s learn more!
To fix when Hilton Digital Key isn’t working, perform a Reboot on your device and then update the Hilton Honors app. Next, reconnect your mobile to either Cellular or the hotel’s WiFi and finally, ask for a new key and reinstall the Hilton Honors app.
To review this problem in depth, check out the potential Digital Key problems!
What Are the Hilton Digital Key Problems?
As odd as it may sound, particular circumstances could prevent your Hilton Digital Key from working properly.
In the list down below, we’ve included only user opinions and reports from people who are experiencing the same type of problem with their digital keys.
Let’s find out what’s causing the problem with your Digital Key:
- A problem with the Hilton Honors app
- An issue with the Sent Push Notification from the mobile app
- Internet Connection issues have occurred with your phone
- There’s a fault with the Hilton Code Generator
Only guessing what the issue is won’t really take us far, so let’s get into the troubleshooting!
How to Fix When Digital Key Hilton Not Working?
After reviewing what problems could occur with the Hilton Digital Key, it’s time to troubleshoot.
We’ve separated only the solutions with the best functionality, recommended throughout the Hilton Digital key users.
In that regard, follow our guide in chronological order and you’ll be fine!
Let’s jump in!
Solution #1 Reboot your Phone
The first and most easy thing you could try at this point is Rebooting your mobile device.
Basically, your Hilton digital key will become available shortly after receiving the push notification, from your installed Honors app.
However, there could be a problem with your mobile device, preventing you from receiving the given notification and activating your key.
You could restart your mobile phone in two ways:
- Software Restart – Head to Settings > General > Power > Reboot
- Hardware Restart – Hold the Power Button and select “Shut Down” > Hold the Power Button again to start your phone up.
Both of the methods for restarting your mobile phone are equally efficient, so it is only up to you which way you’ll pick.
While restarting your phone, make sure that the hardware DND button is not pushed, especially for iPhone users.
Alert: Once your phone reboots, disable any DND modes, preventing push notifications from delivering.
Solution #2 Use the Original Receiving Device
You should keep in mind that Hilton Digital Keys only work on the device they were initially requested on.
With that, we mean that using an alternative device that has the Hilton Honors app to unlock your hotel room will not work.
The device that becomes the receiver of the digital key is the one that the push notification was sent. Thus, you must use the mobile device that has the SMS from Hilton to use the key.
- Get ahold of the original device that received the push notification from Hilton
Once you’ve got the device that initially received the key, you should be able to unlock your hotel room, using the generated digital key within the Honors app.
Also check which one of your devices received the notification for the digital key, by launching the default messaging app.
Note: The digital key’ status will remain “Active” on the device that received the notification!
Solution #3 Check-In with Hilton
The digital key will only become available, once you have checked in at the hotel!
Therefore, you’ll be able to use the key until you’ve either checked in digitally or gone to the hotel’s reception and filled out the forms for your stay.
Either way, you’ll only receive the push notification that’ll unlock rooms for you in the hotel, once your stay has been verified.
- Make sure to talk to a receptionist to check your scheduling and checking-in
If everything regarding your stay’ status in the hotel has been verified, you should shortly receive your digital key and be able to use it.
Keep in mind that if you had previous stays in Hilton hotels, your old digital key will not be active, since you’ll have to wait for the new one to arrive.
Note: You could also check in digitally, through the Hilton app and automatically receive a key.
Solution #4 Reconnect Device to the Internet
In order to benefit from Hilton’s digital keys, your device must be connected to the internet at all times.
This could be one of the reasons causing the “Hilton Digital Key not working”, and you could easily settle this by reconnecting your device.
- You could either use the hotel’s WiFi or connect your mobile to cellular data!
Here’s how to reconnect your mobile device to the internet:
Via Mobile Data:
- On your phone, launch the Settings tab.
- Navigate to “Mobile Data”.
- Make sure that “Mobile Data” is set to “ON”.
Via WiFi:
- Find out the WiFi Name of the Hilton hotel from a receptionist.
- Ask a receptionist for the WiFi Password.
- On your mobile device, launch Settings.
- Navigate to WiFi, select the Hilton WiFi and insert the password.
- Press “Connect”.
If using mobile data, make sure that your phone plan has enough Mbps to last throughout your whole stay, in order to benefit from the digital key.
Alert: Your device must remain connected throughout your whole stay to use the key!
Solution #5 Reinstall the Hilton App
Perhaps, there’s a problem with the Hilton App installed on your mobile device.
The best way to take care of problems that have occurred with Hilton’s mobile platform is to uninstall the app and then download it again.
In that regard, we’ll be reinstalling the Hilton app from your mobile device in this solution, to solve the problem with the digital key.
Here’s how to reinstall the Hilton app in easy steps:
- Launch Settings on your mobile device.
- Navigate to “Storage” or head directly to the “Apps” section.
- Seek out the Hilton app from the list of installed platforms.
- Highlight the app and select “Uninstall”.
- Wait for the application’s removal from your device.
- Launch the App Store on your device.
- Type down “Hilton” in the search field.
- Download the platform again.
- Launch Hilton and sign back into your account.
- Wait for the push notification.
Note: Press on the received push notification for more info regarding the digital key.
Solution #6 Ask for a New Key
In case you’re still unable to use your Hilton digital key, we would strongly suggest asking for a new key from the reception of the hotel.
They’ll perform a checkup of your digital key and whether it is active for unlocking the different instances within the hotel.
In the worst-case scenario, they’ll make you wait for an hour or so until you receive a new key.
Otherwise, you’ll immediately be able to use your current digital key to access your room, without the need for a physical carrier.
Tip: You could ask for a physical key until the problem with your digital code is resolved.
Quick Recap:
Thus, to fix when Hilton Digital Key not working, you should reboot your device and reconnect it to the internet. Next, update the Hilton app and make sure that you have checked in. Finally, reinstall the Hilton Honors app and ask for a new digital key.
If you’re interested in more relevant content, make sure to check our blog!
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Kevin has over five years of experience working in various Tech startups and providing Technical solutions. He has contributed to many Tech publications and websites. Check out more about him here.