Precision Dynamics Corp. (PDC) has announced that Kalahari Resorts & Conventions, in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains, has implemented the PDC SmartBand RFID Wristband System to provide its guests with electronic access control, keyless hotel room entry and cashless purchasing. Each SmartBand has an embedded 13.56 MHz passive RFID tag. The unique ID encoded to each guest's wristband tag is matched to that visitor's folio and works with RFID readers incorporated in hotel door locks, turnstiles and point-of-sale stations.

Clockwise from top left: Reader-box, tablet, Locator, RFID-tagged sponges, HoveRead handheld

When a hotel guest checks in, he or she is provided with a SmartBand wristband. Day guests are also able to purchase water park admission online, print out their receipt or display it on their smartphone at the ticketing booth, and receive a SmartBand to gain park access. The SmartBand is waterproof and, unlike magnetic strip key cards, is not subject to de-magnetization, PDC reports.

"Unlike other RFID wristband providers, PDC provides a consultative approach and managed our entire integration process from discovery to execution," said Daylene Stroebe, Kalahari Resorts & Conventions' project manager, in a prepared statement. "Now that our guests are able to enter our park and complete purchases with a simple wave of the wrist, transactions are quicker and time spent waiting in line is reduced."

Other waterparks are also using the PDC solution. Camelback Resort's lodge and Aquatopia Indoor Waterpark, in the Pocono Mountains, are using the SmartBand RFID Wristband System for access control, cashless purchasing and locker rentals (see RFID News Roundup: Camelback Resort's Lodge and Aquatopia Waterpark Adopt PDC's RFID Wristband System). SmartBand wristbands can be customized and feature full-color printing capabilities to support company branding guidelines, graphics and text. The wristbands are available in a variety of materials, including plastic, silicone and woven fabric, and are offered with one-time closures for single-day use applications or re-wearable styles for use as season passes.