RFID 2 | SunMatrix Ramble

What Ushuaïa builds with RFID and Facebook

RFID technology and its integration with social APIs is becoming more mainstream. In this example, Ushuaïa Beach Hotel becomes the world’s first hotel to use RFID to engage guests through social sharing. The installation is created by Dorst & Lesser, who also create the Renault RFID installation at the Amsterdam Auto Show.

How the pillars drive sharing across the hotel

The hotel is outfitted with pillars that read RFID-enabled bracelets. Depending on where you are and what the pillar offers, you can check in, take pictures, or post a status update. The pillars are placed at the beach, the pool, and on the dance floor, so sharing becomes a physical action you repeat throughout the experience.

Why this pattern matters beyond Ibiza

The real move is not the gadget. It is the reduction of friction. Sharing is no longer a separate step on a phone. It becomes a “tap and publish” behavior embedded in the space, making social output a natural byproduct of participation.

This RFID and Facebook integration is also used at the Coca-Cola Village in Israel.

A few fast answers before you act

What is the Ushuaïa RFID Facebook sharing concept?

Guests wear RFID-enabled bracelets and use scanning pillars placed around the hotel to trigger Facebook check-ins, photos, and status updates from different locations.

Why place pillars at the beach, pool, and dance floor?

Because those are the high-emotion moments guests want to share. Putting the tech at the peak moments increases usage and makes sharing feel like part of the experience.

What is the key design lesson for brands?

Make sharing an outcome of participation, not a separate workflow. When the action is physical, fast, and obvious, publishing scales without instruction.

What should you measure if you run something similar?

Scan volume by location, repeat scans per guest, social reach and engagement of generated posts, and any lift in on-site dwell time around the activation points.

For the Amsterdam Motorshow, Renault introduced the possibility of “liking” real objects offline and immediately sharing them online via the Facebook wall. They created this innovative and real-time social sharing experience with the help of a RFID Facebook card.

Specially made Facebook pillars were placed in front of the Renault cars. All the visitors had to do was hold their pass in front of these pillars and an automatic connection would be made to their Facebook profile, with the car being “shared” on their wall. This way their offline car experience was instantly shared with their online friends.

Renault used the RFID technology well, but last year Coca-Cola used the same in a more engaging manner at their Coca Cola Village event in Israel.

Why this felt new at the time

The breakthrough is not the “like” itself. It is the bridge. A physical moment becomes social output in seconds, without asking the visitor to take out a phone, search, type, or upload. The action stays frictionless, and the share becomes part of the experience rather than an afterthought.

One gesture. Tap the card, and the content posts.
Identity linked once. The RFID card connects the visitor to their profile without repeated logins.
Social proof at scale. Each tap becomes a public signal to friends, extending the showroom beyond the venue.

The reusable pattern

If you want real-time sharing from physical spaces, reduce the share action to a single motion and make the output predictable. The visitor should know exactly what will appear on their wall, and it should feel like a natural extension of the offline moment.

A few fast answers before you act

What did Renault do at the Amsterdam Motorshow?

Renault created an RFID-based activation that let visitors “like” cars offline by tapping a Facebook RFID card at branded pillars, which then posted the car to their Facebook wall.

Why use RFID instead of asking people to share on their phones?

RFID reduces friction. It removes typing, app switching, and upload steps, which increases participation and makes sharing feel effortless in the moment.

What is the main benefit of connecting offline experiences to social in real time?

It turns a physical event into an online distribution channel, where each participant becomes a broadcaster to their own network.

What should you be careful about with automated social posting?

Make the action intentional and the output transparent. People need to understand what will be posted before they tap.